Ali Donnelly
@AliDonnelly
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CEO @morethan_equal 🏁 Founder @scrumqueens 🏉 Ex @sport_england @10downingstreet @hmtreasury Author of Scrum Queens -The Story of Women's Rugby 📖 🇮🇪
London, England
Joined January 2009
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Pinned Tweet
A year ago I left Sport England to join a startup with an ambitious goal — to support female drivers and help them realise a dream of competing at the very top end of motorsport (F1). Something on what I've learned about this fascinating sport so far
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The story of why Twitter can sometimes still be good, why the rugby community is genuinely great and why Keith Wood is still a legend- in four pictures. 🙌
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The people telling women to “give it a rest” for pointing out that this is factually wrong and they’re only the first men’s team to do it, should imagine just for a second what they’d say if Nike made the same error the other way around.
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Wayne Barnes has earned several bottles of Claret tonight. Truly a horrible horrible game to have to ref and he’s been very very very good 👏
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The UK’s political lobby is insanely male dominated & women face huge obstacles to break in & stay there. So whatever your ‘leanings’ massive respect & kudos to
@PippaCrerar
for being at the fore of so many huge stories this year. Happens to be a top quality person to boot. 👍
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Breaking from rugby tweets to offer a timely reminder that criminalising abortion does not stop abortions, it just makes it more dangerous for women.
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Me before becoming a parent: My child will appreciate the value of things & I won't give in to ridiculous demands. Not in my house.
Me as an actual parent: Darling which one of these 6 toothpastes could I interest you in today....pleeeeease?
🤦♀️
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A reminder that much of being a woman in sport is spending large volumes of your time fighting problems you didn’t create and battling mediocre people who don’t deserve to have power.
Spain football federation accuses player Jenni Hermoso of lying about kiss from its president Luis Rubiales and says it is taking legal action
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Fair play. This guy has nailed one of the biggest problems in rugby. Not enough opportunities for men. 🤪
Thoughts 👇
MENS RUGBY : There is always opportunities for Women to be involved with Presenting, Pundits,Referee etc, I'm all for inclusivity 👍👏
WOMENS RUGBY : I'm not seeing the opportunities for aspiring young men in the same areas as above?
Has to work both ways surely ?
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Sevu Reece, pictured here, has in the past plead guilty on a domestic violence charge against his female partner.
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👉🏻 10,545 fans for England v Italy
👉🏻 6,047 fans for Ireland v France.
Two record-breaking crowds today in the
@Womens6Nations
& both games live on TV.
As I’ve been saying, women’s game only going in one direction ☝🏻
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God bless the taxi driver who asked me if I knew anything about women’s rugby as he heard there was a final this weekend. I kept us busyyyyyy all the way to the airport. Top man.
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Thrilled (but mostly relieved) to finally say my book , charting the history of women’s rugby, is now available on pre-sale. Out July 25th. 😀
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Some career news: I've absolutely loved my time
@Sport_England
(& am here till March!) but am hugely excited to have an opportunity to lead a new organisation solely dedicated to helping women reach their full potential on the path to Formula 1 .. /1
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More Bretts than women.
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Well done to everyone at Gloucester and England for making this happen 👏
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A large part of my move to London in ‘08 was truly bc I didn’t think I could be gay and live happily in Ireland -not for some time anyway. I did not foresee the pace of change
62% - For Marriage equality - 2015
68% - For Repeal the 8th - 2018
Truly a new Ireland. 🇮🇪🙌🏻☘️🤗
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I’ve watched this ten times.
‘L'opportunité est fucking énorme’ is going to become my go to motivation line 🤪 I’ve even got the Cork accent down.
Definitely worth a watch, Ronan O’Gara giving the most Irish team talk while actually speaking French.
#rugby
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My
#Pride2022
month post is a super simple one to say how I never take for granted that I’m married to an awesome woman, raising 2 great girls, freely and easily when so many cannot. The teenage me would *never* have imagined it possible & that’s why celebrating Pride matters 🙌
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In response to various women's rugby tweets yesterday, my mentions are full of men telling me how the commercial world of sport works & ironically mostly getting it wrong. As an aside, the England game attracted a bigger crowd than most men's Prem games over the weekend.
