“Can we get more women in, buying our jerseys? Women have power. Women have influence.” That is what Ilona Maher said after the Bristol Bear debut, and she was just getting started! The Olympic bronze medalist with Team USA rugby has become a prominent voice in the sport and hasn’t shied away from observations about women’s rugby. From her social media following of more than eight million to her recent stint with Bristol Bears in England’s Premiership Women’s Rugby, Maher has used her platform consistently, and now she has her fresh insights on the state of Women’s Rugby! Why is rugby’s most-followed star insisting that there is work to be done?

Ilona Maher’s three-month stint with Bristol Bears felt like a game-changer. She wasn’t just another signing. A social media star with such a massive following,  an Olympian, was a perfect player who could bring eyeballs to women’s rugby like never before. And she did. Her debut? Electric. Almost 10,000 fans packed Ashton Gate to see her in action. Then came that moment against Exeter Chiefs, Maher charging down the wing, smashing through defenders, and crashing over the line. The clip? Over 1.5 million views. The buzz? Real. It felt like a turning point! But was it?

But Maher, never one to sugarcoat things, saw the cracks beneath the hype. “There’s still so much work that needs to be done,” she said to The Telegraph. “Even in a country like England, where rugby is huge, the PWR [Premiership Women’s Rugby] is still semi-professional. We’re training at 8:30 p.m. because our girls have full-time jobs.” That’s the reality. The PWR—Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby is the top women’s league in England, but it’s not fully professional. Unlike the men’s Gallagher Premiership, where players earn full-time salaries, many women juggle rugby with day jobs. That’s why training takes place late at night because some players are working 9-to-5.

Maher saw it up close. Bristol Bears worked hard to bring her in, with the Rugby Football Union (RFU) even backing her visa. But the bigger issues? They’re still there. The league rebranded as Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) in 2023, taking over from Premier 15s, and has grown over the years, but only a handful of women can afford to make rugby their full-time career. Attendance helps. Maher helped break records.

But women’s rugby needs fans, more investment, and more full-time athletes. “We still need to get people in the seats and buying tickets. It was so great to set attendance records for all of these places but there’s still so much more that needs to be done. We need these girls – they’re so funny with such amazing personalities – to take that step out there,” she said.

Maher has seen the challenges, but she’s not just pointing them out, as she’s got ideas, too!

Ilona Maher calls for spotlight on more players to grow rugby

Ilona Maher knows she’s a star. She’s got the viral moments, the social media following, and the big-name recognition. But for rugby to truly grow? It can’t just be about her. “Right now, it seems like just Ilona Maher, we need to get her in this…that’s where I would love to bring my teammates up,” she said in January 2025.

Maher’s rise in popularity has been driven by her presence on and off the field. She became a social media sensation during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, using TikTok to bring a fresh, behind-the-scenes look at rugby to a wider audience, and she became an even bigger star after she helped the US Women’s Rugby team win their first Olympic Games medal last year. Her fun, engaging content attracted new fans who may not have otherwise followed the sport.

But she’s clear: one player’s star power isn’t enough to sustain long-term growth. “I’ve seen the power in it. I’ve seen how people connect with an athlete first and then get into the sport,” she explains. “Look at [WNBA star] Caitlin Clark—people connect with her, and suddenly, they’re watching the WNBA. That brings more fans in.”

Clark’s impact on women’s basketball is undeniable. Her presence in the NCAA led to a surge in TV ratings, ticket sales, and sponsorship deals for women’s sports. The same principle, Maher argues, applies to rugby. “So if we could have more people connect with Holly Aitchison, Jaz Joyce, Evie Gallagher, that brings them in,” she says. “That is my goal. I love being a superstar, people call me the superstar of rugby but that’s not enough for the sport. We can’t just have one superstar.”