Ilona Maher: Bristol Bears star says rugby union needs culture change to create stars and grow game | Rugby Union News

Ilona Maher says rugby union needs to change its culture and mindset if it is to develop as a sport.

With more than eight million followers on Instagram and TikTok, 28-year-old United States international Maher is the most followed rugby player in the world on social media.

She rose to fame on social media by combining messages of body positivity and female empowerment with her signature sharp sense of humor, and was runner-up on Dancing with the Stars – America’s equivalent of Strictly Come Dancing.

Currently playing Premiership women’s rugby with the Bristol Bears on a three-month contract, Maher is hoping to be a part of the US national team at the World Cup in England later this year.

And she has already made a significant impact in the West Country, helping to attract the club’s record crowd for a women’s game when she made her debut against Gloucester-Hartpury at Ashton Gate.

“It’s great to have all these record numbers, but what we want is for them to keep coming back for the next game. One is almost not enough,” Maher said during a press conference attended by local, national and US media. .

“I sprinkle a little here. But we need people to keep coming. It’s not just me.

“There’s something special happening not just in England but around the world in women’s sport and women’s rugby. My message is if I’m the one who gets someone to experience rugby then great. I want more people to play and watch.

“We’re kind of a stoic sport. I’d like to see more personality in the men’s game.

“You see it a little bit with a player like Joe Marler, but I can’t think of many others who have it. I wish I could show it more.

“There is a culture in rugby that we need to change. It’s an amazing sport, but also an old sport where the same things have been happening for years.

“We’re constantly talking about how to get young people involved in the game. Those people are online. We have to change the way we think if the sport is to grow.”

England are set to stage the biggest Women’s Rugby World Cup during August and September, with an 82,000 sell-out final at Allianz Stadium as the target highlight.

Venues from the North East to the South West will host the Games, with two-time Olympian Maher adding: “More women need to use it to get there.

“I went to the Olympics (she was part of the US sevens) knowing that it makes people – Simone Biles, Michael Phelps.

“I went to Paris knowing I had a chance to improve and I went with a plan to post a bunch of videos. Can we go to the World Cup with a plan for the players to post more videos?

“I want to show that you can do both – play good rugby and post good videos. We all have a responsibility to take advantage of this World Cup.

“Where I come from in America, NFL players make millions of dollars when they sign their first contract. We always talked about getting sponsorship without knowing how to do it.

“I realized there’s a different way to do it. I’m not going to sign a million-dollar deal or a six-figure deal anywhere. We’ve got to do it a different way.

“We need to do more on us. I’ve seen how useful social media can be and I think what differentiates the women’s game from others is that we’re comfortable showing our personality.

“I think the men’s game has so many amazing players, but they don’t really show their personality. We need to get more people to watch our sport.”

Maher has already been introduced to trips to the Cotswolds, roast dinners, sausage rolls and white egg whites – Glastonbury, Cardiff and Scotland are also on her to-do list – and her influence has proved considerable.

“Putting yourself out there is how you connect with people,” she said. “If we talk about wanting more funding, we want even more of this, we have to work hard for it.

“If we want this to grow, it’s up to us. We have to do more, that’s a simple fact.”