World Rugby has launched a new ‘Women in Rugby’ brand identity and landmark global campaign ‘Try and Stop Us’ aimed at driving increased participation and engagement among fans, audiences, players and investors in the women’s game.
The global campaign, developed with the support of national unions and regions, uses striking imagery and the inspiring stories of 15 women and girls involved in rugby at all levels of the game from around the world, who are ‘unstoppable’.
The World Rugby Council met in Dublin yesterday with the full complement of 17 women in place following 2017’s announcement of transformational governance reform. Ireland’s Su Carty, a long time friend of Sport for Business was among them.
The new campaign echoes those of FIFA and UEFA in football and in other sports at international level which have finally woken up to the fact that a shade over 50 per cent of the world’s population might just have as much of an interest in sport as men.
Participation levels are at an all-time high in Women’s rugby with 2.7 million players globally – making up more than a quarter of the global playing population – and a 28 per cent increase in registered players since 2017.
For the second year running, more young girls have got into rugby globally than boys and more than 40 per cent of rugby’s 400 million fanbase are female.
“We firmly believe that the development of women in rugby is the single greatest opportunity for our sport to grow in the next decade,” said World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont.
“Not only is women’s rugby experiencing unprecedented growth around the world but we are well on the way to realising our vision of a more equitable game for all through the implementation of our ambitious strategic women’s action plan, which is having a transformational effect on all areas of the game.”
“From the highest levels of the sport’s governance to grassroots participation, we are wholly committed to driving gender-balance and ensuring that women have equal opportunities both on and off the field, driving increased involvement and engagement in the women’s game from fans, audiences, players and investors.”
“The ‘Try and Stop Us’ campaign focuses on the concept that when you choose rugby, it’s not just the game and your team-mates that change your life but also the values of rugby,” said World Rugby Women’s Advisory Committee Chairman Serge Simon.
“Through its manifesto and empowering film, the campaign highlights the idea that rugby can help you overcome obstacles in life and make you unstoppable.”
