World Rugby chief executive Alan Gilpin insisted talk of a breakaway franchise competition was not a distraction, saying any talk of investment was “fantastic”.
There have been reports of a LIV Golf-style split in rugby union with private equity and sovereign wealth backers, to varying degrees.
Details of the purported competition, which some states say would completely change the sport of rugby union, are scant, but are believed to include both men’s and women’s competitions.
Speaking as London will host 80,000 fans for the Women’s Rugby World Cup final – beating the current record of almost 40,000 – Gilpin insisted talk of a rival competition will not derail preparations for RWC2025.
“I don’t think we view it as a distraction,” he said. “We always talk about breakaways, we always talk about different competitions, and in fact, we often talk to a certain point about investment. [and] the innovation in the game is fantastic.
“We want to commit to that. We want to approach this in a way that ensures these opportunities are sustainable. Women’s football is a very young professional sport.
“There is no doubt that there is so much excitement about this tournament that I don’t think anything will distract teams and players from this opportunity, and if it creates more conversations about the The upcoming investment in women’s football is fantastic, but let’s make sure that this is part of a responsible, sustainable global calendar for women’s football that offers players and fans the best opportunities.
World Rugby is set to announce a number of sponsors for the Women’s Rugby World Cup this month, with Gilpin insisting some agreed brands “would not traditionally have a presence in men’s rugby”.
But several global women’s tournaments have had problems in the past with the type of sponsor involved in their event. The Australian and New Zealand football unions wrote to Fifa ahead of the 2023 Women’s World Cup about their plans to strike a sponsorship deal with Visit Saudi, and other examples exist in sport.
But the Women’s Rugby World Cup will not have sponsors from the Middle East because, according to Gilpin, World Rugby has not “seized” these opportunities.
“We don’t [have Middle Eastern sponsors] for this tournament and it’s not because it’s something that’s not possible for us, but it’s not something that we pursued,” Gilpin added.
“In the new year we will be announcing quite a significant number of new partners for the 2025 Women’s World Cup and, very importantly, some brands that might not traditionally have a presence in men’s rugby or in the Men’s Rugby World Cups.”