Grassroots to Global Connect 2025: Young female leaders arrive in Sunderland to shape the future of rugby

Sunderland, England – 17 August 2025: Today, a delegation of over 70 young community leaders from 34 countries arrives in Sunderland to begin a week of work shaped by the Grassroots to Global (G2G) Series over the past year.

Some delegates have travelled more than 17,000 kilometres to be here, while others have come from just down the road. The group reflects the diversity of the community game, including coaches, players, referees, team captains, parents/guardians, volunteers, and Union staff. With an average age of just 26, this is the first global leadership opportunity for many delegates - and for some, their very first time on a plane.

Each participant represents not only their Union and country, but also their national forum of 30–35 women, who earlier this year worked together to identify the top barriers and drivers to increasing the number of girls and women in community rugby coaching, and to develop action plans to make change in their own communities.

Since 2021, G2G has partnered with Unions in 35 countries, bringing together more than 1,500 young women in community rugby leadership to tackle barriers and boost drivers to attracting and retaining girls and women in rugby. The 2021–22 Series confirmed that having a female coach is the single strongest driver for girls and women to join and stay in the game. Yet data presented by World Rugby at the 2022 Women in Rugby Summit in New Zealand showed that only 8% of coaches worldwide at that time, were female.

These findings led the G2G Connect 2022 delegation in Auckland to recommend that the 2025 Series focus squarely on strategies to increase the number of female community rugby coaches. Over the past 12 months, 32 national forums in 29 countries have delivered on this recommendation, with more than 1,000 young women in leadership roles contributing to a global dataset to support learning, and preparing action plans for their communities.

Grassroots to Global Connect in Sunderland (17–23 August 2025) is the culmination of this work. Delegates will spend the week connecting across borders, building their leadership skills, and preparing to present their recommendations at the Community Coaching Round Table.

The Round Table will bring together 45 senior stakeholders from World Rugby, UN Women, the IOC, Unions, commercial partners, and civil society to hear directly from these young leaders. The goal is to inspire decision-makers to adopt practical actions that can increase the number of girls and women in coaching, and embed this priority into their future plans.

Delegates will also share lessons from successful approaches already in place. For example, in countries where Pass It Back has been implemented - such as Laos, Philippines, Türkiye, and Madagascar - where more than 55% of Pass It Back coaches are female. Delegates from these countries are themselves active Pass It Back coaches and will highlight what is working in their contexts to inform wider action.

Throughout the week, the delegation will be building the network and momentum of this community-led movement, which will carry forward into Rugby World Cups 2027 and 2029, where future G2G Series’ will continue to drive change. Following the Round Table, the delegation will also attend the opening match of Rugby World Cup 2025 on Friday - a celebration of rugby’s future, shaped by the voices of young leaders from every corner of the world.

“Grassroots leaders are the heartbeat of our game. G2G Connect 2025 is about powering their voices into a global movement for equity in rugby,” said Meg Knight, ChildFund Rugby Co-Director.

About Grassroots to Global

Grassroots to Global is a community leadership initiative that connects young rugby leaders from around the world. Through collaborative forums, these emerging change-makers explore the barriers that prevent young people from joining or staying in sport – and identify the key drivers that fuel participation.

The initiative takes a critical look at all forms of exclusion in the game, aiming to build an inclusive rugby community where sustained participation is the norm. Each forum acts as a launchpad for innovative project proposals – developed by youth – that directly tackle the barriers or strengthen the drivers, with the ultimate goal of mobilising community support for action.

Grassroots to Global 2025 is a flagship initiative of the Global Social Impact Partnership between ChildFund Rugby and World Rugby, bringing together female community leaders from around the world to build powerful networks, share lived experiences, and drive social change through rugby.

About ChildFund Rugby

ChildFund Rugby, World Rugby’s global Social Impact Partner, is a dedicated Sport for Development team, committed to harnessing the power of rugby to drive positive social impact.

ChildFund Rugby collaborates with rugby partners globally to provide children and young people with opportunities to play, learn and lead. Through integrated rugby and life skills learning, young people in vulnerable situations develop critical social and emotional skills, which help them achieve personal goals, build empathy, manage emotions, develop positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.