The RFU Won’t Offer England’s Women Full-Time Contracts After World Cup

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

**** me talk about embrassing.

http://www.punditarena.com/rugby/smcmahon/rfu-england-women-contracts-world-cup/

The England Women's rugby team, the Red Roses, who are hoping to defend their World ***le in just a few weeks time when the Women's Rugby World Cup kicks off in Ireland have been informed by the RFU that their full and part-time professional contracts for the 15s programme will not be renewed come September according to a report in The Rugby Paper.

Currently, there are about 50 players who are on a mixture of full-time and part-time professional contracts with many of these players have given up careers and job opportunities to fully concentrate on the 15s game. However, come September, there will only be 17 contracts handed out to 50 of these players, and those contracts will be for the sevens programme, not the 15s game.

According to the report, the Union want to focus on the seven woman code ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the sevens World Cup taking place in San Francisco next year. A senior source told The Rugby Paper:

"This is appalling management from the RFU and it's really difficult for the girls…nobody will admit it, but it's certainly affecting morale.

"They've got houses and mortgages to pay and instead of being able to relax after the World Cup and maybe take a holiday like the men do, they're now going to be scrambling to find jobs in what is currently a pretty difficult jobs market."



Disgraceful IMO, the richest union in the world (I think) can't afford to have a full squad of full time contracts.

Shocking IMO.


Also the newly formed Woman's super league is struggling after the expected exodus of Lichfield players to Loughborough hasn't happened (according to The Rugby Paper), that's good as Lichfield got shafted by the RFU for no reason at all.


Embarrassment, i understand the woman's game doesn't bring in money (and in terms of standard it is miles behind the mens game still) but it should be the RFU job to try and expand it as much as possible and all this does is knock it back and offer people full time contracts and then take it away a couple years later.



#TigsMan4RFUPresident.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

RFU are comfortably the richest in the world, I thought. Like significantly so.
I can't believe they wouldn't make them fully pro, it's crazy.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Doubly dumb to have this decision at the same time as the English women's cricketers just sold out 26,000 seater at Lords for their victorious and tense one day World Cup final.

 

[pagliaccio_euforico]

Honestly they should strike... not sending a team to the women's World Cup would be an embarrassment for the RFU.

 

[McTallshort]

Yeah I agree its crap and the RFU should be funding a pro Ladies team but from what I understand the contract was only ever to the end of the World cup.

Still a shitty thing to do.

 

[Which Tyler]

It's shitty, and a real kck in the teeth for the ladies themselves.
However, if I understand these things correctly, they've been professional for 4 years, and they're the only fully professional ladies rugby team in the world. This is a non-renewal of a contract; not a ditching one.
Had others followed suit, or the payments involved paid for itself, then I'm sure the professional experiment would have continued. As is, it's an experiment that has failed.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

It's shitty, and a real kck in the teeth for the ladies themselves.
However, if I understand these things correctly, they've been professional for 4 years, and they're the only fully professional ladies rugby team in the world. This is a non-renewal of a contract; not a ditching one.
Had others followed suit, or the payments involved paid for itself, then I'm sure the professional experiment would have continued. As is, it's an experiment that has failed.

Actually since last year (July 2016) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-un...-full-time-contracts-to-england-womens-squad/

"In a move that is part of an investment of more than £1 million in the women's game, the RFU is to award 48 contracts, including 16 full-time deals for members of the 15-a-side squad following the Olympics in Rio.

An additional 16 players whose main focus is the seven-a-side game will be handed three-day-a-week contracts. A further 16 contracts will be awarded on a short-term basis to allow players to go into residential camps ahead of tournaments such as the Six Nations and the Women's Rugby World Cup."

 

[Which Tyler]

Fair enough, thought it was longer ago than that.
Still more professional than anyone else though.

 

[smartcooky]

I guess it will return them to a level playing field... benefits everyone else, but not England Women's Rugby

Players commit themselves, only to be left high and dry. Disgraceful really.

 

[Which Tyler]

Again, I fail to seen "disgraceful" as an apt word for not renewing a contract, considering the experiment a failure, or not being better than everyone else.
If this is disgraceful, then what the hell is every other union who didn't even give it a go?

Much like when everyone pled in on the RFU when the considered that the Churchill Cup experiment to have failed.
RFU acted disgracefully by removing fndim and competition for US and Canadian rugby, but no-one else was at fault for nevermpitting their money where their mouths were in the first place.

What's disgraceful? Investing and encouraging others to invest? Or sitting on your arse *****ing about those who try to do the right thing?

 

[Which Tyler]

Actually since last year (July 2016) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-un...-full-time-contracts-to-england-womens-squad/

"In a move that is part of an investment of more than £1 million in the women's game, the RFU is to award 48 contracts, including 16 full-time deals for members of the 15-a-side squad following the Olympics in Rio.

Apparently, I was part right at 4 years, as per the link in the Op which has now been ETAd http://www.punditarena.com/rugby/smcmahon/rfu-england-women-contracts-world-cup-women/
4 years ago the RFU offered full-time contracts for the 7s side, and had the only professional side at the Rio Olympics. Then they increased and concentrated on the XVs game, and will have the only professional side at the WRWC. In the next 2 year cycle we'll have a fully professional 7s side going up to the Tokyo Olympics - currently looking like being the only one.
The intention is clearly stated that XVs will then be fully professional again in the lead up to the WRWC 2021.

