Ulster Rugby Celebrates 39% Increase In Female Participation
Members of the Ulster squad that competed in this season's PwC Under-18 Women's Interprovincial Championship ©INPHO/James Lawlor
Ireland will kick off Irish Rugby’s 150th Anniversary celebrations in Belfast on Saturday when they face Australia. Ahead of the match, Ulster Rugby are celebrating a major milestone as they announce a 39% increase in female participation.
The province’s new statistics showcase the increased involvement of women and girls, both as players and in shaping the sport.
In addition to the 39%+ overall participation statistic for the local game, Ulster Rugby, the governing body for rugby in the province, has today released figures revealing that from the 2022/23 season to the past one, there has been a 23% increase in the number of schools participating in the game – with 567 players registered across 39 schools.
Rugby in Ulster also saw a 20% increase in participation in the female Youth and Mini categories within the club game, played across the province’s 51 domestic clubs.
Meanwhile, adult participation also grew at a rate of 6% over the same twelve-month period.
Ulster Rugby can also confirm that it is not only from a participation perspective that women and girls are increasingly involved in the sport.
In governance and decision-making, of the five Ulster representatives who report to the IRFU on the province’s behalf, two are women – Diane Nixon and Laura Thompson. Diane also chairs the IRFU Disciplinary Committee, and Laura sits on a number of other IRFU committees.
The membership of Ulster Rugby’s Management Committee is now 23% female – with Wendy Galbraith, Ellvena Graham, and Paula Stewart holding positions.
Similarly, the targeted 25%+ female participation in the province’s Branch Committee has been achieved with the figure currently sat at 30% and due to rise in the seasons ahead.
Overall, three Ulster Rugby committees are chaired by women – Audit & Risk (Wendy Galbraith), Commercial & Marketing (Ellvena Graham), and Women and Girls (Paula Stewart).
Commenting on the news, Ulster Rugby CEO Hugh McCaughey said: “With Women and girls’ rugby the fastest growing section of our game, we have ambitious plans at Ulster Rugby to continue transforming the sport in the next three to five years.
In line with the new Strategic Plan recently set out by the IRFU, we want to be at the forefront of that transformation, and for the Women and girls’ game to be unrecognisable in the near future.
“Today’s figures show the important strides forward that have been made in terms of participation and governance, and we want to continue to build on this.
“We have been honoured to host the likes of the Women’s Interprovincial Championship finals day at Kingspan Stadium recently, thanks to the recent installation of the 3G pitch.
“This Saturday it’s set to be a very competitive fixture when the Ireland Women take on Australia in Belfast in what is set to be a great day out for rugby fans.”
Mollie Davies, Ulster’s Women and Girls’ Development Manager, added:
We have witnessed the emergence of many great local role models for young women and girls looking to get involved in any aspect of the game in recent times, including during this summer’s Women’s Interprovincial Championship that our senior Women’s squad competed in.
“It’s really encouraging to see the strong participation figures across all aspects of rugby in Ulster, with those statistics set to grow in the season ahead. It’s an exciting time to be involved in the Women and girls’ game for everyone.”