Women’s Rugby World Cup England 2010 Launches in London

Women’s Rugby World Cup 2010 kicks off on Friday and event organisers are confident that the global showcase tournament will elevate the Women’s Game to new levels, capturing the hearts and minds of new audiences both in the UK and around the world via an unprecedented broadcast platform.

The 17-day tournament features the world’s best women players following a first ever global qualification process. Six teams qualified automatically, three-time defending champions New Zealand, 2006 runners-up England, France, Canada, USA and South Africa. Kazakhstan, Australia, Wales, Ireland, Scotland and Sweden join them having successfully negotiated the extensive qualification process.

The Twickenham Stoop will host the semi finals and final on Wednesday, September 1 and Sunday, September 5 respectively with the pool matches and play-off games staged at the multi-million pound high performance centre, Surrey Sports Park in Guildford.

“Women’s Rugby World Cup has redefined the boundaries of Women’s Rugby over the years, producing memorable encounters, outstanding Rugby and positioning the Women’s Game in front of global audiences. Through an irresistible platform of record TV coverage, highly-competitive matches, unprecedented media interest and strong public support, I am sure that Women’s Rugby World Cup 2010 will take the Women’s Game to new levels, attracting new audiences in the UK and around the world,” said IRB Vice Chairman Bill Beaumont at the official launch in City Hall, London today.

“I would like to thank the many people at the RFUW and RFU who have worked tirelessly to ensure that Women’s Rugby World Cup 2010 is the biggest and most successful tournament to date. With all the teams here we can look forward to a wonderful festival of world-class Rugby played in impressive venues in front of large enthusiastic audiences. It promises to be an event not to be missed.”

Beaumont was joined at the launch by Hugh Robertson MP, UK Government Minister for Sport, and RFUW President Gill Burns, underlining the high level of support for a tournament that will usher in a decade of world class sporting events in the UK, including Rugby World Cup 2015.

“I am delighted that England is hosting the Women’s Rugby World Cup. This will showcase the sport at the highest level and I hope it will encourage many more young women and girls to get involved in the game. I wish the IRB and the RFU the best of luck in putting on a successful tournament,” said Robertson.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson added “City Hall is immensely proud to be marking the start of the Women’s Rugby World Cup, hosted in England for the first time, and I am delighted that the finals will take place at the Twickenham Stoop. Women’s Rugby is rapidly growing and we have a truly world class England team. This is a fantastic opportunity to watch them play on home soil and cheer them on to victory. I hope it will inspire other young people to get into sport.”

England captain Catherine Spencer said: “It’s really exciting that we are now just days away from the games getting underway. We have been training really hard for this moment and know that we are ready for this. We are chomping at the bit for our first game against Ireland on Friday. To play in a World Cup is a massive honour. To play in a World Cup on home soil and lead your country is extra special and I just can’t wait.”

Women’s and girls’ Rugby is growing strongly around the world, with 200,000 women and girls now playing the game regularly. In England there are 15,000 women and girls playing the game, 8,000 of whom are youth players, which highlights the massive growth in the sport.

An extensive legacy programme, which provides an integral component of all IRB tournaments, has been built around Women’s Rugby World Cup 2010. Twelve Legacy Project Officers have been tasked with the delivery of 30 projects nationwide, aimed at increasing awareness and participation in Women’s Rugby and maximising the opportunities for girls and women to be involved in the Game at all levels.

The Legacy Project Officers had a goal to engage 200 new participants in each of the 12 regions, then to encourage 10 percent of these participants to move into local rugby clubs, and at the same time to significantly increase the number of volunteers in the game. So far, 30 programmes have taken place up and down the country and nearly 5,000 women and girls have taken part with the tournament itself attracting more than 300 volunteers in various placements from hospitality to match reporting and team liaison officers.

Rosie Williams, Managing Director of the RFUW, added: “The Women’s Rugby World Cup 2010 is a marvellous opportunity to raise the profile of the women’s game in England. Women’s Rugby is a rapidly growing sport but to have the showcase event on English soil will undoubtedly help raise the profile of the sport and get more people into the game, and we have a range of legacy programmes designed to achieve just that.”

For further information including news and features, player interviews, match reports, fixtures, results, statistics and rights-free video, audio and photograph schedule, broadcast and ticketing news, please visit the official tournament website at www.rwcwomens.com.