The 2024 Women’s Six Nations Rugby Championship culminated this weekend, with the Red Roses securing the Grand Slam with a hard-fought victory over France. With this season marking the twentieth anniversary of my first cap for Scotland, it naturally triggered some reflections on how far women’s rugby has come over the last two decades.
A Journey of Generations: Passing the Torch from Past to Present
A relative latecomer to the international scene, I earned my first cap at the age of 27, away to Wales at the historic Cardiff Arms Park. Last month, Alex Stewart won her first cap in the very same position of open-side flanker, at the same venue, at the equivalent fixture of this year’s tournament. I was somewhat taken aback to realise that, given her tender age of 19, Alex was not even born when I earned my first cap. But she helped Scotland secure their first victory in Cardiff since that day in 2004.
The emergence of players of this age at international level nowadays is testament to the vastly greater exposure of girls to the sport. I first played rugby at an under-10s minis tournament in Aboyne in the late 1980s, in the same team as my twin brother. I was pretty clueless about the rules, having been forced to play netball, rather than football or rugby, at school. But I did know that you had to tackle the player with the ball, and set about doing that with some enthusiasm. Although I was naturally aware of my conspicuous presence as the only girl, I was oblivious to how ahead of its time this was.
Not until the early noughties did it became commonplace for girls to have the opportunity to play rugby, even at primary school age, where they are physical equals of the boys and mixed teams are unproblematic. This was a game-changer for their development, giving girls the opportunity to start accumulating the 10,000 hours believed to be required to master any skill (as popularised by Malcolm Gladwell bestseller “The Outliers”).
The Social Media Gamechanger: Revolutionizing Women’s Rugby Visibility
The second tide-turning moment in the evolution of women’s rugby was the emergence of social media. Minority sports suddenly had a free promotion tool at their disposal, which would play a vital role in increasing exposure to the women’s game. Tik Tok became sponsors of the Women’s Six Nations, targeting the younger generation. The breakthrough moment happened last year, following a superb marketing campaign by the RFU for the fixture dubbed ‘Le Crunch’. A world record 58,498 fans packed Twickenham in 2023 to watch England seal a famous gland slam with a narrow 38-33 win against France.
Whilst some way behind, the rate of growth of Scotland crowds is similarly impressive, with the 7,774 in attendance at Hive Stadium for England this season almost doubling the highest attendance the year before. Over 10,000 spectators watched Wales beat Italy this weekend, whilst over 27,000 were cheering for ‘Les Bleus’ in Bordeaux. This explosion in popularity has also been reflected in TV coverage, with many matches now broadcast live on BBC One and Two and talk of a bidding war for next year’s 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, to be hosted in England across venues the length and breadth of the country, from Sunderland in the north to Exeter in the west and Brighton & Hove in the south.
Professionalism in Progress: Transforming from Amateur to Paid Players
Twenty years ago we had to juggle international duties with full-time jobs, having only travel expenses and kit paid for with modest National Lottery funding. This situation has now transformed. Following England becoming fully professional in 2019, all the home nations have since followed suit. It is important to recognise that it still very early days in this respect, so patience will be required to give other squads the time they inevitably need to close the gap following the Red Roses’ head start.
Despite their recent Six Nations dominance, England still have plenty to prove at next year’s World Cup, having failed to conquer their antipodean nemesis, the Black Ferns, at the tournament for over a decade. The New Zealanders themselves only secured their first full-time professional contracts in 2022, with the top players earning over $130,000 (around £60,000).
Legacy and Leadership: Women Making Waves Beyond the Field
In 2002, the Scotland Women Roll of Honour was installed in the BT Murrayfield tunnel, alongside the all-time list of male players capped for Scotland over the last 151 years, with other home nations following suit. Ex-players from my era have followed paths into broadcasting, coaching, refereeing and administration to become part of the rugby establishment. My old opposite numbers at open-side flanker have been conspicuously high-profile.
England’s Maggie Alphonsi MBE is one of the most recognised faces of women’s rugby, regularly appearing as a TV commentator and pundit, having released her inspiring autobiography “Winning the Fight” last year. Ireland’s Joy Neville became a pioneer as a referee, recently bowing out at the top having become the first female match official to officiate at a Men’s Rugby World Cup, in addition to the 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup final. Meanwhile, her peer Hollie Davidson made history this February, becoming the first Scottish female referee to be part of the officiating team in a men’s Guinness Six Nations match. By sheer coincidence, Hollie grew up in the same Aberdeenshire village I first played in as a schoolgirl in the eighties.
Empowering Tomorrow: How Sports Are Shaping the Success of Women
Today’s schoolgirls are growing up with the role models my generation never had. In heart-warming scenes, they eagerly wait after matches to collect autographs from their favourite players. For them, packed stadia for women’s sports will be as routine as it was for male sports in our time. Moreover, girls will have job prospects not only as athletes but also in various supporting roles across the sports industry.
As a growth stimulus for girls sports participation, the impact may be even more far-reaching. Sport is an integral part of child development, fostering confidence, communication skills, teamwork, and resilience. According to a recent Deloitte survey, an overwhelming majority of women who played youth sports credited skills they cultivated during their athletic endeavours as crucial to their professional achievements. All of which bodes well for the future. Inspired by today’s sporting pioneers, the upcoming Generation Alpha girls will undoubtedly emerge as a formidable force to be reckoned with.