As the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup wrapped up recently, it feels like the perfect time to look back at the history of the sport and see how much it has progressed over the years.
Women’s rugby was first recorded as a sport in 1887, with the first match taking place in Ireland between two schools: Portora Royal and Enniskillen Grammar. The match holds even greater significance as it features the first documented female participant - a 10-year-old girl named Emily Valentine - who remains the only woman from the 19th century known to have played the sport.
The Early Years (1910s)
In 1917, during WWI, women’s rugby games were played in France between female factory workers, but the sport didn’t gain traction until long-after the war. Women players wore whatever they could find - typically oversized men’s jerseys, mismatched shorts, and old boots. There were no tailored options, and kits were often second-hand or borrowed from men’s teams due to the lack of resources and funding available to the women’s game at the time.
Progress In institutions (1960s)
In 1962, the first ever official University club team, the ‘Amazons’ was established at the University of Edinburgh. This became a turning point for women’s rugby, as it brought much-needed structure and direction, helping the sport grow and be taken more seriously.
In the following decades, the sport continued to grow with the formation of many more clubs and teams around the world. However, issues with women’s attire persisted. Even in the 1970s and 1980s, when kits started to take on a more uniform shape alongside the rise of women’s clubs and university teams, they were still far from ideal. Most were made from thick, heavy cotton, designed to fit men’s bodies.
The attire, usually long-sleeved, baggy, and prone to becoming a soggy mess in the rain, often had to be tailored. Female players got creative, sewing, trimming, and tweaking their own kits just to make them fit reasonably well.
As local and University teams grew, national rugby also began to expand. A first major milestone came in 1969 with the formation of the Association Française de Rugby Féminin (AFRF), or the French Association of Women's Rugby. Following its establishment, more nations began organising female players into smaller international competitions such as the European Cup and the Home Nations Championship. However, a truly global women’s rugby union competition would not appear until 1991.
National Powerhouses (1990s)
The year 1991 marked one of the most historic milestones for the women’s game: the first ever Women’s Rugby World Cup, hosted in Wales. The tournament featured 12 nations, with the United States winning the title by defeating England 19–6 in the final at Cardiff Arms Park in front of almost 3,000 fans.
Despite the tournament’s success, the International Rugby Board refused to recognise the event. None of the 600 sponsors approached agreed to support it, and many national unions also declined to fund their women’s teams, forcing players to pay their own way.
The lack of sponsorship once again created clothing challenges, as no official kits were provided for participants. Teams played in basic, solid-coloured kits that best reflected their nation’s identity. It’s documented that many teams likely wore men’s kits from brands like Canterbury and Umbro, which at the time featured oversized sweatshirts with collared necklines, paired with traditional shorts and socks – worn long or short depending on player preference.
Mainstream Coverage (2000s-2010s)
Despite the obstacles, the 1991 World Cup helped set the stage for women’s rugby to gain the recognition it deserved. The tournament demonstrated the depth of talent and passion for the game worldwide. With its growing popularity, the event was officially recognised by the IRB in 1998, around the time of the tournament in the Netherlands.
As women’s rugby continued to grow throughout the 2000s and 2010s, the players and organisers from that first tournament finally began to receive the long-overdue credit for paving the way.
The newfound popularity of the women’s game ushered in an era of commercialisation: sponsorships, kit deals, and media coverage all became increasingly popular. The sport truly went mainstream in mid 2010s, following the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup in France that marked a major shift in the perception of the game. The event drew large crowds and solid TV audiences, culminating in a memorable final between England and Canada.
This boost in visibility caught the attention of brands and rugby unions, which had initially been cautious about investing. That changed quickly, as that same year England became the first country to offer professional contracts to some of its women’s players.
Modern Struggles (2000s-2010s)
Even during the rise of the sport, it was still common practice for the women’s teams to wear hand-me-downs or modified versions of men's kits, which often lacked proper fit and functionality. However, as the recognition for the sport grew, kit manufacturers began designing apparel specifically for female players, greatly improving its comfort, fit, and performance.
Big brands like Canterbury, Adidas, and Nike moved away from one-size-fits-all approaches and began producing kits tailored to women’s bodies.
With increasing exposure came more sponsorship opportunities. Team kits started featuring corporate logos more prominently as brands recognised the marketing value of being associated with women’s rugby. Teams began placing greater emphasis on their visual identity, with bolder colours, crests, and other refined stylistic elements that better reflected team’s professionalism. Growing fan bases also drove demand for replica women’s kits, generating new revenue streams for teams.
A New Age (2020s)
The journey of women’s rugby kits-from basic, often second-hand gear to fully tailored designs- comes full circle at the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup. It’s no longer just about what the players wear on the pitch; these kits now symbolise culture, identity, and the incredible progress of the women’s game.
For this tournament, teams are embracing unique designs that showcase who they are. Take the USA’s new home jersey, for example: designed by Castore, it features a bold navy base with striking red patterns and a flag on the sleeve-a strong, modern take on national pride.
And it's not just the kits. Even the official tournament ball, created by Gilbert, captures the energy and excitement of the event with a vibrant, fresh design.
What’s most exciting is how all of this pays tribute to the pioneers of the women’s game. The focus on fit, representation, and creativity in the kits is a nod to those who pushed for change when few were watching. Now, these designs are part of a global stage that finally reflects the passion and professionalism of the sport.
With the 2025 World Cup wrapping up in September, fans didn’t just get to witness top-level rugby - they also saw the story of the women’s game proudly worn on every jersey.
