The victorious England Women’s Rugby team, the Red Roses, step off the international stage for nationwide grassroots rugby celebration.
Fresh from their Women’s Rugby World Cup final win, the Red Roses will be stepping off the international stage and into grassroots clubs across England as part of RugbyFest 3–6 October 2025, a nationwide celebration of rugby designed to inspire the next generation.
Over the course of the weekend, hundreds of rugby clubs will open their doors, hosting taster sessions, family fun days, and mini festivals. With the squad visiting clubs up and down the country to meet young players and share their own stories, the events promise to bring the magic of the World Cup back to communities across the country.RugbyFest will be a celebration of rugby in England after the conclusion of the record breaking Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 and a home-turf victory. The weekend is designed to encourage new players, supporters and volunteers to get involved in the sport. Central to this effort is FindRugby.com, where young fans, parents and future players can find out about local opportunities to get involved with the sport.
Steve Grainger, Executive Director of Rugby Development at England Rugby said: “2025 has been a huge year for women’s rugby in England, with record-breaking attendances and a tremendous uplift in women and girls’ participation, and we want to continue to build on the momentum of the Red Roses winning the Women’s Rugby World Cup.
“RugbyFest is a fantastic opportunity for communities to come together to celebrate rugby all over the country, and for our Red Roses to give back to the fans and communities who have got behind them and supported them over the years.
“This celebration weekend also taps into our Rugby World Cup ‘For The Girls’ campaign and speaks to the Red Roses ability to inspire a new generation of players into rugby, something that the team are all so passionate about doing.”
RugbyFest is part of the RFU’s World Cup legacy programme, Impact ’25, and supported by the National Lottery. The Impact ’25 programme sees over £14.55m of Government funding committed to the sport in England and the home unions up to the end of March 2026, creating more opportunities for women and girls to get involved in rugby. Impact ’25 is being delivered by the RFU in partnership with UK Government, Sport England and UK Sport. In addition to their support of RugbyFest, The National Lottery is providing £11m of funding to support the RFU to grow women and girls rugby through to 2027.
Andria Vidler, Chief Executive of Allwyn operator of The National Lottery, said: “Through playing The National Lottery the public have been backing women’s rugby and the Red Roses for over 20 years – made possible by the £6b they have raised for grassroots sport. Therefore, we are delighted to also be able to support RugbyFest and create another opportunity for people across the country to discover a love for rugby.”
The team’s recent success has inspired a new generation at grassroots level, with young girls across the country donning red cowboy hats and picking up a rugby ball, following in the footsteps of their heroes, and now, they have the chance to meet them. As role models and World Champions, their presence at local clubs provides young girls with the chance to learn from their heroes, and kickstart their own journeys in rugby.
With hundreds of events already registered, it is set to be one of the biggest grassroots activations in the sport’s history. Young people looking to get involved can visit FindRugby.com to discover RugbyFest events near them, and potentially take the first step towards pulling on an England shirt.
With thanks to England Rugby
