Welsh Rugby Union outline plan for women's rugby in Wales

The Welsh Rugby Union have outlined their long-term plan for transforming women’s rugby in the country.

It is released just short of the Wales national team’s pool stage exit, capped with a loss to Fiji, at the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup.

In Focus – The Women’s Game paper includes the commitment to raise annual investment from £3.7m to £5.7m by 2030.

WRU Chair, Richard Collier-Keywood, described the plan as “distinctly Welsh” and that the development of women’s rugby is a “strategic priority” for the union.

Hoping to build women’s rugby year by year in the country, there is hope that the roadmap can provide clarity for stakeholders in the game.

Amanda Bennett, former Wales international and WRU Board Member, said: “We need to ensure we’re providing a future for our players. A future for our eight-year-old girls, just as we do for our eight-year-old boys.

“We will do this through providing a pathway and a system that is visible, that is coherent and accessible, in order to deliver the success that we so desperately want to achieve.

“This is a long-term commitment by the Welsh Rugby Union because we can see the opportunities ahead.”

This will include the creation of a Women’s National Academy for players aged 18-23. Investment into the National Academy will start at £360,000 per annum in the first year and rise to £400,000 by 2030.

Player Development Centres (PDC) will be expanded into three hubs and nine satellite sites across Wales. These changes are being made to ensure consistent coaching, better access to high-performance environments and a clearer more accessible pathway for young players.

The paper recognises that Wales’ current PDC and U18 programme has recently produced senior internationals Seren Lockwood and Branwen Metcalfe who were capped in 2025.

There is also a pledge to keep Welsh talent in the country and to play their domestic rugby in Celtic Challenge with either Gwalia Lightning and Brython Thunder.

Already the national team has reaped the reward of players gaining game time in the league, with Maise Davies, Alaw Pyrs, Molly Reardon, Jenni Scoble and Sian Jones all having benefitted from match minutes on home soil.

The WRU aim to see investment into its two Celtic Challenge teams increase from £200,000 to £500,000 per team in 2026, with investment rising to £680,000 by the fourth year.

There is also a plan to develop a four-team domestic league that will provide game time for academy players aged 18-23, alongside latent talent and former players. Investment for the competition is earmarked to start at £96,000 per annum and rise incrementally to more than £265,000 per annum over five years.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by WelshRugbyUnion (@welshrugbyunion)

There is also a call to the Welsh public to ‘join the movement’. This includes the request for supporters to engage with women’s rugby at all levels, for players to push their limits, for coaches to create environments where girls and women learn and for clubs to work with the WRU to strengthen opportunities for female players.

Belinda Moore, Head of Women’s Rugby, said: “This unprecedented investment in the women’s game marks a defining moment for Welsh rugby.

“We can now build on existing progress with fervour; shaping opportunities, and a future where every young player can dream bigger than ever before. Personally, I’m excited to see the next generation of talent flourish and to witness the impact this will have on the game across Wales.

“We’re building something that will inspire communities and strengthen the sport for years to come.”