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If you’ve never watched the women’s haka (it’s different) this is a gem of a version in tribute to two great retiring players 🙌🏻
#respect
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Mortifyingly ignorant narrative on BT Sport today re Billy Vunipola, portrayed as some sort of victim. Get a clue. ‘Most difficult week of his life’ my backside, as his post match interview reminded everyone. Embarrassing.
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Last women's rugby tweet of the weekend (I promise) but England are showing what's possible with consistent investment, however modest. Two crowds of almost 10k, games on the BBC & absolutely world class players hammering into NZ. There's no magic formula.
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I've watched more women's rugby than is healthy for anyone but not sure I've seen two better games. Brilliant.
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If you didn't know it already - the Women's Rugby World Cup starts THIS WEEK at precisely ridiculous o'clock in the early hours of Sat. Sorry in advance that this feed will be *more* rugby than usual over the next 6 weeks but there's also
@ScrumQueens
if you want *even* more 😀
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Being the Head of Comms for Wasps when the club almost went bankrupt, was sold and almost got relegated should have been a terrible experience. It wasn't, because I got to work closely with Dai - a brilliant human being who the club owe an awful lot to.
I spent a 26 hour flight to OZ next to Dai Young on 1989
@lionsofficial
tour. He was great company then and still is one of the nicest guys out there. Dai took over coaching the mid-week 2001 Lions while playing prop after they were cut adrift from rest of squad. Big man
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One day this will be the norm I'm sure but I just passed a guy going to the game in Twickenham and he was wearing a 'Scarratt 13' shirt. Love to see it.
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I’ve finally just left Wembley (I regret nothing) & feel like it’s super important to thank everyone who has grafted forever in women’s football - because today was your day, but your work made it everyone’s day, and my goodness it was stupendous. Thank you ✊
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Thousands of words will be written this week about how and where England lost that but for now all you can say is HUGE credit to New Zealand - they stayed so so true to themselves. Amazing final, amazing occasion. Bravo.
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“In her WRU leaving speech, Ms Blanc, on the ‘21 Forbes most influential women in the world list, said she was questioned whether she had "sufficient business experience" to be chairwoman of the WRU's prof board.”
Now imagine how ‘junior’ women are treated in that environment
Former rugby board chairwoman Amanda Blanc told the WRU it had 'deep rooted' culture and behavioural problems
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For reasons I understood but disagreed with my 75 yr old Mass going Mum was considering No today. She’s just text to say her, Dad and Mary (best pal) stayed up talking late about it and came to the ‘right decision’. They’ve all voted Yes.
My heart ❤️
#repealth8th
#yesforchoice
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Points of fact. This ends the No 10 reliance on the ERG; ends the pressure on the PM to leave the IP at the end of next year and makes a softer Brexit much more likely. Food for thought.
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If it's possible to 100% understand why legends like
@MaggieAlphonsi
feel the need to lay out their credentials thanks to gross sexism on here, but also be absolutely furious about it, I am fully there.
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Physically loathe morning running, but mentally, wow the lift you get from seeing how many women are out early. The knowing smile exchange, the nods, the odd thumbs up.. Mums, carers, million-job jugglers - you are 👊 ps get out there it's a gorgeous morning!
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By a country mile my favourite moment of the World Cup was watching
@staceyfluhler
go off injured with a huge smile on her face. As a reminder that even when the stakes are high sport should be enjoyable & help you build lifelong memories I am not sure you get better.
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The RFU get a lot of stick for a lot of things but they got pretty much everything spot on yesterday. The ticket strategy, facilities for families, everything around the ground, the music, the SUGABABES!! they even got the weather right 😀 Well done to
@Alex_Teasdale
& all 🙌👏
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Was meant to be in Eden Park today but with Mum ill I didn't want to be that far away. Anyway, she's finally out of hospital & have just filled her in on the result (she's sorry for England!) I love rugby but honestly nothing's more important.
