The 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup in England marked a milestone for coaching representation in the sport. Female coaches comprised 32% of all coaching staff - more than double the 15% figure from the 2021 tournament. The number of female coaches quadrupled from six to 23, with three nations appointing female head coaches.
This growth reflects deliberate investment in coach development pathways and signals a permanent shift in who coaches rugby at the highest level.
The Numbers
2021 Women's Rugby World Cup:
- 15% female coaches
- 6 female coaches total
- 0 female head coaches
2025 Women's Rugby World Cup:
- 32% female coaches
- 23 female coaches total
- 3 female head coaches (France, Australia, Japan)
- USA and Samoa featured majority-female coaching teams
This isn't tokenism - these are coaches who earned their positions through proven ability and development pathway progression.
The Gallagher High Performance Academy
Much of this growth stems from World Rugby's Gallagher High Performance Academy, launched in 2023 in partnership with Gallagher. The programme provides emerging and elite female coaches with:
- World-class mentoring from established coaches
- Development workshops covering technical and leadership skills
- Hands-on experience in both sevens and 15s environments
- Exposure to international competition at the highest level
Since its inception, 43 female coaches have completed the programme. Many are now coaching at international level - the 2025 World Cup showed the programme's impact.
Why Representation Matters
Having more female coaches benefits women's rugby in multiple ways:
Role models: Young female players seeing women in coaching roles expands their sense of what's possible. The pathway doesn't end at playing - it extends to coaching, management, and leadership.
Understanding: Coaches who've played women's rugby bring lived experience of the game. They understand the specific demands, challenges, and opportunities in ways that can enhance their coaching.
Culture: Diverse coaching staffs bring diverse perspectives. Different approaches to communication, motivation, and technical instruction enrich the coaching environment.
Coaching the Women's Game
While fundamental rugby principles are universal, coaching women's rugby effectively requires understanding the specific context:
Physicality development: Women's rugby has seen significant increases in physical conditioning over recent years. Training programmes must continue developing power, speed, and collision resilience.
Tactical evolution: The women's game continues to evolve tactically. Teams are increasingly sophisticated in their structures, set pieces, and game management. Coaches must keep pace.
Pathway considerations: Many women come to rugby later than men. Coaching must account for varied experience levels and accelerate skill development appropriately.
Lessons for All Coaches
The growth in female coaching offers lessons applicable across the sport:
Investment in pathways works: The Gallagher Academy demonstrates that structured development programmes produce coaches. What pathways exist in your organisation?
Mentoring accelerates development: Access to experienced coaches and hands-on learning fast-tracks growth. Who mentors coaches in your club?
Opportunity matters: Talented coaches need opportunities to practice their craft at progressively higher levels. Who gets opportunities in your context?
Growing Your Own Coaches
Clubs and organisations can apply these principles to develop coaches at all levels:
Identify potential: Look for players who show coaching instincts - they organise warm-ups, explain drills to teammates, think about the game beyond their own role.
Create opportunities: Start with small responsibilities. Assistant coaching roles, leading specific drill stations, running youth sessions. Build experience gradually.
Provide development: Support formal qualifications but also informal learning - book recommendations, video analysis sessions, observation of other coaches.
Offer mentoring: Connect developing coaches with experienced ones. Regular conversations about coaching challenges and approaches.
The Future
World Rugby's stated goal is gender parity in coaching by 2030. The trajectory from 2021 to 2025 suggests this is achievable. But it requires sustained investment, deliberate pathway development, and organisational commitment.
The 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup showed what's possible when talent is identified, developed, and given opportunity. The same approach can transform coaching demographics across all levels of the game.
Key Points
- Female coach representation more than doubled from 2021 to 2025
- Structured development programmes drive growth
- Mentoring and hands-on experience accelerate learning
- Representation benefits the entire sport
- Every organisation can grow its own coaches
sportplan_rugby
