There’s no denying that professional rugby has seen an enormous increase in player salaries, sponsorships, and endorsements. However, while many top male players can earn hundreds of thousands of pounds, female players seldom see the same returns. So how much do England Women’s rugby players get paid?
Including the average salaries of club and national contracts (while excluding sponsorships, tournament winnings, and private endorsements) a professional female English rugby player can expect to earn between £36 000 and £50 000 a season with a complimentary match fee of about £1 000.
To better understand the average salaries of female rugby players and other potential sources of income, the current state of professional female contracts will be explored in depth; where after further discussions on different rugby formats, and tournament winnings will be highlighted:
What Is The Average Salary Of The English Women’s Rugby Team?
As of 2019, The Rugby Football Union announced that all England Women’s National Rugby Team players would be awarded full-time professional contracts (although some top-tier players like Emily Scarlett, Natasha Hunt, and Jess Breach were awarded contracts for the 2019 season in December 2018.)
In total, the 35-player squad included 28 full-time professional players, along with seven players that were awarded “Elite Player Squad Agreements.” The average salaries of the England Women’s National Rugby Team were between £26 000 and £33 000 a year, including benefits.
Although these professional contracts indicate The Rugby Football Union’s intention of improving working conditions for female rugby players, due to growing interest amongst fans and pundits, these salaries still fall well below the Men’s National Rugby Team.
Namely, while England Men’s National Rugby Team may not be centrally contracted, the average match fee for an English Male rugby player is an enormous £17 000 per game!
Furthermore, England Women’s National Rugby Team had to settle with a reduced match fee of £400 as opposed to their usual £800 fee to help save money at The Rugby Football Union (this equates to a 3125 percent match fee increase for England’s Male Rugby Team compared to their Women’s Rugby Team.)
In conclusion, the awarding of professional contracts to England Women’s National Team is a step in the right direction (being the world’s first national female rugby team to secure professional contracts.)
There is still a lot of work and investment needed to allow female rugby players to secure the fees of their male counterparts.
Suggested reading: How Much Does A Male Rugby Player Earn In The UK?
How Much Do English Female Club Rugby Players Get Paid?
Tyrell’s Premier 15s is the top tier of English female rugby clubs, many of which share names, sponsorships, management, and grounds with top-flight English male rugby clubs like Saracens, Harlequins, Wasps, and Leister Tigers.
As of 2019, most of these clubs have begun providing salaries and other benefits to their players. Although average salaries began at approximately £10 000 a season with a match day fee of approximately £200, the rapid growth and popularity of the league and women’s rugby has seen notable increases.
In 2021, The Rugby Football Union announced the doubling of the salary cap for Tyrell’s Premier 15s from £60 000 to £120 000. The increase is a clear indication that larger salaries for clubs attract the best talent and that the support for the league and women’s rugby justifies the increase while still allowing clubs, grounds, and broadcasters to turn a profit!
The popularity of the league and women’s rugby is best illustrated by the 2021 final between Exeter and Saracens, which attracted over 125 000 viewers through social media, the league’s website, traditional viewing options, and other streaming means (while excluding the fans in the stadium!)
In conclusion, The Rugby Football Union has committed to ten-year planning starting from the 2022/2023 season to develop Tyrell’s Premier 15s into a thoroughly professional league for all the league’s teams and players!
You might be interested in: International Rugby Players Match Fees Compared By Country
How Much Do English Female Sevens Rugby Players Get Paid?
While the sevens format of rugby union has seen increased popularity and viewership in recent years, it still lags behind the traditional format of the game regarding viewership, lucrative sponsorship deals, and television coverage.
Therefore, while some professional male national seven’s teams have professional contracts, many women’s teams and players still rely on sponsorship and tournament winnings to earn a living.
Consequently, the English female sevens team is no different and thus relies on sponsorship and winnings rather than full-time professional contracts to earn a living.Fortunately, the England Women’s Sevens team is one of the best in the world, with numerous tournament wins over their proud history!
Check out: Who Is The Highest Paid England Women’s Rugby Player?
What Other Ways Do English Female Players Make Money?
Over and above their professional contracts and match day fees (for both club and country,) English female rugby players typically secure additional fees through private endorsements, team sponsorships, and tournament winnings.
As of 2020, The Rugby Football Union confirmed that O2 would continue as the primary sponsor for both the men’s and women’s national rugby teams for the next five years (equating to a total sponsorship deal of 30 years!)
Meanwhile, there are fifteen other sponsors that assist with the fnding of The Rugby Football Union and England Women’s National Rugby Team (with certain sponsors like Dove and Charles Tyrwhitt being exclusive sponsors for the men’s national team.)
Finally, as the favorites to win the Women’s World Cup in New Zealand in 2022, the English Women’s Rugby Team is expected to secure a large share of the tournament’s prize pool. These winnings will be commonplace for a team that has secured:
- 14 Six Nations titles (including 13 Grand Slams)
- Five European Championships
- Two World Cups (including five runner-up positions)
In conclusion, while not dismissing the positive steps taken by The Rugby Football Union to improve the financial well-being and professionalism of English female rugby, there is still a lot of work to be done to allow female rugby players to achieve the salaries and benefits of their male counterparts!
You might want to check: Why Are Rugby Players Paid So Little?
Image Credits
2010 England Women Rugby Team Steve, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Emily Scarrat, 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup Pierre-Yves Beaudouin / Wikimedia Commons
