ENGLAND RUGBY ANNOUNCES WOMEN'S PARTICIPATION GROWTH

England Rugby is launching the next wave of its Inner Warrior campaign in January 2018.

According to England Rugby, the first year gave a huge boost to grassroots women’s rugby participation and since launching in January 2016, over 10,500 women attended Inner Warrior camps nationwide throughout the year, far exceeding the RFU’s initial target of 8,000. Of those women, 3,500 had never picked up a rugby ball before.

The influx of new participants into the women’s game has also led to the creation of 41 new female contact rugby club teams this season.

The number of camps available to women has continued to grow throughout the year, with the 2018 Warrior Camps running between 12th – 28th January 2018.

Steve Grainger, RFU, rugby development director, said: “Female participation in rugby has seen unparalleled levels of growth in recent years, with a massive 215% increase since 2013. It’s now one of the fastest growing team sports for women in England.

“As part of the 2017-21 funding agreement with Sport England and our new Women and Girls’ Action Plan, the RFU is looking to significantly expand the number of women and girls participating in grassroots rugby across England, and the Warrior Camps are instrumental in supporting this growth.”