Ilona Maher: Rugby union needs culture shift to create stars and grow the game
The American has a social media following of over eight million people.
Ilona Maher says that rugby union has to shift culture and mindset if it is going to evolve as a sport.
With more than eight million followers across Instagram and TikTok, 28-year-old American international back Maher is the world’s most followed rugby player on social media.
She rose to fame on social media through combining messages of body positivity and female empowerment with her signature sharp sense of humour, and was also runner-up on Dancing with the Stars – the American equivalent of Strictly Come Dancing.
Currently playing Premiership Women’s Rugby with Bristol Bears on a three-month contract, Maher hopes to be part of the United States’ World Cup squad in England later this year.
And she has already made a considerable impact in the west country, helping to attract a club-record crowd for a women’s game when she made her debut against Gloucester-Hartpury at Ashton Gate.
“It is great having all these record numbers, but what we want is for them to keep coming back for the next game. One and done is not enough,” Maher said during a press conference that had a local, national and American media presence.
“I am sprinkling a little bit here. But we need people to keep coming. It is not just me alone.
“There is something special happening not just in England, but around the world in women’s sport and women’s rugby. My message is if I am what gets someone to experience rugby, then great. I want more people to play and watch.
“We are a very stoic sport in a way. I would love to see more personalities in the men’s game.
“You see it a little bit with a player like Joe Marler, but I can’t think of many others who have that. I wish they could show that more.
“There is a culture in rugby we need to shift. It’s an amazing sport, but also an old sport where the same things have been happening for years.
“We keep talking about how do we get young people into the game. Those people are online. We have to shift our mindset if the sport is going to evolve.”
England is set to stage the biggest women’s Rugby World Cup during August and September, with an 82,000 sold-out final at Allianz Stadium being the targeted crescendo.
Venues from the north-east to south-west will stage games, and two-time Olympian Maher added: “More women need to use it to get themselves out there.
“I went into the Olympics (she was part of the USA’s sevens squad) knowing people are made by it – Simone Biles, Michael Phelps.
“I went into Paris knowing I had the chance to make myself and went in with a plan to post loads of videos. Can we go into the World Cup with a plan for players to post more videos?
“Where I come from in America, NFL footballers are making millions of dollars when they sign their first deal. We always talked about getting sponsorship, without knowing how to do it.
“I realised there was a different way to do it. I am not going to sign a million dollar or a six-figure contract anywhere. We need to go about it in a different way.
“It has to be on us doing more. I saw how useful social media can be, and I think what sets the women’s game apart is we are comfortable showing our personalities.
“I think the men’s game has so many amazing players, but they aren’t really showing their personalities off it. We need to get more people in to watch our sport.”
Maher has already acquainted herself with trips to the Cotswolds, roast dinners, sausage rolls and flat whites – Glastonbury, Cardiff and Scotland are also on her to-do list – and her impact has proved considerable.
“Putting yourself out there is how you get connections with people,” she said. “If we talk about we want more funding, we want more more this, we have to put ourselves out there for that.
“If we want this to grow, it is on us. We have to do more, that is just the simple fact of it.”
