England’s Red Roses making a successful defence of their Rugby World Cup title in Australia in 2029 is part of a five-year Rugby Football Union plan to keep growing the women’s game.
John Mitchell’s team, who extended their record winning streak to 33 matches by beating Canada in the Rugby World Cup final last month, have also been set a target of returning a 90% win ratio over the period.
Alex Teasdale, the RFU’s director of the women’s game, said: “The Red Roses have long set the standard for the women’s game, globally – winning trophies, smashing records, and inspiring a new generation of girls to dream bigger.
“But staying at the top means never standing still.”
Last year, the RFU invested £15m into the women’s game, which returned £8m in revenue.
It is hoped that the continued success of the Red Roses, combined with more brand partnerships, can grow revenue to a cumulative total of £60m over the next five years.
The RFU believes the women’s team, who have attracted their own team-specific sponsors in sectors such as electronics, skincare and clothing in recent years, can become profitable by 2030.
It said it would “deliver a performance strategy that ensures the Red Roses remain global leaders”.
The latest action plan, an update of a 2021-2027 strategy, is designed to capitalise on post-World Cup momentum and aims to boost the number of women players and Red Roses fans.
The RFU hopes to increase the number of women’s players registered to a club from 60,000 to 70,000 and grow the Red Roses’ supporter base to three million by 2030.
Teasdale believes that improving a dominant Red Roses team will help other women’s national teams make the case for better funding from their own unions, governments and sponsors.
“The RFU is still the biggest investor in women’s rugby worldwide,” said Teasdale.
“If we don’t continue to build on this success, if the momentum falters, it’s not just a national setback – it risks slowing the growth of the women’s game globally.
“Our responsibility doesn’t end with the [World Cup] trophy; it’s about making sure this victory becomes the foundation for a stronger future for rugby everywhere.”