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The response to this post as well as being lovely, is also a super important reminder at a time rugby participation at grassroots is under pressure, of rugby's USP. Any shape, any size, any ability, it really *is* a sport anyone can play.We should be hammering this home for kids
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Obviously I’m *very* chilled about this.. but I’m on
@BBCWomansHour
this morning to talk all things
@Womens6Nations
Another great platform to spread the Gospel 😃
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Is now the time to say I hate the rule that the defending team gets a drop out from a held up try? Punishing a team for trying to score tries is stupid. Good morning!
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There are more women running sport in the UK than you'd think. Started tracking a list of trailblazing CEOs of sports & funders - am sure I've left lots out (let me know!) but thank you to these epic leaders for smashing ceilings for the rest of us & for girls everywhere
#IWD2023
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Followers here will know how passionate I am about the power of sport to change people's lives, so I am really excited to be joining
@sportengland
in November. However.. a hell of a lot of work to get through alongside the brilliant press team
@10downingstreet
between now & then
This! 👇👇Am really delighted to welcome
@AliDonnelly
to the
@Sport_England
senior leadership team. She will make huge positive difference not just to the organisation but to the communication & advocacy of the transformational power of sport & physical activity. Welcome Ali!😀
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Was taking the 4 year old to bed when the Women's FA Cup game came on and I excitedly said "look, look women's football on telly!" and she looked at me like I was a fool. BECAUSE IT'S NOT A WEIRD THING FOR HER TO SEE WOMEN'S SPORT ON TELLY. That's pretty cool.
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A Covid Comms thread .. I’ve worked through more crises than I would like. I was at No 10 through the awful Grenfell Tower fire; numerous terror attacks inc Manchester & London Bridge & was Head of Comms at Wasps when it almost went bust
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I've watched this about 10 times. Writing about sport's the easy bit - easy to forget the enormous sacrifices that go into getting to play for your country. Lovely lovely moment.
Been a long time coming 👏🏽
The moment Kendra Reynolds found out she would get her chance to wear the black jersey 🖤
#FRAvNZL
#LoveEveryMinute
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"He (Folau) will never see the impact he has had on these young people, but if he could, I doubt he could live with himself"
Hell of a piece of writing from ex Wallaby prop Dan Palmer. Bravo.
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Suspended all bad news today and have had a lockdown birthday to remember thanks my brilliant wife (who had never made a cake or a proper cocktail before today!). Can confirm that living room discos will lift your soul ❤🎂🙌
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Powerful message from several England women’s players including the captain Sarah Hunter.
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England will be the first country in the world to start making money from women's rugby - and everyone will say it's bc they've got more resources/more people when the reality is they understood the opportunity first and leaned in hard.
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Amid a week of celebrating women’s sport, my book launch is tonight! Thanks to the amazing queen and host that is
@Sara_Orchard
& panellists including legends
@carolish7
@claire_mol
@simsimpam
&
@topsy_ojo
hoping for a top celebration of the history of our awesome sport 🤗
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From my first day to my last (today) it's been an incredible 6 years to work in UK govt comms. Enormously grateful for the opportunity to speak on behalf of 2 PMs & work with amazing people
@10DowningStreet
@hmtreasury
&
@cabinetofficeuk
Now time for some 🍻
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After months of not looking (because, cringe?) I did go and seek my book out in our local
@Waterstones
this morning and I’ve gotta say, seeing it was a *moment*. Entire history of women’s rugby all yours ahead of the World Cup 😁
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One day, women in senior administrative positions in rugby will be so commonplace that we won't have to look at pictures like this all the time ⬇️
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I confidently predict that this weekend is the last time we will ever see fully or mostly amateur teams playing in this competition. Next year all teams will be on a mix of full or hybrid contacts, and that - despite how we might lament the pace of change - is remarkable progress
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If it were possible, my respect for Canada has gone up another notch. Amateur athletes doing professional things. They gave it everything.
