Women of Union founded by Ali Donnelly (CEO More Than Equal) and Jenny Mitton (Managing Partner M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment), has been created to help rugby become a place where women always feel valued, supported, safe and respected and to help women reach their full potential within the sport.
It has been modelled on similar organisations support women in other sports including Women in Football and Women in Racing.
The launch event on Wednesday night attracted heavyweight names from rugby and business to support its work and included attendance from an array of current and former players, and senior leaders from across sport.
Attendees included Lucy Wray, the former Saracens CEO and now owner of London Mavericks Netball, Lou Meadows, the England women’s team coach, Julie Paterson the Chief of Rugby at the Six Nations, Sagan Daniels the Rugby Black List founder and a range of other business and sport leaders.
The organisation will focus on four key areas including raising the profile of women who work in the game, bringing the community together, working with the sport to make its systems more inclusive and creating a safe space for women in the game to seek support and advice.
With the support of England Rugby, the Welsh Rugby Union and Premiership Rugby, Women of Union has already partnered with Leeds Beckett University (LBU) to commission a significant piece of research to understand the experiences and motivations of women working in rugby.
This insight and data will be shared with rugby stakeholders, to help them to better support women across the game.
Co-founder Ali Donnelly said: “Having been involved in rugby for over 25 years, I know that the experiences that women have within the sport can be mixed and that for all the amazing progress we are making, there is a way to go to make sure that our game is as inclusive as it can be.
“Rugby is an incredible sport but its future depends on broadening its reach, becoming more diverse and improving its accessibility. We know that women will have a vital role to play in shaping that and we’re excited to play our part through Women of Union.”
The Advisory Board for Women of Union includes the Chair of Six Nations Rugby Ronan Dunne, former Saracens CEO and owner of London Mavericks Lucy Wray, and former players Topsy Ojo, Elinor Snowsill, Katy Daley-Mclean, and Donna Kennedy, with Louise Quinn a commercial lawyer at Northridge Law is also involved.
