England's rugby governing body has committed to keeping up progress by launching a long-term strategy designed to leverage the achievement of England's World Cup victory.
Core Targets of the Plan
Dubbed Every Rose: Our Time, the initiative sets out multiple ambitious targets, among them becoming the pioneering English team to secure back-to-back Rugby World Cup titles.
A further major target is to expand engagement to 100,000 female players taking part in rugby across the UK by the year 2030, currently standing at the existing number of 60,000.
Financial and Audience Goals
English rugby’s governing body is also working to double its income from the female rugby to £60m, allowing more support in local rugby.
Additionally, the initiative sets out a objective of attracting 3m loyal followers.
“The pressures have reached a peak,” commented the executive director, the executive director of the women’s game. “The potential has never been bigger, but standing still is not possible because the wheels are now underway.”
Fostering a Future for Female Rugby
Teasdale stressed that the women's game has progressed significantly since joining at the RFU in over a decade ago, when there were merely 12,500 participants.
Teasdale remembered that in some clubs, while women were not prevented, they faced a lack of welcome as well.
Regardless of the progress made, she insisted that further action is required to elevate the rugby, despite a cost of living crisis.
Unprecedented Milestone and Long-term Aspirations
“Recently, we witnessed an outstanding milestone as 82,000 spectators entered the venue at the arena to see our Red Roses secure the 2025 Rugby World Cup,” she remarked.
“Planning for the future to the next decade, we want to maintain this momentum continuing.”
Challenges and Opportunities
Teasdale continued that the body operates in an context where resources are scarce, which can create difficult discussions.
“Ambitious plans, notably for the women's sport, inherently challenge the existing norms,” she said. “However the fact is obvious: the destiny of the game relies on the women’s game.”
Support Base and Future Commitment
Meanwhile, the RFU chief executive, Bill Sweeney, pointed out that of the 400,000 spectators who were present at the global tournament, thirty percent had not once attended a rugby match previously.
“Perhaps the data point that truly excites us is that the vast majority indicated they want to come back and repeat the experience,” he commented. “However we must not become complacent. We must maintain momentum.”
