A film from the Rugby Football Union (RFU) depicting the life of a young girl’s journey to becoming a Red Rose – the new identity of the national team – was viewed more than one million times in just over 24 hours.
The new identity was revealed at a launch event at Twickenham stadium earlier this month, and is designed to build support for the squad on their journey to the 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup and beyond.
During Women’s Sport Week, the RFU laid out its intentions for the women’s game over the next four years, aiming to grow participation and improve the player pathway into the senior England Women teams.
England stars and 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup winners Sarah Hunter, Natasha Hunt and Emily Scarratt were joined by RFU Chief Executive Ian Ritchie, Director of Professional Rugby Nigel Melville, Director of Rugby Development Steve Grainger and England legend Maggie Alphonsi to unveil the Red Roses at Twickenham.
The rose, as the emblem of England Rugby, epitomises the unique qualities of England Women as strong, relentless and glorious.
Working with creative agency MATTA, the integrated campaign will run throughout the 2016/17 season and beyond, using key milestones such as the Old Mutual Wealth Series – which will see the first sponsored fixtures for the England Women team – to increase exposure and support of the Red Roses.
England Rugby’s owned content will take supporters behind the scenes with the players, giving them a unique insight into the life of a Red Rose, while additional brand work will develop the Red Roses over the course of the season, with new players coming into the creative to showcase the strength of the team.
The RFU’s Digital, Marketing and Communications Directors Joanna Manning-Cooper said: “This is a really exciting campaign for England Rugby.
“We wanted to create something that boosts momentum and gives an identity for supporters to back, and to feel an affinity with. Red Roses is much more than a name, it’s an opportunity for rugby fans in this country to show their support for their national team during what is a huge year for women’s rugby.”
The RFU also announced that over 25,000 women and girls now regularly play contact rugby, surpassing their women and girls strategy target one year ahead of schedule.
Over 300 rugby clubs around the country now host women and girl’s teams, with England’s success at the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup and the inclusion of the Sevens game in Rio helping to drive interest in the sport.
