THEN AND NOW…
It’s important to look back and reflect on how far women’s rugby has come. Not so long ago, women were excluded from playing professional rugby, thankfully now unions across world rugby are announcing professional contracts for female players. In the early 2000s England had around 2000 female rugby players. Today, there are around 2.7 million female rugby players around the world. Incredible progress. What has changed at Gilbert?
2002: Going back 20 years ago, Gilbert supplied the kit to the England women’s team for their match against Wales. Let’s be honest, looking back we can sit here and cringe about the sizing and fit. Lots of excess material, poor sizing and really, not very helpful when playing elite rugby.
2022: Today, we can proudly say that we’ve certainly given our clothing a much needed makeover! Gilbert supplies the kit to the Barbarian FC Women’s team. Gone are the baggy shirts and in are the women’s specific kit built for performance and engineered for the great demand of the game we know and love.
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE GILBERT WORLD?
As for lots of people, 2022 is the year for change, especially in women’s rugby. This is going to be a momentous year for female rugby players across the world and Gilbert will be right in the thick of it, making a positive impact.
Not only will we be at the centre of every match of the Tik Tok Women’s Six Nations, but we have also been at the centre of every match of the Allianz Premier 15s this season as well.
We are also proudly working with AP 15s star, Flo Williams. Fly-half at Wasps and Wales, Flo is also the Founder of The Perception Agency, which brings awareness to how women’s sport is portrayed through marketing.
Gilbert will also be proudly at centre of the action at the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2021, The Commonwealth Games, and the RWC 7s!
Grab an official ball now! bit.ly/3IPyCPq
All in all, 2022 is looking to be an exciting year for women’s rugby and we can’t wait to be a part of it.
HEAD OF WOMEN’S SPORT
ICYMI: We were delighted to announce, our first Head of Women’s Sport. GB Olympian, Sarah Robertson. Sarah will be working with our teams to ensure that women’s rugby is getting the presence it very well deserves.
“After a short time in the role, it’s exciting to see some of the progress we are making. There is a great appetite to do more to support the growth of Women’s Sport and ensure we are producing world-class products for everyone. International Women’s Day provides a great opportunity for us to stop and reflect on our journey so far, and to look ahead and think big.”
- Sarah Robertson, Head of Women’s Sport
WIN A YEAR’S SPONSORSHIP WITH GILBERT RUGBY!
As part of the International Women's Day celebrations this year, we want you to share your passion for the game of rugby.
It’s simple, create and post a video, showing us what rugby means to you, and we'll pick 5 of our favourites to receive a full kit sponsorship for a whole year!
Here’s how to enter:
- Post a video to Instagram reels or TikTok (or both!)
- Tag Gilbert Rugby and hashtag #showusyourpassion
#IWD2022 #showusyourpassion #BreakTheBias
*Sponsorship open to Women's players in the UK & EU only.
**5 winners will be selected by a panel and will be awarded a years sponsorship which will include £500 worth of kit plus 50% discount off any additional equipment.
***Closing Date for entries is 22nd March 2022.
****Grays will review all competition entries from 22nd March and 5 winners will be contacted after 29th March 2022.
The full competition terms and conditions can be found here.
Lewis on
Happy international women’s day! (I may be a few days late!)