world Rugby Seals Women’s Rugby Partner
World Rugby has announced a three-year agreement with global insurance brokerage Gallagher, the official title partner of Premiership Rugby.
The multi-million partnership deal will aim to bring more women into the game on and off the pitch and continue the momentum that has been generated in recent years.
The terms of the agreement see Gallagher become an official partner of women’s rugby and the Rugby World Cup 2025, which will be held in England.
Gallagher will also become the official partner of WXV, the brand new, three-tier annual global women’s competition including 18 teams, across 2023 and 2024, and a founding partner of the High-Performance Academy, which will aim to increase the number of females in coaching positions within the game, as well as a number of other roles.
World Rugby has set a target of having 25% of all coaching and performance roles with the 16 teams at the next World Cup filled by women.
The deal arrives at a great time for women’s rugby, just days after a record crowd of 58,498 watched England beat France 38-33 to win a fifth consecutive Six Nations and months after 42,579 fans filled Eden Park to see New Zealand defeat the Red Roses in the World Cup final.
World Rugby Chief of Women’s Rugby Sally Horrox, commented, “From the very start, Gallagher has shown a real commitment to supporting the women’s game. The partnership sees them backing three of our most important programs; WXV, World Rugby’s exciting new three-tiered annual tournament, RWC 2025 and what will now be known as the Gallagher High Performance Academy. Gallagher cares deeply about rugby and is committed to increasing the opportunity for women both on and off the field. We look forward to working with them closely on the exciting pathway to 2025 and beyond.”
Gallagher Chairman, President and CEO J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr., said, “We are extremely proud to partner with World Rugby and to provide a pathway for women aspiring to work at elite levels of the sport through the Rugby World Cup, WXV and the Gallagher High Performance Academy.
“Gallagher has deep roots within rugby and a rich history in sports partnerships, sharing the core values of driving high performance through teamwork, integrity, inclusivity, respect and professional excellence.”
Sarah Hunter, England’s highest-capped female player, added, “There are more females involved in domestic rugby across the world; our next step is to try to get more of those females into that international space.
“You look at Gaelle Mignot over in France, but she’s one of too few that we have, so we want to try to accelerate that and just create a really inclusive landscape for women to want to come and be involved in the game.
“That’s the big thing we need to do, we need to make it a place that women have the confidence to come. There are so many great female leaders out there and it’s just saying, ‘Actually, no you are good enough and actually, you do belong at that level in this game. Hopefully this is what this programme will do.”
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