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Women’s Rugby Fans’ Experience Deserves to be as Good as it is for Men’s Rugby Fans

I went to two Exeter Chiefs matches and you won’t believe the difference two weeks makes...

Under a swollen shroud of mid-November clouds, the intensity of the atmosphere at Sandy Park, home of the Exeter Chiefs, was palpable. I stepped off the bus filled with Exeter Chiefs supporters: a bus destined only for the stadium. My fellow attendees were identifiable by their passionate conversations about the game ahead and, of course, their Chiefs garb. Joining the queue for entry, the sound of an excited crowd forming beyond the barriers travels along wafts of coffee and hot food. In the stadium, the stalls and seating are filling quickly. The rain now bursting from the clouds isn’t marring anyone’s experience; tension for the match is building underneath a sea of rain jackets and umbrellas. It’s a great turn out.

The game starts slowly, but the Chiefs tentatively secure their points on the scoreboard. The cheering from the crowd ricochets around Sandy Park - the stadium has recently been named as a host venue for the Women’s World Cup 2025. The stands are full. A rainbow erupts across the sky as the floodlights highlight the players on pitch and an enthusiastic crowd, both in alignment for the win. What an experience!

After the match, the facilities stay open for a while. Players greet fans from the sidelines and take pictures from behind the barriers of the pitch. Staff allow fans to stay. There’s no rush. Everyone seems to be soaking in the Chiefs win, bathing in the triumph for the home team. The fans’ team.

It's now late-November, and the clouds look the same as before. Exeter is consistent in its Autumnal weather. There weren’t any dedicated buses this game day, though. I had to make my way to Sandy Park via taxi to make the game on time. Finding the tickets on my phone on the website had been difficult this week, too; the user journey through the website took me through multiple pages before I could even select my tickets. Alas, it’s game day and I’m excited for another epic match.

When I arrive at the stadium, though, there are no crowds being held at security for bag-checking…no queues at all. The drizzle now descending from the dank clouds falls on comparatively silent ground. I check my ticket to make sure I have the date correct just as a security officer beckons me through the barriers. They check my seated ticket and advise that, despite my ticket, they’d only opened the standing area today. Disappointed, I found my way to the East Terrace and positioned myself at the centre line. The players were already warming up but it meant just enough time to get some refreshments from a limited choice of open facilities; it wasn’t like this last match. I still wondered why only the East Terrace was open.

As the game kicked off, the stadium remained mostly empty. The wind whistled through empty seats. Alas, the cheering from the crowd reverberated through those of us in the stand. The game was exhilarating. Again, a slow start which ultimately led to a strong finish with a good win against the opposition. The Chiefs have done it again! The crowd cheers in elation.

After the game, the players again make their way to the sidelines where they talk to dedicated fans and take pictures with friends and family. The players seem ecstatic, proud of their performance and another win in the bag. Their energy maintains a buzz amongst the crowd; what an – …

Security begin to abruptly usher the crowd to leave and the players to leave. It hasn’t been too long but I’m informed that the stadium is closing. The whistle is still warm with the breath of the referee. What’s going on? As the players slowly ebb toward the opposite side of the pitch, the crowd, and the excitement, dissipates quickly. That’s it. It’s done.

You might be reading this wondering why the fan experience was so different for two matches two weeks apart.

Well, if you haven’t already figured it out…In mid-November, I attended an Exeter Chiefs match. In late-November, I attended an Exeter Chiefs Women’s match. And it’s a stark reminder of the disparity between Men’s and Women’s Rugby.

In a landscape where a gender pay gap report by the RFU (from 2022 and published in 2023) which describes their gender pay gap as being “…primarily due to higher representation of women in lower-level roles and lower representation in the senior roles including, for example, performance coaching”, the stark disparity between Men’s and Women’s Rugby is clear. And it begs the question of how? How can Women’s Rugby gain momentum without a platform as illustrious as Men’s Rugby is afforded? How can Women’s Rugby grow its fan attendance to matches when excited Women’s Rugby fans are an afterthought? How can clubs comfortably tell their Women’s Teams that they value their commitment, dedication and sacrificed to play the sport they live and breathe for? If, as the RFU have identified, the “higher proportion of men in Executive and Leadership teams” don’t advocate for Women’s Rugby, will the potential of the women’s game ever be realised?

If at this point, you’re musing the common rhetoric of women’s rugby not being to the standard of men’s rugby, ask yourself if that’s truly the case or if you’ve had a less than optimal fan experience.

Women’s Rugby Players deserve more. And fan experience is just one of many places to start (Preferably, before Sandy Park hosts the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2025).

Written by Caroline Sharman

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