Women’s Rugby: A Revolution in Sports

The Timeline of Expansion 

The women’s rugby movement started with the first match ever recorded in Cardiff Arms Park, Wales in 1917. This match was played by two all women teams as a charity fundraiser for troops during World War I. At that time, women participating in traditionally male sports was frowned upon, so the movement fizzled out once troops returned from the war.

There was a resurgence of women’s rugby in the 1970s and 80s when women began to seriously challenge gender roles in male dominated fields. The Women’s Ruby Union was formed in 1983 and the United Kingdom and France both created their own teams. The Women’s Rugby World Cup was played in 1991, although the match was not officially recognized by the union. Nevertheless, the match gained incredible worldwide recognition.

The 1990s and the early 2000s proved to be groundbreaking for the sport. The International Rugby Board in 1994 officially instituted the Women’s Rugby World Cup which gave the match the credibility it deserved. In 1996, the Women’s Six Nations Championship put extremely talented women rugby players from England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales on an international stage, igniting more interest in the sport. The surge continued in the Rio Olympics in 2016 when Australia and New Zealand faced off in a 7v7 match. Australia defeated New Zealand in a close 24-17 match to win the first ever gold medal for women’s rugby in the Olympics. After this event, approximately 16.83 million people were added to the fanbase nationwide. When the Olympics hosted the women’s rugby matches again, this time in France of 2024, about 66,000 fans attended which is the largest attendance a match has ever seen.

The United States joined the movement in 2024 when the Women’s Elite Rugby professional league was founded. The Women’s Rugby World Cup will now feature a total of 16 teams.

The “Ilona Maher Effect”

Ilona Maher is an American superstar on and off the rugby pitch. Maher won a bronze medal for Team USA in the Olympics and is a fierce professional rugby player for the Bristol Bears. Maher partnered with Alan Bernsten to compete on Dancing with the Stars where they came in 2^nd place. Maher has a huge social media following and several major brand deals with L'Oréal, Paula’s Choice, Secret, and Adidas. Maher is currently working with Adidas to create a women’s shoe to wear on the rugby pitch. Maher also announced a partnership with Barbie to create a doll that showcases her physique and represents female athletes in toys. The doll will be available to purchase some time in 2026.

Maher’s message is to break social barriers in male dominated sports by embracing yourself and to be confident in your body. Maher is unapologetic about being herself with her signature bright red lipstick look in her videos and appearances. Maher believes that a woman can show strength and follow her passion without sacrificing her femininity.

This is a strong message for any female athlete in a traditionally male sport because of the mistaken belief that a woman showing strength and a woman having femininity are mutually exclusive. Maher and other female athletes continue to instill confidence in female athletes to play that sport because showing strength and confidence does not decrease your femininity.

The “Ilona Maher effect” is a term used to describe Maher’s spark in breaking the gender barriers in sports traditionally played by men. Glossier in 2022 became the official makeup brand for the WNBA. Kim Kardashian’s brand SKIMS jumped on board as well to provide clothing for the NBA and WNBA teams. In 2024, the F1 Academy was created for female race car drivers. Charlotte Tilbury chose the F1 Academy to be their first ever global sports sponsorship where the brand provided a car, suit, helmet, and a makeup team for the athletes. It is exciting to see brands supporting women that play many kinds of sports.