Support for rugby at Warwick set to soar amid new partnership with RFU

Warwick Sport and the Rugby Football Union (RFU) have announced a three-year partnership aimed at growing and supporting both men’s and women’s rugby at the University ahead of what promises to be a busy season for both clubs.

The partnership, which is being delivered via England Rugby’s Universities Partner Funding scheme, will support the development of both the men’s and women’s clubs as a whole, as well as the performance of their players – from beginner level right through to those playing in BUCS leagues.

While the exact details of the partnership are yet to be finalised, RFU funding is often used by university clubs to support costs such as facility hire, marketing, and kit and equipment. The Men’s Rugby Club have also added that the deal with contribute towards introducing a competitive fourth team in the next three to five years.

Warwick Sport has also confirmed that the deal will support the hosting of “exciting” rugby events on campus. Intro to Rugby sessions, which are delivered by the clubs to beginner members, will also be expanded as part of the deal.

The two clubs will aim to work closer through the deal

The RFU describes their university partnerships as providing “the best playing opportunities to as many students as possible whilst at university”, a sentiment which has been echoed by the Women’s Rugby Football Club at Warwick.

The Club’s President, Maddy Smith, described the partnership as a “massive” step forward for the club, with hopes that the deal “will really help support the growth” of the women’s game at Warwick, particularly off the back of the Women’s World Cup which was triumphantly won by the Red Roses.

The club has already celebrated huge successes in recent years, winning Most Improved Team of the Year at the Warwick Sport Awards in 2023 and then BUCS Team of the Year in 2024. Smith told The Boar that she hopes the partnership “will really help the club build on this momentum”, as the popularity of women’s rugby continues to soar. World Rugby recorded a 53.2% jump in the number of female players worldwide in 2023.

Warwick’s Men’s Rugby Club, whose first team play in the BUCS Midlands Tier 1, will also be supported by the partnership. The two clubs, who have admittedly been “quite separate over the last few years”, will aim to work closer through the deal. “Considering we play the same sport,” Smith said, “we want to encourage a culture of supporting each other and to work together to develop both clubs.”

It’s going to be a big year for rugby at Warwick!

Maddy Smith Warwick Women’s Rugby Club President

Brad Aldridge, Chairman of the Men’s Rugby Club, reflected Smith’s words and added that the two clubs are hoping to collaborate on a “large double header fixture at a large venue with a vast number of spectators (as many as possible!)” to showcase rugby union on campus.

He also told The Boar that the partnership is “a major step in the right direction for rugby at the University as we move away from the archaic stereotypes it can tend to hold”.

“The RFU partnership works to activate all backgrounds into rugby,” he added, “therefore more students can enjoy it at any given playing level. We will work tirelessly to get as many playing rugby at Warwick as possible!”

More details about the partnership will be confirmed in Term 1 following further discussions between the clubs and the RFU, however many “exciting projects” are already promised to be in the works.

As Smith concluded: “It’s going to be a big year for rugby at Warwick!”