The really positive outcomes of winning the World Cup bid was the government invested 14 million pounds through the fund called Impact, improving facilities for clubs to welcome women and girls into the game. So, we’ve been able to do things like, I think 850 clubs have now received funding to do things like improve dressing room and shower facilities so that they’re much more appropriate and inclusive. And if you’ve like me, been, you know, I played rugby in this country for a long time, some of the facilities are definitely questionable. So I think we’re confident that if there is, if there is significant participation growth post World Cup, which I really hope there will be, that clubs are ready.
And look, most clubs, most forward thinking clubs, they want big women and girls sections, because these are the growth areas for their clubs. Because one they’re more there’s more people in their club spending money, paying subs, you know, looking after the bar and all that sort of stuff. So from from a kind of financial perspective, but also it just embeds them in their local communities a bit more, and it gets just different people involved in the running of a club. And I think most clubs do understand that.
So, we do want to see a big participation boost. We’ve got very, very punchy target of 100,000 women and girl players by ’27 and, you know, the World Cup being a success, and hopefully, with a red roses win at the end of it will make it will make a really big sort of difference to that I think.
