- O2, Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Women’s Sport Trust (WST) deliver the annual report as part of a long-term study into the visibility of the Red Roses
- The joint aim of the report is to deliver three ambitions as part of the partnership: close the gender awareness gap*, grow the fan base and increase matchday attendance
- Major strides have been made in women’s rugby – the women’s team has won the last six consecutive Guinness Women’s Six Nations and achieved record views of their televised matches – yet the report shows a gender awareness gap of 15% still exists in the sport
- To bring the report findings to life, O2, RFU and WST have created the UK’s first-ever wearable report, a five-piece collection designed by 5022 – Red Rose and Olympian rugby player Ellie Kildunne’s creative platform
- O2 and Virgin Media broadband customers can get their hands on the exclusive collection via Priority from O2 from Monday 9th September
- Fans can purchase a ticket here to watch the Red Roses versus New Zealand (the Black Ferns) on Saturday 14th September at Allianz Stadium (formerly named Twickenham Stadium)
O2, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Women’s Sport Trust (WST) are today launching the UK’s first wearable report – an exclusive five-piece fashion collection created by Red Rose and Olympian rugby player, Ellie Kildunne accompanied by Katherine Pickup, and her creative platform 5022. Featuring key findings from the report, the collection is designed to both hero the achievements of women in rugby and tackle the gender awareness gap that still exists in the sport today.
New findings from the WST report, co-funded by O2 and the RFU, reveals that the gender awareness gap in rugby reduced by 10% in the last year. However, while audiences for the women’s game are at an all-time high, the gap still sits at 15% showing that there is still work to be done to increase player visibility and audience engagement.
The limited edition, five-piece fashion collection features a range of custom graphic tees and a rugby jersey, each incorporating key findings from the report in a creative and symbolic way.
Key findings from the report include:
- Awareness of the women’s team is now just 15% less than the men, down from 25% in 2023.
- Although the Red Roses have won the past six consecutive Guinness Women’s Six Nations tournaments, 63% of rugby union fans aren’t yet able to name a player on the England’s women’s team.
- The Guinness Women’s Six Nations in 2024 was the most viewed on record with 8.1m tuning in for three minutes or more (33% more than in 2023).
- The popularity of the Guinness Women’s Six Nations, amongst 18–24-year-old avid fans has risen from 19% to 24% year-on-year.
- Amongst National Representatives, association of the Red Roses brand with the England Women’s Rugby Union team has risen from 20% to 24%.
The Collection
The hero piece of the collection is a unique retro-style rugby jersey with embroidered symbols that represent the progress being made in women’s rugby. It includes abstract visualisations of lineouts, rucks, and the movement of the ball, whilst shining a light on the Red Roses making their mark on the sport.
The t-shirts are all inspired by different elements of the report highlights. Some pieces represent the delineation of rugby and showcase the growth and change that is in motion. Others shine a light on the growing presence of women’s rugby in media and the progress being made in closing the gender awareness gap. All pieces put the Red Roses’ achievements front and centre and outline positive changes in the sport that audiences want to see – particularly those aged 18–24-years old, at who this collection is aimed.
Get Involved
All pieces in the collection include a scannable QR code which links wearers of the collection to an educational infographic that shares key aspects of the report and actions that fans can take to help close the gender awareness gap – from attending a match day to engaging with the Red Roses on socials and more.
Users will also be able to celebrate how far the women’s game has come with the design featuring important milestones including record breaking matchday crowds, TV audiences and fan growth.
Ellie Kildunne, Red Roses Player and founder of 5022, said: “To be part of the creation of the UK’s first wearable report in partnership with O2 has been a real moment of personal and professional importance to me.
“I am so proud of everything the Red Roses have achieved, and I hope that comes through in this collection. The stats from the report are enlightening and highlight the reality for me and women in rugby today. Now is the time for us to talk about these facts and bring about positive change – we can’t and mustn’t stop having these tough conversations.”
Gareth Griffiths, Director, Partnerships and Sponsorships at Virgin Media O2, said: “O2 has supported England Rugby for 29 years and not simply as a shirt sponsor – we want to help drive positive change in the sport and gender parity is at the top of our priority list. Sometimes you have to make a statement to be heard and that’s exactly what this fashion collection does. We will never stop calling on fans to join us in stepping up for the Red Roses. Support this world-class team by following them online, Wearing the Rose and joining us to cheer on the Red Roses at Allianz Stadium this month.”
Alex Teasdale, RFU Women’s Game Director, said: “One of the elements that really stands out for me, is where this campaign actually came from. A key demographic from the report was a growing fanbase within Gen Z. We know that 18-24 year olds are passionate about change, and they tap into modern influences such as fashion and design to tell their stories. We also know Gen Z value diversity and are focussed on intersectionality, and whilst we’re talking about visibility of women in this report, we need to recognise women aren’t a homogenous group and that we still have a way to go in diversifying the game. There is a huge opportunity ahead to keep reaching audiences from all backgrounds.”
Tammy Parlour, CEO and co-founder of Women’s Sport Trust, said: “Information is power so it’s helpful to create advocacy amongst fans so they can understand and share the success of women’s rugby. That is why promoting the highlights of this research is important. The report tells us that 41% of avid Red Roses fans want to see players’ interests outside of rugby union, so to use Ellie’s clear skill and passion for fashion to bring this data to life is brilliant. Hopefully it will capture the imagination of both new and existing fans of women’s rugby.”
A limited number of collection pieces are available exclusively for O2 and Virgin Media broadband customers, via the Priority from O2 on Monday 9th September.
To see the Red Roses in action, fans can purchase a ticket here to watch their upcoming match against New Zealand (the Black Ferns) on Saturday 14th September at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.
ENDS
Notes
*Gender Awareness Gap is the gap in any area between women and men in terms of their levels of participation, access, rights, remuneration or benefits
Find further report highlights here
[1] The Visibility of Women’s Rugby Union, Women’s Sport Trust, July 2024.
O2, WST and the RFU set out to deliver three ambitions as part of their partnership in 2023:
- Close the awareness gap between the England Men’s team and the England Women’s rugby team ‘the Red Roses’
- Grow the Red Roses fan base
- Increase attendance to women’s rugby games and fill Allianz Stadium
Find 2023 partnership announcement here
About 5022
5022 is a startup that was launched in 2024. The creative platform was generated to support women in sports and highlight that the players are more than just athletes.
Founder Ellie Kildunne created the platform to provide a safe and creative space for female athletes, amplifying, encouraging, and inspiring others.