Game on: Women's sport surges as countdown to first British & Irish Lions Women's Rugby Team begins

• New research shows that women's team sport is on the rise, with more women taking to sport over the last two years.
• Despite the Women's Rugby World Cup, hosted in England with the Red Roses lifting the trophy, and increased participation levels, only around a third of women (32%) say rugby is accessible in their area.
• Countdown begins: As Founding Partner of the first British & Irish Lions Women's team, Royal London's new Making Herstory campaign rallies players, coaches and fans ahead of the historic women's team travelling to New Zealand in 2027.

New research released today shows that participation in women's team sport in the UK has surged since 2023, with more women playing football, rugby, netball, hockey and cricket.

Findings from Royal London research shows that following big moments in women's sport recent years, more women are playing team sports. Football has seen the biggest increase in participation amongst women so far with 3% of women surveyed playing football in 2023 rising to more than a fifth playing today (22%) potentially taking inspiration from England's Lionesses becoming European champions for the second time over the summer.

After England's Red Roses lifted the Women's Rugby World Cup last Saturday (27 September 2025), they could have the same impact and drive even more participation in women’s rugby which has already increased from 1% playing two years ago to more than 11% today.

Women aged 25-34 are the largest age group taking part in team sports with almost a quarter (24%) of women in this age group playing rugby currently compared with 17% of 16-24 year olds and 14% of women aged 35-44. This is a shift from 2023 when women aged under 25 were the most likely age group to be playing team sports.

With more women playing or wanting to get involved with sport across the UK, more than half of people (56%) think that women's sport is well supported in their communities with opportunities to play, but this drops to 50% in the North East of England and falls to 49% in Wales. In contrast, the figure of those who feel the opportunity to take part in women's sport is well supported increases to 67% for those living in Greater London and climbs further to 68% of those living in Northern Ireland.

Royal London, the UK's largest mutual pensions, protection and investment provider commissioned this research to explore how women's team sports are progressing in the UK, particularly the accessibility of team sports for women and girls. The launch of Making Herstory, our latest campaign with the Lions celebrates the formation of this inaugural team who will face the Black Ferns in New Zealand for the Howden Lions Women's Series in 2027, and supports Royal London's ongoing commitment to levelling the playing field for women’s rugby in the UK and Ireland. As the founding partner of the first British & Irish Lions Women's Rugby Team, there is a significant opportunity to inspire and increase the number of women and girls playing sport across the home Unions.

The research showed that overall, 40% of people thought that rugby was accessible in their area, although when looking specifically at responses from males and females, half of men (50%) said rugby was accessible where they lived compared to just under a third (32%) of women. When we asked the same questions about football, 76% of men said it was accessible in their area and 53% of women said the same.

Rhona Lloyd, Women's rugby ambassador for Royal London and current Scotland rugby international said:

"The opportunity to take part in women's rugby at high school has had a huge impact on mine and my family's life. After the success of the Women's Rugby World Cup, I'd love to see more funding allocated to not just women's rugby but women's sport across the board. We have an opportunity to really turn the dial on engagement in sport for younger generations and initiatives like the Making Herstory campaign from Royal London highlights how support and funding came together to create the first ever Lions Women's team. It's important we continue to work together to build on this and keep progressing the game to the next level."

Susie Logan, Group Chief Marketing Officer at Royal London comments:

"It's inspiring to see the growing momentum behind women's sport, including in rugby. For over 130 years, the Lions have been represented solely by a men's team, so the creation of the women's team marks a truly historic milestone, not just for women's rugby, but for women's sport more broadly. While progress at the elite level is encouraging, our research shows there’s still much to do to increase participation among women and girls. That's why we're also investing in the grassroots, we're committed to nurturing the next generation of talent and helping to shape the future of women's rugby."