KEN OWENS
The Wales great who has represented the Lions and Scarlets with distinction
IREMEMBER WHEN my sister Vicky played for Wales, my dad missed the first half of one of my games against Scotland because she was playing up at Cross Keys the same day. The women’s Six Nations used to be tacked onto the U20s ticket and everyone played the night before or the day after a men’s Six Nations game.
Massive strides have been taken just by the women’s Six Nations being in a separate window. It gives them much more exposure, being in a stand-alone competition. And you’ve seen that with Wales they can go from a couple of hundred people watching at smaller Welsh Premiership grounds to selling out Cardiff Arms Park.
There has been a huge transformation. Record crowds at Twickenham, with big numbers in France. Ireland have made strides and Scotland get good numbers at the Hive Stadium in Edinburgh.
A lot of things are clearly changing in women’s sport and the stand-alone Six Nations window is a big one. But the coverage of the women’s game also spikes, and the more visible it is, the more people talk about it and tune in.
This might sound controversial but I also think the women are really, really good in how they engage with the younger generation of supporters – better than the men’s game. They take them with them on their journey.
Women’s rugby is still in its infancy, in terms of professionalism, but maybe because so many of them have had to juggle real life with their rugby careers, coming from different fields of work towards pro rugby, they are probably better at connecting with their fanbase. They haven’t been over-exposed to the commercialism and the madness of a totally professional game yet.
I do think the men’s game can learn from that. I’ve written several times about the need for marketing the game, and many players can feel detached. The bigger the game gets, it’s likely the bigger the distance between the athletes and their fans. Look at football. The women’s game is managing to keep hold of their connection with fans. And it feels like that’s a consideration with the pathways that are being created for ju
