Research to support women in rugby kicks off

Women of Union is a new organisation dedicated to supporting women who work in, or who are deeply engaged in rugby.

The overall goal of the organisation is to help rugby to become a sport where women always feel valued, supported, safe, and respected, and to help women reach their full potential within the sport.

It is working directly the Centre for Social Justice in Sport and Society (CSJ), in the Carnegie School of Sport at LBU, to produce research which is targeted to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences and motivation of women who work in and around the sport of rugby union and better understand the barriers they face, so that they can be supported more effectively.

The findings will have a direct impact on what Women of Union as an organisation offer their members and will be used to support existing initiatives and projects across the sport which work to support women.

This insight and data will be shared with rugby stakeholders, to help them to better support women across the game.

The research involves multiple phases including a national survey which is open to any women who works in and around rugby union globally (men’s and women’s game), but with a particular focus on England, Scotland and Wales initially.

The national survey is now available to complete here https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/school-of-sport/women-in-union-workforce-

Via one-to-one interviews and focus groups, there will then be more in-depth insight gained into the stories and perspectives as part of the wider research project, including personnel from areas like coaching, administration, medicine, sports science and leadership.

It will be led by Dr Anna Stodter, who has a strong background in rugby union as a former Scotland international and player at Saracens. She has significant experience in mixed-methods research with national governing bodies including UK Sport, UK Coaching, the RFU and the FA.

She will be supported by Professor Leanne Norman, who is internationally recognised for her work in advancing gender equity in sports coaching, sports leadership, and organisations, and a wider team of experts.

The research has been supported by England Rugby, Premiership Rugby, the Welsh Rugby Union and Premiership Women’s Rugby.

Women of Union will launch officially in September.

Ali Donnelly, Women of Union Co-Founder said: “Working with the brilliant team at Leeds Beckett University will give us the best possible chance to truly understand the experiences, motivations, opportunities and challenges of the women who are deeply engaged in rugby. We want Women of Union to be a place which brings people together, helps to make our fantastic sport even more inclusive and champions some of the amazing work already being done.”

About Women of Union

Women of Union has been founded by Jenny Mitton and Ali Donnelly and officially launches in September. 

Ali has over 25 years of experience in various roles across the sport. She founded Scrumqueens.com, and recently published “Scrumqueens: The Story of Women’s Rugby,” which was shortlisted for several awards. 

Beyond rugby, Ali has held senior roles in high-profile organisations, including as a spokesperson for two UK Prime Ministers and on the executive team at Sport England. She is passionate about increasing recognition for women in rugby and is currently the CEO of More than Equal, which works to support women in motorsport.

Jenny Mitton is a Managing Partner at M&C Saatchi (Sport and Entertainment) with over 15 years of experience in sport, focusing on women’s sport since 2017. She works on major UK women’s sports partnerships, including Barclays x Women’s Super League and O2 x Red Roses. Jenny played a key role in PR and communications for UEFA Women’s EURO England 2022. 

She also serves on the UNICEF UK Sports Board, and mentors for the Department of Business and Trade’s Women’s Sport Accelerator programme. A dedicated rugby fan, Jenny has appeared across the BBC, Channel 4, the FT, and more advocating for greater support for women in the sport. 

Find out more

Instagram: www.instagram.com/womenofunion

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13075015/

Survey Link: https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/school-of-sport/women-in-union-workforce-