The WI walking into rugby
When England’s women won a Grand Slam in front of a 58,498 world record crowd for a standalone women’s Test, members of the Women's Institute were on the Twickenham pitch pre-match carrying the England flag.
Writer Charlotte Guckian covered the event for the WI’s membership magazine WI Life, and says: "We were well-rehearsed in how to fold, walk and run with the flag, and the adrenaline we all felt to be in the hallowed ground of Twickenham drowned out our nerves."
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The reason they featured on this historic occasion was because the WI and England Rugby are collaborating on a new, multi-stranded project to promote women’s rugby and encourage more women to take an active interest in the sport.
The aim is to build active relationships between WI women, rugby clubs and the local community and to promote safe and inclusive social spaces at rugby clubs for WI meetings, activities, events and educational opportunities. England Rugby plans to work with the WI to increase understanding of barriers faced by women at all stages of life engaging in sport and to give WI members the chance to play walking rugby.
Sharing ideals
With England Rugby’s support, the WI will establish a walking rugby programme –similar to its popular walking netball –with training, resources, skills, mentoring and equipment, improving the physical and mental health of women in the WI. This new collaboration with England Rugby is part of the Rugby World Cup 2025 Impact programme and it is hoped to bring WI members together in sport: playing, learning, supporting and engaging with local clubs.
"The increase in visibility and popularity of women’s sport over the last few years has been encouraging, and it shares a lot of ideals with the WI," says Beth Flitton of Bawtry WI, South Yorkshire Federation, one of the WI members who carried the flag at Twickenham.
"I’m hoping that WIs will develop relationships with local rugby clubs, and encourage members to join the WI and support what we do. I was an avid rugby fan for many years and played too. The amazing experience at Twickenham has resparked my interest in the sport."
"Like the WI, women’s sport is multi-generational," says Angie Leach, NFWI Trustee and another of the Twickenham team.
"It will be wonderfully empowering for young girls to get involved in playing rugby knowing their mothers and grandmothers are part of an organisation championing women’s sport," she says. "My husband and two of my daughters have played rugby and I love to watch. I am very much looking forward to opportunities that will come from this association with England Rugby."
As part of the Rugby World Cup 2025 Impact Programme, we’ll be working with the Women’s Institute to deliver activities to encourage more women to use Rugby Club facilities. If you are interested in working with the Women’s Institute to host activities at your club please complete this short interest form here.
