England will host the 2025 women's Rugby World Cup, with a multi-city and multi-region approach planned to help the game grow.
Women's rugby has grown exponentially with World Rugby stating the women's game is the single biggest opportunity to grow the sport globally.
The Red Roses are currently ranked No.1 in the world having won their last 23 successive matches. Additionally, they have won four consecutive Six Nations titles.
Female participation in England has grown from 13,000 to 40,000 registered players in clubs, with a growing pipeline of girls playing in schools, colleges and universities.
This will be the first time that the tournament will be made up of 16 teams and the hosting model will facilitate great opportunities for people living in different parts of the country to attend, promoting rugby and enhancing participation in the sport nationwide.
A central theme to the hosting plans will be to deliver a legacy programme in parallel to the tournament from 2022 to 2025 for growing the women's game across the country. The legacy programme will focus on three key strands:
- Creating capacity through facility development and the recruitment of female coaches and referees
- Creating a multigenerational legacy through a call to arms for more young girls and university women to play
- Give women who didn't have the opportunity to play to become fans, and to support development within the home unions.
The legacy programme will see facilities standards improved to enhance the experiences women and girls have in hundreds of clubs.
Grassroots education and mentor programmes will aim to attract 1,000 new female coaches and 500 match officials while also introducing thousands more girls and young women to the game.
Sue Day, RFU Chief Operating Officer and Chief Finance Officer and former England Women's Captain who represented England at three Rugby World Cups and won three grand slams said: “We are thrilled to be hosting Rugby World Cup 2025, it is going to be incredible.
“We would like to thank Government for their support in making this possible. Working closely with Government, UK Sport, Sport England and World Rugby together we will create a lasting legacy for women's rugby in England, the UK and across the world, both in terms of attracting more people to play and attracting new fans.
“As we have seen from other home World Cups in cricket, hockey and netball a Rugby World Cup will further advance all women's sport.
“The tournament will also deliver significant economic benefits right across the country. I can only imagine how proud we will be and how special it will feel to host the final at Twickenham.”
Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said: “We will work closely with the RFU to use the power of staging a World Cup to invest in growing the sport, improving grassroots facilities, narrowing the gap between male and female interest and participation, and delivering a new pipeline of future talent right across the UK.”
