“Belinda Moore on Leading Premiership Women’s Rugby: Driving Visibility, Growth, and Commercial Success for Women’s Rugby”

Belinda Moore, CEO of Premiership Women’s Rugby, discussed her role and the growth of women’s rugby in conversation with iSportConnect’s Taruka Srivastav. She highlights the increasing visibility of women’s rugby, driven by the England team and the upcoming 2025 Women’s World Cup.

Belinda, I’ll just start with an obvious question about your role as CEO of Premiership Women’s Rugby. Can you tell me about yourself and what your current role entails?

I joined Premiership Women’s Rugby, or Premier 15s as it was then, in January 2023 as employee number one. Premiership Women’s Rugby is a new company set up to run what was previously Premier 15s, which used to be wholly owned and run by the RFU, the governing body for rugby in this country. Like other sports, such as football and netball, we’ve decided to grow and build the women’s domestic league by setting it up as an independent company. I’m responsible to 10 shareholders, which include my nine clubs and the RFU as well. Essentially, we run the domestic women’s rugby league in this country, which is a nine-team league with 18 rounds a year, plus semi-finals, finals, and a cup competition.

My background started in broadcasting. I was a producer at the BBC for 13 years before moving on. I worked with Team GB for London 2012, which was fantastic, and over my career, I’ve been fortunate to work on seven or eight Winter and Summer Games. After 2012, I moved into agency life and later into golf, working for what is now the DP World Tour for five years. I was involved in partnership management and our relationship with the PGA Tour, even through the highs and lows of the LIV Golf saga. All this experience—across broadcast, sponsorship, partnership management, and stakeholder management—has been really helpful in my current role.

That’s amazing! You’ve worked across multiple sports. Could you tell me about rugby, especially women’s rugby, and the increasing interest in it? How much has viewership, fan engagement, and overall interest grown over the years?

I think it’s always a visibility issue when it comes to women’s sports. The England team, the Red Roses, have done an incredible job driving visibility. The Six Nations is now shown on BBC One and BBC Two, which really helps build awareness. There’s that phrase: “If you can see it, you can be it.” As the game grows in visibility, we’re starting to build recognizable superstars like Emily Scarratt and Marlie Packer, which increases engagement. The 2025 Women’s World Cup being held in England will be a pivotal moment for the sport, much like the Lionesses’ success in football. We’re all very excited about what’s to come.

Recently, Premiership Women’s Rugby has partnered with various stakeholders, like the recent partnership with Gilbert. Can you share more about your commercial and marketing strategies, and what kind of partners are supporting the league?

Yes, we’ve just signed a great deal with Gilbert, a world leader in what they do, and we’re excited for what’s to come. We also have other deals in the pipeline that I can’t disclose yet. But, I’ll be honest, there’s still a disconnect with women’s sports. You hear headlines like “Women’s sport will be worth £1 billion by 2030,” but in reality, it’s still a challenge to convert goodwill into hard cash. Brands still evaluate sports by traditional metrics like ROI on broadcast and merchandise sales, and women’s sport tends to have smaller numbers in those areas. That said, women’s sport has highly engaged audiences—our fan base is often female, many of them mothers who are household decision-makers. We’re working to help brands see the value in that engagement, but it remains a challenge to shift perceptions.

Are more girls taking up rugby now than before?

Absolutely! The RFU is committed to getting 100,000 women and girls playing rugby in the next few years—currently, there are around 50,000 playing. The Women’s World Cup in 2025 will help drive those numbers up even more. It’s also starting to be played more often in girls’ schools, which is key for increasing participation. The visibility helps, and rugby has so many benefits for mental health, particularly the physical contact aspect, which is a really important part of the game.

You mentioned the physical and mental benefits of the game. Are there grassroots programs in place to encourage more girls to participate, like summer camps?

Yes, grassroots programs are happening all over the country. You can find them through the RFU website or your local rugby club. We launched our season last year with a campaign called “Powered Differently,” which emphasizes that rugby is a sport for everyone. You don’t have to be a specific size or shape—every position requires different strengths. That’s what makes rugby unique; it’s inclusive of everyone, regardless of size, shape, or background.

With the Women’s Rugby World Cup coming up, are there any innovations in competition formats or new leagues that you’re planning to introduce?

Premiership Women’s Rugby is responsible for the top league, and the RFU manages the leagues beneath us. What’s most important is creating a showcase that inspires young girls. We’ve partnered with TNT for TV broadcasts and had four games on BBC Digital this year. Visibility is key, and the quality of rugby is improving every season. We’re seeing rising TV viewership and more spectators in the stands, which is all very exciting. The World Cup will be a huge springboard for the sport’s growth.

I’d like to mention our “Superpower Weekend,” which takes place on a fallow weekend during the men’s Six Nations. There’s no men’s rugby that weekend, so we get the spotlight, and all four matches are broadcast live, which is fantastic. There’s so much exciting stuff coming up for women’s rugby, and we’re actively encouraging brands to join us on this journey now, rather than waiting for us to reach the top.

Do you find it challenging to get brands on board at the earlier stages, rather than when you’ve already reached a certain level?

Yes, you’re right. It’s still a tough sell. There’s a lot of goodwill toward women’s sport, but converting that into something tangible is still challenging. Often, we get put into CSR budgets, which is fine, but we want brands to see us as more than just a charitable cause. We’re talking about professional or semi-professional athletes here, and we need the resources to support them properly. We want brands to come along on this journey with us.