RFU Launches New Women and Girls Strategy

The School Games network is uniquely placed to support and benefit from alignment with this strategy. Here’s what you need to know and why it matters for school sport delivery.

What’s in the RFU Strategy?

While the RFU plan spans several aspects, some of the key focus areas include:

• Growing the base: making rugby more accessible and attractive for girls, especially in school and community settings
• Pathways and progression: enhancing the transition from school participation to club, regional, and elite levels
• Retention and culture: fostering inclusive environments, better coaching practices, and supportive cultures to keep girls engaged
• Partnerships & accountability: working with schools, local clubs, stakeholders and setting clear targets across RFU’s regions.

Why It’s Important for the School Games Network

The RFU’s 'Women and Girls Action Plan' aligns with the School Games’ mission to make sport more inclusive and accessible for every young person. Its focus on growing participation, building confidence, and creating safe, supportive environments for girls mirrors the School Games’ goal of helping more young people find joy and belonging through physical activity.

For SGOs, Active Partnerships, and NGBs, this strategy opens new opportunities to work with the RFU and local rugby clubs to deliver engaging activities in schools and communities. By linking School Games events and programmes with the RFU’s work, we can create stronger connections between school and club sport and ensure girls have more chances to stay active and involved.

Bringing the strategy to life through the School Games will help us build more inclusive, sustainable pathways for girls in sport, and inspire confidence, teamwork, and a lifelong love of being active.

What You Can Do?

1. Read the full strategy - download Every Rose 2025–2030 from the RFU site to explore its objectives, planned initiatives, and timelines
2. Connect locally - reach out to your regional RFU contacts or local clubs to explore how you could partner or embed parts of the strategy into your School Games delivery
3. Review your girls’ offer - use the strategy as a lens to audit your current programmes. Where are the gaps? Where could co-design or improved pathways help?
4. Share with schools and clubs - get the strategy out to teachers, PE leads, and club partners so they’re aware of RFU’s renewed direction. This video is a good way to start conversations
5. Check alignment - when planning your next calendar or programme, check where your activity can support RFU.

The RFU’s Women and Girls Action Plan creates an important moment for the School Games network to work closely with rugby at all levels, while strengthening our collective push for more inclusive and meaningful opportunities for girls in sport. Watch out for further updates and opportunities to align with the RFU’s work later in 2025 and beyond.

For more information about the strategy, visit the RFU’s website.