Utterly disgraceful to be and continue to be THE world-leader in the field of professional women's rugby!


IMO some of the hyperbolic criticism here and elsewhere is more suited to writing Daily Heil headlines than a fans' site that prides itself on informed comment.

Please not, I would still very much prefer that the experiment had been extended to include BOTH 7s and XVs rather than alternating between the 2; but I'm unlikely to stop railing against hyperbolic criticism.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Yep sends a great message that the richest union in the world by some distance can't afford to give long term pro contracts.

That will encourage others to invest................

I mean you're acting like england are the only union to give pro contracts to women.



RE prides itself on informed comment, oh please it's a fan site FFS.



Fact of the matter if this was always the case then why didn't the RFU mention it when they announced the deals?

 

[McTallshort]

Do any other Unions offer full time contracts to woman's 15s?

 

[Which Tyler]

Yep sends a great message that the richest union in the world by some distance can't afford to give long term pro contracts.

That will encourage others to invest................

I mean you're acting like england are the only union to give pro contracts to women.



RE prides itself on informed comment, oh please it's a fan site FFS.



Fact of the matter if this was always the case then why didn't the RFU mention it when they announced the deals?

1. I've never claimed that, in facts I've said things like "it's shitty" or "it's a kick in the teeth".
What does it say about the 2nd and 3rd richest unions in the world that the haven't even tried one single full-time (let alone long term) contract?

2. Well, it hasn't over the last 4 years, but is certainly more likely to than not doing so in the first place.

3. There's a very good reason that I'm acting that way (I'm respect to full-time contracts) - I actively claim it (whilst allowing myself wriggle room with phrases like "as far as I can tell" etc)

4. Yes, I said that it was a fan site - and one that prides itself on informed comment, as opposed to ignorant hyperbole.

5. I don't know, and I also don't know that they didn't. It's entirely possible let that it wasn't the intent 2 / 4 years ago, but they do clearly state that it is now the intent for the next 2 / 4 years.


I have to say Tigs, your post looks more like you being offended that I only slightly agree with you, than that you're interested in any actual facts or discussion about what's happening.

 

[Which Tyler]

Out of interest, does anyone know what the disparity between the female sports actually is?

From what I can gather, cricket turned professional in Feb 2014, and the England team earn £40k each [1]
Football earns £20k each from their clubs, plus a "top-up" if they play for England,[1] up to £50k; with this year's euro championship being the first fully professional ladies team out there [2]
As of Aug 2014 Rugby turned professional for the 7s game, and after Rio had "more than £1M" invested in 16 full-time, 16 part-time and 16 short-term contracts [3] if we take a hypothetical look at those contracts, then we'd need something along the lines of 16x£33k, 16x£22k and 16x£11k to get to £1.056M. this new reduction will leave us with 17 full-time and an unknown number of part-time and short-term contract; in addition to the £800k the RFU are putting the way of the new semi-predicted league [4], and contracts earned there

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/global/2015/may/31/paid-to-play-women-professional-sport-anna-kessel
[2] https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/jul/14/england-women-euro-2017-scotland-mark-sampson
[3] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-un...-full-time-contracts-to-england-womens-squad/
[4] http://www.punditarena.com/rugby/smcmahon/rfu-england-women-contracts-world-cup-women/

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

Whilst I think we should invest (as it's not exactly as much), the fact remains that womens sport has MUCH lower viewing figures than mens, people simply aren't interested. The exception for beach volleyball but that's it. Tennis is probably the sport with the closest between the 2 and even then the men are watched more. Like it or hate it, money talks and womens sport doesn't bring in money. I've found it quite strange though, I knew a girl who used to complain about sexism because nobody watched womens sports only to discover she would never watch womens sports herself even when it was as available as mens...

 

[KeyboardWorrier]

Why the hell would they? No one watches female sports. Like, literally, no one watches it.

 

[The Jones Boy]

The Red Roses are playing very well.
They got passed a dogged French team tonbight who looked pretty uzeful for 70 minutes of the game.
The English bench made a big impact when they came on and the French couldn't maintain the intensity.
I can't see the Kiwi sheila's beating the professional looking English outfit.
They'll give it a go though...

 

[ncurd]

It's a mighty shame that funding is being withdrawn after becoming at least finalists. I wouldn't expect them to get the big bucks from the RFU but we can afford to keep them professional surely?

 

[Mumbles119]

It's a mighty shame that funding is being withdrawn after becoming at least finalists. I wouldn't expect them to get the big bucks from the RFU but we can afford to keep them professional surely?

Looks like it is being reviewed again...
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www....ngland-womens-rugby-pay-gap-a3617456.html?amp

Essentially the article says ideas will be looked at such as match fees like the men's game in the more immediate term, and the long term plan is to provide full centralised contracts for both 15s and 7s. Plus, a little comment on security assurance for those players falling out of contracts now will be looked after.

With the new Women's premiership starting, will the RFU be putting money into those clubs? And will those clubs filter that money into club contracts for the players?