Exploring Women's Leadership in Rugby: Challenges, Obstacles, and the Impact of Leadership Programmes

Women in rugby union still hold fewer than one in three leadership roles across international federations, despite the sport’s rapid growth in female participation. This research examines why that gap persists and whether dedicated leadership programmes—such as World Rugby’s Women’s Leadership Programme and the Capgemini Women in Rugby initiative—actually help close it. The study combines statistical data on current representation with interviews and surveys of women working in rugby governance across European and international federations. It aims to identify specific barriers—from institutional culture to recruitment practices—and assess whether existing programmes change the trajectory for women moving into senior roles. If the research succeeds, it could give sports governing bodies concrete evidence on which interventions work and which do not, allowing them to redesign leadership development more effectively. That matters beyond rugby: sports federations often serve as early adopters of diversity practices that later spread to other male-dominated sectors. The findings could inform how organisations in business, politics, and public service structure their own leadership pipelines. This is applied social science with a clear practical target—not fundamental research, but a direct audit of what is happening and what might fix it.