Rugby / News
Bristol Ladies join Women’s Super Rugby
Bristol Ladies Rugby have been offered a place in a new domestic competition from September 2017.
Women’s Super Rugby will see 10 teams from across England compete, with the league receiving a multi-million budget from the Rugby Football Union (RFU) as part of a project to raise the standards and profile of women’s rugby in the UK.
Bristol Ladies CEO Heidi Chapman-Mercer said: “This is an exceptionally exciting time for Bristol Ladies and women’s elite rugby.
“It is a true testament to Bristol Ladies Rugby that the RFU believe we deserve a place at the forefront of women’s rugby and have the infrastructure to support the development of international players from the South West.”
RFU head of women’s performance, Nicky Ponsford, added: “We are really excited about the innovative opportunity that Women’s Super Rugby gives us to reach new participants and attract new fans to the game, and we are determined to make the most of this opportunity.”
Bristol Ladies currently top the table in the eight-team RFU Women’s Premiership. The amateur club train and play their home fixtures at Cleve RFC.
Bristol Ladies aren’t the only Bristol women’s team to scale the heights of their sport; in football, Bristol City WFC will begin their Women’s Super League Spring Series campaign at Ashton Gate on April 22.
Photos courtesy of www.bristolrugby.co.uk/team/bristol-ladies/
Read more: Bristol City WFC to start Super League season at Ashton Gate