February 4, 2025. World Rugby has released its first progress report on the Impact Beyond 2025 Plan, three months after its launch in October 2024, highlighting key initiatives shaping the future of women’s rugby. With less than 200 days until the highly anticipated Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, excitement is building for what promises to be the largest global celebration of women’s rugby to date. The event is set to break attendance records, and England 2025 is expected to be a transformative moment for the sport, women’s sports, and society as a whole. At the core of this transformation is the Impact Beyond 2025 Plan, which works in collaboration with the RFU’s Impact ’25 program and various projects led by the RWC 2025 Local Organizing Company. This unified effort ensures that the tournament’s influence spans from grassroots participation to elite-level competition, leaving a lasting global legacy.
The key milestones from the Impact Beyond 2025 Progress Report include 42 Rugby Rising Play grants awarded to unions to support a new, tailored girls’ participation program, the launch of ChildFund Rugby’s Grassroots to Global Forums fostering the next generation of rugby leaders, and 25 unions represented at two regional summits in Africa and Asia with over 50 delegates upskilled. Beyond celebrating these achievements, the report outlines the roadmap leading up to and beyond the tournament, reinforcing World Rugby’s commitment to increasing participation and inspiring a new generation of players and fans.
Sally Horrox, Chief of Women’s Rugby at World Rugby, stated that through the Impact Beyond 2025 Plan, they are delivering real change, developing the next generation of sports and community leaders, creating new coaching pathways, and growing grassroots participation. She emphasized that this report marks an important step in their journey, ensuring transparency and accountability as they work towards their long-term goals. She added that the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 will be an exciting and important moment for women’s rugby, and they cannot wait to see the stars of the tournament inspire people to get involved and join the rugby family around the world.
This is the first of three planned reports, with further updates scheduled for mid-year and post-tournament to ensure transparent tracking of progress. As the countdown to the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 continues, World Rugby, RWC 2025 LOC, and the RFU remain committed to building a lasting legacy, empowering more women and girls, strengthening communities, and championing gender equity in sport.
