Tamara Taylor: The media has a massive role to play for women’s rugby
World Cup winning second row and England stalwart Tamara Taylor says that the media is changing the face of women’s rugby but more can be done to grow the sport.
Taylor won the World Cup in 2014 and since then she has seen the youngsters that she coaches take an increasing interest in the sport.
Like so many of her teammates Taylor has to combine playing for England with holding down a fulltime job, fortunately she is employed by the RFU in Newcastle as a community rugby coach.
Speaking after England’s 8-3 victory over Ireland at the Twickenham Stoop last weekend the 34-year-old said she has seen a massive increase in interest at grassroots level in the sport.
“I’m quite lucky because I get to see it first hand, boys and girls have noticed that there is women’s rugby on the TV and that it’s not a game just for boys.
“So I do think that it (the World Cup success) had an effect on the boys game but massively on the girls game, people think that its normal now, it’s not a strange sport to be playing,†said Taylor.
The lock made her debut for England back in 2005 and has noticed that thanks to the media coverage surrounding the Women’s World Cup in 2014 their efforts are being recognised.
“I used to go into schools and people wouldn’t even know that there was an England women’s rugby team.
“Now since the World Cup and since all the publicity that we have had people do know that I play for England and that we did quite well last year.
I wouldn’t say that I have to struggle to get into ASDA, people don’t mob me but people in the game know who we are which is amazing.”“I wouldn’t say that I have to struggle to get into ASDA, people don’t mob me but people in the game know who we are which is amazing,†said Taylor.
Speaking on the future of the sport, the 88 cap England international is adamant that although things have changed there is still a long way to go for the sport and there is one outlet that can help its growth.
“I think the media in general, because we have been playing, we have been playing on the pitches, we have been playing the games, we have been winning them, we have been losing them, and it’s only when we get some kind of media attention that people know about it.
“The guys that come to these kind of games that support us and family and friends they are always here but we need to get it out into the community.
“So TV, radio, newspapers, love them or hate them the media play a massive part in that,†said Taylor.
