Much of the early history of modern contact team sport was colonised by men. It was about expressing and defending traditional masculinity. Women in England, for example, were banned from playing association football by the FA for 50 years. England women played their first rugby union international match only in 1987 – 116 years after the men. But things are changing.
You might have noticed that the summer and autumn of 2025 was a major period for the success and popularity of women’s sport in Britain. First, in May, Arsenal’s women club footballers won the UEFA European Champions League. Then, in July, England’s women retained the European Championship football title, drawing record TV audiences along the way. Following that, in September, the England women’s rugby union team saw off all-comers to become World Champions in front of a record crowd for a women’s match of over 80,000 at Twickenham. The England full-back, Ellie Kildunne, was crowned world player of the year and she became something of an international celebrity. More than 300,000 spectators in total (another record) watched the whole event staged in England.
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