England Rugby has launched its new Love Rugby campaign designed to grow participation among girls aged nine to eighteen.
The campaign specifically targets three age-groups: 9-12, 12-15 and 16-18. The messaging of Love Rugby is tailored for each cohort, but with the same underlying narrative that rugby union is a game where girls belong.
England Rugby wants girls to have the belief and confidence that rugby is for them. Love Rugby will help clubs to show the passion, energy and fun that girls experience when playing rugby with their friends.
The campaign – which was developed in collaboration with creative agency MATTA – will be used by community clubs in all corners of the country to recruit girls, with the intention of growing the game at all levels. Clubs will have access to a suite of assets including posters and social media templates that can be used to raise the profile of their girls’ rugby offering.
The women’s and girls’ game in England has enjoyed an average year-on-year increase in participation of 12% over the past 10 years, and Love Rugby will seek to build on this foundation. With England hosting Rugby World Cup 2025, the aim is to reach 100k registered female players by 2027 and girls’ rugby can play a key role in achieving that target.
England’s most-capped player, Sarah Hunter, said: “There is a huge opportunity to engage and grow the girls’ game, especially as we lead up to hosting Rugby World Cup 2025. I love this campaign and am excited to see more girls giving rugby a go, whether that be at school, college or their local club.”
Ewan Turney, Marketing Director at England Rugby, said: “We are so excited to launch Love Rugby and communicate to girls all around the country the many benefits that the sport can bring to both mental and physical wellbeing. It’s been great to see the recent rise of the girls’ game and we hope that Love Rugby will enable us to build on this growth in the years to come.”
Matt Hunt, Executive Strategy Director at MATTA, said: “We believe that having conversations around girls’ participation in rugby is crucial, and we are excited to launch this campaign in the lead-up to the 2025 World Cup.
“We want to seize this opportunity to inspire young girls, their parents, and the wider community to recognise the immense value and enjoyment that rugby can offer.”
