Entered by: Summus Sports Group

The Red Roses squad successfully transformed into exceptional content creators, driving an athlete-first digital strategy in partnership with Summus Sports. This led to their collective Instagram following soaring past 1 million, doubling in 12 months, and narrowed the gap in average Instagram followers to the men’s team to a ratio of just 2.6 (down from 11.5 in 2022).

The strategy focused on empowering the whole team, while providing specific support to standout social media users such as Sarah Bern, Hannah Botterman, and Ellie Kildunne, to share authentic stories and viral moments. This resulted in player-led content generating over 11 million Reels plays and drove player awareness up to 54% among rugby union fans. Their player-led content notably generated almost three times the TikTok views of the England men’s squad and positioned the team as leaders in social-first brand growth, successfully driving national interest.