Lisa Parfitt on Ilona Maher and why brands should back women’s rugby

In this article, Lisa Parfitt, Co-Founder of The Space Between, shares her insights on the arrival of Ilona Maher and its potential impact on brand sponsorships in women’s rugby.

"There aren’t many sports figures who have captured the attention of fans and the media quite like Ilona Maher. The American athlete has quickly become the global face of women’s rugby, but do her superpowers extend to sparking a bidding war among brands?

Through her massive, loyal social following (bigger than rugby’s world governing body), she has become a leading voice on body confidence for women and men around the world. Coupled with her equally impressive sporting success, it’s easy to see why Ilona is a force of nature. From US primetime show ‘Dancing With The Stars’ to the cover of Sports Illustrated, she’s evolved from an athlete in a growing women’s sport to a mainstream star in the space of four years. Her arrival in the UK to Bristol Bears is a coming-of-age moment for the women’s game.

Before I address what Ilona tells us about the sponsorship opportunity in women’s rugby, there’s an elephant in the room to tackle. Of all sports, the physicality and aggression in rugby can be a step too far for even the most progressive of brands. Entrenched gender norms and expectations continue to hold the game back commercially. It’s hard to believe that we are still in this place, but it’s also why the sport’s key growth audience is the next generation of young women drawn to other women (literally) smashing down barriers. It is a classic case where brands ignore what their audience wants.

In walks Ilona. She has amassed over 8 million followers on social media since posting her unique and unapologetic content style at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. After helping Team USA secure a bronze medal in Paris this year, she even enticed legendary women's sport investor Michele Kang to invest $4m into the US women's game to help them go two better for LA 2028. Ilona brings attention, fans, and investment—but can she attract the brands? The answer lies in the three Ps: platform, personality, and potential.

Platform

Illona’s arrival is a watershed moment for women’s rugby in the UK.  Together with Maher becoming the unofficial voice of the game, the Women’s Rugby World Cup has become the fastest-selling edition of the tournament, with 220,000 tickets sold to date. The UK is arguably the current home of women’s sports, with growing attendance and TV viewership. The government pledges to make the UK the top destination for women’s sports, launching the Women’s Sports Accelerator scheme.

Personality

Of all women’s sports, rugby is showing clear signs that it is appealing to a younger demographic of women to whom the unapologetic, convention-breaking, honest and relatable role models resonate. Pretty much every woman looking at a women’s rugby will find a reflection of themselves somewhere from numbers 1 to 15. It is arguably the most representative of all sports, and that’s exactly why Maher’s first home game for Bristol Bears, which was moved to Ashton Gate, doubled the attendance records of the Premiership Women’s Rugby.

Potential

The combination of super-charged audience growth and the media’s newfound interest in the players makes women’s rugby a winning proposition for brands, at a time when its value is going to explode. We’ve been here before. In 2022, we all remember watching the Lionesses lift the Euros trophy, but the early group-stage matches weren’t sold out, and the FA had plenty of space for new sponsorships, which now sell at a premium. Is history about to repeat itself?

Opportunity for sponsors 

Women’s rugby offers a wealth of compelling stories for brands to leverage. These include the exceptional strength and skill on display, inclusivity, body positivity, female empowerment, and grassroots impact. These attributes are embodied by inspiring role models in the game, such as Ilona. However, brands must strike the right tone and connect authentically with fans to align with their mindset—just as with any successful sponsorship.

The opportunities here are potentially lucrative. Get this right, and there will be equally rich rewards. Our own agency research shows that women’s sports fans are twice as likely to recall your brand (versus men’s sports fans) because they believe that you have a bigger role to play in their sport. There is also greater receptivity among women’s sports fans to brands involved in their favourite sports, as they are 25% more likely to buy your brand.

Ilona Maher has become the embodiment of her challenger sport, accelerating visibility by breaking all the models of stardom, TV fame and success. She has truly charted her own course. In doing so, she has also proved in real-time what the platform of women’s rugby has to offer brands through its growing youthful audience, which is no doubt going to explode when the 16 nations take to the field this summer at the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025."

To read more about women's sport and the trends set to shape sponsorship in 2025 you can view The Sponsor's outlook here.