Thousands of women in Brighton & Hove have taken part in rugby-themed activity as part of efforts to build a Women’s Rugby World Cup legacy, with hundreds of local women and girls now playing the sport on a weekly basis.
As part of our wider effort to establish the city as the UK capital for women and girls in sport, we've been determined to harness the impact of last year’s tournament to create a genuine legacy of increased female participation in the city.
Brighton & Hove hosted two World Cup games, including the eventual winners England in their group stage match with Australia.
Both games took place in front of sell-out crowds at Brighton & Hove Albion’s stadium, with the action relayed to crowds watching on big screens in the city centre fan zone.
Working alongside the tournament’s Strive ’25 legacy programme, we hosted a series of events aimed at introducing rugby to local women and girls.
And we've now published figures showing a huge number of people took part.
More than 2,600 women and girls aged 16 or over engaged with rugby activities throughout the duration of the legacy project, with support from more than 20 different clubs, community groups and local organisations.
The aim was to show women and girls the physical, mental and social benefits of getting active as part of a group and to break down barriers which may have been preventing participation.
Highlights included rugby-inspired warm-ups and post-run activities at local parkrun events, taster sessions held alongside visits from the Women’s Rugby World Cup trophy and pop-up activities throughout the duration of the tournament.
We also teamed up with local clubs like Hove Rugby Club and community organisations like the Hangleton and Knoll Project’s multicultural women’s group to launch a series of weekly, women-only walking rugby sessions.
Almost 100 women also took part in rugby-themed exercise sessions as part of our Active for Life initiative, while hundreds of local children enjoyed girls-only rugby festivals as part of our ongoing School Games programme.
Research we've carried out as part of our Sport Lifts Her Higher campaign has also found that at the end of the recent rugby season, more than 300 women and girls were playing the sport on a weekly basis.
That includes more than 60 girls playing at Hove Rugby Club and many others who take part in local Try Tag Rugby sessions.
The number looks set to increase further over the coming months after Hove Rugby Club launched a new, weekly session for girls, called Hove Tigers, and increasing interest in walking rugby sessions across the city.
Councillor Bella Sankey, Leader of Brighton & Hove City Council, said: “Bringing events like the Women’s Rugby World Cup to the city has a huge economic benefit and advertises Brighton & Hove to a worldwide audience.
“But just as importantly is the impact on local women and girls. We know that when girls see women competing in elite sport, it inspires them to get active.
“The legacy is not just about finding the next Jess Breach or Ellie Kildunne, it is about showing women and girls here in Brighton & Hove that sport is for them and introducing them to the huge benefits being active and part of a team or sporting community brings.
“For some people it will be about improving their physical fitness, for others it could help boost their mental health, reduce isolation or increase their resilience, self-esteem or sense of community.
“We’re determined to create more opportunities for people in our city and the Women’s Rugby World Cup is a great example of the positive things which can be achieved when we work together to build an authentic legacy.”
More than 2,600 women and girls took part in a rugby-themed activity as part of the legacy work. Image: Bx Webb
Manjinder Nagra was the first Sikh woman to represent England at rugby - now she is continuing to break down barriers in the sport here in Brighton & Hove.
Almost 100 girls were given a taste of rugby as we continue our efforts to increase sporting participation among women and girls.
We've teamed up with Strive ‘25, Hove Rugby Club and the University of Brighton as part of our campaign to become the UK capital for women and girls in sport.