Team USA’s remarkable performance at the Olympic Games, culminating in a well-deserved bronze medal, has put women’s rugby on the map for fans across the United States.
Stars like Ilona Maher captivated the country and have sparked girls’ and women’s interest in a seemingly new sport, that actually celebrated its 200 year anniversary in 2023. This historic achievement has ignited a wave of enthusiasm among families eager to introduce their daughters to the sport, which is no surprise to the country’s leading rugby program focused on growing the game for girls.
Girls Rugby was founded in 2018 from the desire to introduce a generation of young girls to the sport of rugby. Now the largest girls development program for rugby in the USA, Girls Rugby has nine programs across six states and teaches leadership and life skills alongside their flag rugby introductory program.
U.S. Olympians Maher and Naya Tapper are just two of the players who have supported and brought focus to Girls Rugby programs, helping raise money and inspire communities to join a movement of empowering girls to reach their potential through rugby.
I’m CEO of Girls Rugby and no stranger to the ability for the Olympic Games to inspire new interest in a sport. My own career in sports development included working at the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne, Switzerland, on the 2016 Youth Olympic Games.
This experience showed me the power of the Olympic Games to bring people together through the universal language of sport and how athletes like Ilona and Naya can lead that way. This is why we decided to start Girls Rugby — we wanted to give that inspiration a place in our sport.
We know the statistics about female leadership in positions of influence, and how many came through team sports. Rugby truly builds the grit and teamwork that will ensure these girls are not just ready for the future, but leading it.
The number of families and girls reaching out to play since Team USA won the bronze medal has been staggering. Families across the country are sending inquiries about where to sign their daughter up to play, and more are coming in everyday.
With Girls Rugby programs starting at 2nd grade, they are focused on not just developing future leaders and rugby players, but also supporting our Olympic team’s chances for gold for years to come. And that is music to USA Captain Tapper’s ears.
“The difference between Bronze and Gold at the games will take all of us supporting this program and finding that next generation of players. Girls Rugby has been leading this work at the grassroots level and I will be excited to see those girls coming through that program on our field one day,” she said
Now is the time to get our girls into rugby and watch them shine!
Erin Kennedy is CEO of Girls Ruby, which organizes teams across the country, including San Diego.
