Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) is proud to announce that the opening weekend of the 2025/26 season will turn pink in support of leading research and support charity Breast Cancer Now, the league’s official charity partner.
Kicking off the weekend, and the 2025/26 season, will be Harlequins Women as they do battle with Loughborough Lightning on October 24th – only they won’t be doing so in the Quarters so familiar in West London.
When Ellie Kildunne and her Harlequins teammates step out under the lights at The Stoop on October 24th, they’ll be doing so in their brand-new pink away strip in support of Breast Cancer Now and its flagship fundraiser ‘wear it pink’.
Breast Cancer Now’s ‘wear it pink’ is one of the biggest fundraising events in the UK and has raised over £43 million for the charity since its launch in 2001. Taking place during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, thousands of amazing people wear it pink in their communities, schools or workplaces for the charity.
This year, ‘wear it pink’ is being held on October 24th, perfectly coinciding with the opening bow of the PWR season. The support for Breast Cancer Now’s flagship fundraising event doesn’t end there, though, as the entirety of the opening weekend of the season will turn pink in honour of this incredible charity.
All nine Premiership Women’s Rugby clubs will take part in wear it pink, with a range of activities and pink-themed initiatives taking place across the opening round of fixture, with more details to follow in the coming weeks!
Harlequins’ Sarah Bonnar said: “We’re incredibly proud to kick off the new Premiership Women’s Rugby season by standing together for such an important cause. Breast Cancer Now does life-changing work for people affected by breast cancer, and this weekend will showcase the unity, compassion and community spirit that define our league.”
Throughout the weekend, clubs across the competition will host fundraising initiatives, encourage fans to wear it pink, and shine a light on the importance of supporting the charity to help even more people affected by breast cancer through its lifesaving research and life-changing support.
Claire Rowney, chief executive at Breast Cancer Now said: “We’re so excited to see Premiership Women’s Rugby and all its clubs turning the opening weekend for the 2025/2026 season pink. It’ll will be incredible to have the Harlequins joining us as we ‘wear it pink’ on Friday 24th October, donning their new pink away strip, and all nine PWR clubs embracing this through their own, pink-themed initiatives across the opening round of fixtures!
“A woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every 9 minutes and a man every day. And if nothing is done to change this, by 2040, a woman will be diagnosed every 8 minutes. As such, our work is needed more now than ever. But we cannot do this alone, and we’re so grateful to PWR for their incredible support. Thank you to PWR and supporters for standing with Breast Cancer Now this season.
“We have a bold vision that by 2050 everyone diagnosed with breast cancer will live and live well. We’re calling on everyone to help us realise this vision by signing up now to wear it pink with us at wearitpink.org/signup.”
Fans are also encouraged to get involved by donning their pink, donating to Breast Cancer Now, and joining in the celebrations as Premiership Women’s Rugby returns for what promises to be its biggest and most inspiring season yet.
PWR Executive Chair Genevieve Shore said: “I think it’s incredibly powerful, seeing the whole of PWR come together like this in support of such an important cause. To be able to use the platform of our opening weekend to support Breast Cancer Now is exactly what this partnership is intended to accomplish.
“I hope all PWR fans can get behind Breast Cancer Now, and wear it pink, across our opening weekend and show that when the rugby community comes together, we can make a difference.”
The PWR season kicks off on Friday October 24th at The Stoop in Twickenham, as Harlequins face Loughborough Lightning – live on BBC iPlayer.
Other fixtures across the weekend include a rematch of the 2025 PWR Final, as reigning Champions Gloucester Hartpury look to pick up where they left off against the Original Club of North London, Saracens. That titanic clash will be live on TNT Sports.
Elsewhere, Trailfinders Women welcome Meg Jones to the Ealing fold for the first time as they host Exeter Chiefs and Leicester travel North to answer the age-old question: who wins, between a Shark and a Tiger.
With thanks to the PWR
