Commons Sense

House of Commons · Adjournment Debate

Women’s Rugby: Government Support

13 October 2020 · 2 other contributors

Opened by Rosie Winterton Lab Brecon and Radnorshire

Women & Equalities

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Rosie Winterton raised concerns about women’s rugby: government support in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.

Key points

  • The debate focused on the need for government support to enhance women's rugby in Wales and the UK.
  • Rosie Winterton noted the Welsh Rugby Union's plan to make the Welsh women's team semi or fully professional in the future.
  • The Minister acknowledged the importance of women's rugby in enhancing self-esteem, resilience, and empowerment.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Rosie Winterton Lab Brecon and Radnorshire

The debate focused on the need for government support to enhance women’s rugby in Wales and the UK. Rosie Winterton highlighted her personal experience playing women's rugby and emphasised its transformative lifelong rewards beyond health and fitness, including confidence building and community engagement. She also noted that while men's rugby has 28 full-time contracts offered by England since January last year, Welsh Rugby Union recently announced a plan to make the Welsh women’s team semi or fully professional in the future. The speech touched upon practical barriers such as lack of nearby clubs, travel issues, and limited facilities. Winterton also mentioned that during the lockdown due to coronavirus, 42% of women reported a drop in activity levels compared with 35% of men. She stressed the importance of visibility provided by events like the Tokyo Olympics and The Hundred cricket competition for women's sports.

Other contributors (2)
  • Fay Jones Lab Dewsbury

    Welcomed Winterton’s speech about women’s rugby, wishing the Minister a happy birthday and congratulating Ulster Rugby on putting women’s game on par with men's.

  • Craig Williams Lab Preseli Pembrokeshire

    Discussed the financial challenges faced by women’s rugby due to reduced revenue from lack of fans returning, and the need for continued funding for women's sports.

Government Response

Nigel Huddleston

The Minister thanked Rosie Winterton for securing the debate. He emphasised the importance of women’s rugby in enhancing self-esteem, resilience, empowerment, and fun play. Highlighting the success of Welsh women's rugby and the Red Roses winning numerous championships, Huddleston acknowledged the challenges posed by the pandemic but welcomed recent sponsorship deals and investment from Allianz Insurance to grow women’s rugby. He assured that he is personally committed to helping women's sport recover stronger post-crisis. The minister also highlighted initiatives such as Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign and noted a 17% year-on-year growth in female participation in rugby, reaching over 40,000 registered players now compared with just 13,000 in 2012. Huddleston concluded by acknowledging the challenges but expressing dedication to continuing support for women's rugby.

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