England was chosen to host the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2025, the first event in 15 years.
The tournament will be the first involving 16 countries and the Rugby Football Union (RFU) plans to adopt a “multi-city, multi-region” approach.
The English Red Roses are currently the No. 1 women’s team in the world and recently won their fourth consecutive Six Nations title.
The announcement on Thursday gives an extra boost to the sport in England, and Sue Day, chief operating officer of the Russian Football Union, hopes the tournament will help create a “lasting legacy”.
“We are delighted to host the 2025 Rugby World Cup, it will be fantastic. We would like to thank the government for helping make this happen,” Day said.
“Working closely with government, British sport, England sport and world rugby, together we will create a lasting legacy for women’s rugby in England, the UK and around the world, both in terms of attracting more people to the game and new fans.
“As we have seen in other world championships of cricket, hockey and volleyball, the Rugby World Cup will develop all women’s sports. The tournament will also bring significant economic benefits across the country.
“I can only imagine how proud and privileged we are to host the final at Twickenham.”
The UEFA Legacy Program covers women’s play development nationwide and will focus on developing female coaches and referees, encouraging more college girls and women to play, and increasing support nationwide.
The grass-roots education and mentoring programs will aim to attract 1,000 new coaches and 500 official judges, the federation reported.
The hope for the sport’s development, as well as economic growth, has also been backed by Culture Minister Nadine Doris and Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston.
“We want to use the 2025 World Cup as a catalyst to inspire more women and girls to be active and benefit from competitive sport,” Doris said.
“We have a great platform for this. Red Roses are at the top of the rankings, and the proportion of ordinary people is thriving. Over the next three years, we will invest £30m in a range of major sporting events to help us achieve our goal.”
Huddleston added: “This is a fantastic vote of confidence for the nation’s women’s rugby union.
“We will work closely with the Russian Football Federation to harness the power of the World Cup organization to invest in developing sport, improving grassroots infrastructure, reducing the gap between male and female interest and participation, and providing a new pipeline for future talent across the UK.”
