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- Allianz last sponsored English women’s rugby top flight
- PWR has seen attendance and TV viewership boosts after England’s World Cup win
- League considering whether to expand from 2027/28 season
Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) executive chair Genevieve Shore is “very disappointed” that the competition is still without a title sponsor this season.
The English club rugby top flight had Allianz as its title sponsor for three seasons, with the insurance giant replacing crisps brand Tyrells from 2020/21.
However, PWR has yet to find a replacement for Allianz since the 2023/24 campaign, when the league rebranded from Premier 15s.
In the interim, England won the women’s Rugby World Cup on home soil in front of 81,885 spectators at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham last September. The Red Roses’ Ellie Kildunne also emerged as a star during the tournament, even finishing runner-up at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
Earlier in 2025, the US’s Ilona Maher, who ranked third in SportsPro’s latest list of the world’s 50 Most Marketable Athletes (50MM), had a stint playing for the Bristol Bears, with her debut setting a new regular season attendance record for PWR.
England’s World Cup victory has given a boost for PWR, with increased attendances and TV viewership. According to the league, average attendance at games this season is 92 per cent higher than the previous campaign, while audiences on pay-TV broadcaster TNT Sports have increased 275 per cent compared to this stage in 2024/25. Additionally, BBC iPlayer viewership has almost doubled since last season.
With PWR returning this weekend following a winter break, Shore has said most of her time is being spent finding a new title sponsor and she “will be more than disappointed if we go into the fourth season without a title partner”.
PWR’s situation stands in stark contrast to that of women’s domestic soccer and cricket in England. The Women’s Super League (WSL) has had Barclays as its title sponsor since 2019, with the bank extending its deal in 2024 for a reported UK£45 million (US$62 million). In cricket, Vitality and Metro Bank serve as title sponsors for the women’s T20 Blast and One-Day Cup, with their deals shared alongside the men’s competitions.
Shore, who won the Rugby World Cup as a player in 1994, believes PWR has to create events that brands “want to participate in”.
“You want them to be full crowds, full stadia, and so we have to create an atmosphere at our clubs that allows us to have bigger audiences, bigger attendances that look more consistent,” she said.
“It feels a bit chicken and egg, because we need more investment in order to spend more money generating those new habits and building those fanbases.”
Ahead of PWR’s 2025/26 campaign, Shore had told SportsPro that while it was “great to be in this growth phase”, she emphasised the importance of building “unshakeable foundations” at the league for when momentum levels out. She also cited the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a source of inspiration.
“If we limit ourselves to 20,000-seater stadiums, English TV channels, English audiences, then we might well run into similar problems that other sports and clubs have had,” Shore said. “I think women’s sports has to really challenge itself, to think bigger.
“I look at the WNBA, that’s my guiding light. I don’t really look at rugby clubs, English rugby or even French rugby. I want to be the WNBA in this country, a global property.”
Now, Shore has mentioned that the nine-team PWR is considering expansion for the 2027/28 campaign. Talks have taken place with Newcastle, whose men’s team was acquired by energy drink giant Red Bull last year. Shore also added that men’s Prem Rugby champions Bath are a “viable option”.
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