Ilona Maher says rugby union needs to change its culture and mindset if it is to grow as a sport.
With more than eight million followers on Instagram and TikTok, 28-year-old United States international defender Maher is the world’s most followed rugby player on social media.
She rose to fame on social media by combining messages of body positivity and female empowerment with a sharp sense of humour, and was also the runner-up on Dancing with the Stars, America’s equivalent of Strictly Come Dancing.
Maher, who currently plays with the Bristol Bears in Premiership Women’s Rugby on a three-month contract, hopes to make the U.S. squad for the World Cup in England later this year.
And she has already made a significant impact in the West Country, helping to attract a club-record crowd to a women’s game when she made her debut against Gloucester-Hartpury at Ashton Gate.
“It’s great to have all these record numbers, but what we want is for them to keep coming back for the next game. One and done isn’t enough,” Maher said at a press conference with local, national and American media presence had.
“I’m a little sprinkler here, but we need people to keep coming, not just me.
A record crowd for a women’s game turned out at Ash Gate to watch Maher make her debut against Gloucester-Hartpury.
“There’s something special happening not just in England but across the world in women’s sport and rugby. My message is that if I am what makes someone have a rugby experience, great. I want more people to play and watch.
“We’re a very stoic sport in a way, I’d like to see more personalities in the men’s game.
“You see that a little bit with a player like Joe Marler, but I can’t think of many others who have that. I wish they’d show it more.
“There’s a culture in rugby that we need to change. It’s an amazing sport, but it’s also an old sport where the same things happen over the years.
“We keep talking about how we get young people into the game. Those people are online. We have to change the way we think if the sport is going to grow.”
Maher with dance partner Alan Bursten on Dancing with the Stars
England will host the biggest Women’s Rugby World Cup in August and September, culminating in an 82,000 sell-out final at the Allianz Stadium.
Venues from northeast to southwest will stage games, and two-time Olympian Maher added: “More women should use it to get out there.
“I went into the Olympics (he was on the US heptathlon team) knowing that people are made of it, Simone Biles, Michael Phelps.
“I went to Paris knowing that I had an opportunity to create myself and came in with a plan to post a lot of videos. Can we go to the World Cup with a plan to post more videos for the players?
“I want to show that you can do both, play good rugby and post good videos. We all have to benefit from this World Cup.
Maher wins Olympic rugby sevens bronze with USA at Paris 2024
“Where I’m from in America, NFL players make millions of dollars when they sign their first deal. We’ve always talked about getting sponsorships without knowing how to do it.
“I realized that there is another way to do it. I’m not going to sign a million dollar or six figure deal anywhere, we have to go at it another way.
“We need to do more. I’ve seen how useful social media can be and I think what sets the women’s game apart is that we’re comfortable showing our personalities.
“I think the men’s game has a lot of amazing players, but they don’t really show their individuality. We need to get more people to watch our sport.”
Maher is already familiar with trips to the Cotswolds, roast dinners, sausage rolls and flat whites; Glastonbury, Cardiff and Scotland are also on his to-do list and his impact has been considerable.
“Putting yourself out there is how you connect with people,” he said. for
“If we want this to grow, it’s on us. We have to do more, that’s the simple fact.”
