Ilona Maher: Bristol Bears star says rugby union needs a cultural shift to create stars and grow the game | Rugby Union News

Rugby union must change culture and mentality if it is to develop as a sport, says Ilona Maher.

With more than eight million followers across Instagram and TikTok, 28-year-old US international full-back Maher is the world's most followed rugby player on social media.

She rose to fame on social media by combining messages of body positivity and female empowerment with her sharp sense of humour, and also came runner-up on Dancing with the Stars – the American equivalent of Strictly Come Dancing.

Currently playing women's rugby in the English Premier League with the Bristol Bears on a three-month contract, Maher hopes to be part of the US squad for the World Cup in England later this year.

She has already made a big impact in the west of the country, helping to attract a club record crowd for a women's match when she made her debut against Gloucester-Hartpury at Ashton Gate.

Maher said during a press conference attended by local, national and American media: “It's great that we have all these records, but what we want is for them to keep coming back for the next match. One and done is not enough.” .

“I'm sprinkling a little bit here. But we need people to keep coming. I'm not alone.”

“There's something special happening not just in England, but around the world in women's sport and women's rugby. My message is if I'm the one who gets someone to try rugby, then great. I want more people to play and watch.”

“We're a very tough sport in a way. I'd like to see more personalities in the men's game.

“You can see that a little bit with a player like Joe Marler, but I can't think of many other players who have that. Hopefully they can show that more.

“There is a culture in rugby that we need to change. It's an amazing sport, but it's also an old sport where the same things have been happening for years.

“We keep talking about how to get young people into the game. These people are online. We have to change our mentality if we want the sport to grow.”

England are set to host the biggest Women's Rugby World Cup tournament during August and September, with the sold-out final at Allianz Stadium the target escalation.

The Games will be held in locations from the North East to the South West, and two-time Olympian Maher added: “More women need to use it to get there.

“I went to the Olympics (she was part of the US sevens team) and I know the people made of it — Simone Biles and Michael Phelps.

“I went to Paris knowing I had the chance to prove myself and I went with a plan to post a lot of videos. Can we go to the World Cup with a plan for the players to post more videos?

“I want to show that you can do both: play good rugby and post good videos. We all have a responsibility to benefit from this World Cup.

“Where I come from in America, NFL football players make millions of dollars when they sign their first contract. We always talked about getting sponsorship, without knowing how to do it.

“I realized there's a different way to do this. I'm not going to sign a million-dollar contract or a six-figure contract anywhere. We need to approach it a different way.”

“We have to do more. I've seen how useful social media is, and I think what's great about the women's game is that we feel comfortable showing our personalities.

“I think the men's game has a lot of great players, but they don't really show their character. We need to get more people watching our sport.”

Maher has already recognized trips to the Cotswolds, roast dinners, sausage rolls and flatbreads – Glastonbury, Cardiff and Scotland are also on her to-do list – and her influence has proven significant.

“Putting yourself out there is how you connect with people,” she said. “If we talk about we want more funding, we want more of this, and we have to put ourselves out there for it.

“If we want this to grow, that's on us. We have to do more, that's just the simple fact.”