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The roots of most of the challenges we see in rugby atm come back to archaic governance structures that are not fit for purpose for a modern global sport.
Morning!
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First time in the crowd in an England game in a while. Kids absolutely loved it. Massive kudos to the players who delightedly took the girls' stickers afterwards 😆 They were so thrilled 😄
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Who say there’s no place in sport for sentiment? Hard for anyone to begrudge someone who’s given her all for her country a chance to go out in her home city on her own terms. A sellout match already - what a chance for England fans to thank her for her service 👏
England captain Sarah Hunter will retire after England's 1st 6 Nations match against Scotland in her home city of Newcastle this weekend - she’s won 140 caps making her England’s most capped player.
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You might say that going to Wembley is bad preparation for getting up in the middle of the night to watch rugby, yet, here we are 😎
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Thank you
@rjim86
for highlighting this gem of an exchange for me. I do so love when sexism whacks up against stupidity
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My wife ignored me last year when I complained it would cost too much to get the garden done. So so so grateful now and feel so lucky to and this space at this time 🙌
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The Women's Rugby World Cup in England in 2025, coming in a period of real growth for the game, will be huge. Given what we hear about the challenges NZ are facing selling tickets for this year's event (& the fact there were few other bidders) the RFU are the right next hosts.
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They got there in the end.
The people telling women to “give it a rest” for pointing out that this is factually wrong and they’re only the first men’s team to do it, should imagine just for a second what they’d say if Nike made the same error the other way around.
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ONE MILLION. Well done to everyone involved.
Women's rugby - what an opportunity for forward thinking governing bodies and investors.
A huge 1M watched
@EnglandRugby
vs
@RugbyCanada
on
@BBCTwo
this weekend, while 900,000 watched
@ArsenalWFC
v
@SpursWomen
on
@BBCOne
The 2 lead cameras at the football and two thirds of the VT operators at the rugby were women
#GetOnside
#MakeItHappen
#WomenInSport
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I don't believe in God but I am getting up at 3am to watch the women's 7s knockouts and then attempting to parent two under 5s tomorrow. Pray for me. Please 🙏
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Fair play to both the Barbarians and South Africa. Had a few hours notice about the KO time, had to get ubers to the match & they've turned up and have tried to play fun & positive rugby. One way traffic on the scoreboard yes but it's a very enjoyable game to watch.
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It's hard to explain to anyone who hasn't played rugby just how hard that in-out step at full throttle is.
Put it this way, if I attempted this in training, even at walking pace, as a demo, with no one in front of me, I'd probably fall over.
HENRY ARUNDELL, THAT IS UNREAL! 😱
You won't see a better solo try than this for a very, very long time.
If you hadn’t noticed the youngster before, you certainly will do now 😅
#ChallengeCupRugby
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The Pivac curtain board. I am dying. The press officer meant so well.
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I see I’m the only person on Twitter who thinks that was indeed a red card
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Whenever I think I’m being harsh on the IRFU, I’m going to pull out this quote from the current CEO just a few years ago.
It’s actually completely and utterly perfect …….. in its ignorance.
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Not to be bandwagony here but this is why the women’s game ought to be truly embraced. Same sport, with none of these connotations. Presents a genuine chance to help shift perceptions, attract new followers & look & feel different. It doesn’t have to be one or the other either.
“I think the biggest [problem] is the toffy, posh, stuffy, traditional view of rugby that it’s white and middle class and only played in private schools or that it’s frowned upon if you express yourself or step out of the team line. That should be flipped”
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It blows my mind a little that there are so many people writing about, reporting on, and analysing women's rugby now! It's incredible. Far cry from two journos in a press box for a test game in Limerick many moons ago right
@PaulMorganrugby
!?
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Any women in Wales at all?
WRU chair Rob Butcher on 2022 AGM results:
“The Board will now meet, reflect on the decision and I would argue we have to discuss how we can take this forward because it can contribute to making our game better.”
📰
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I can't put into words how devastating this was to read and how stunned I felt at the end of it. I'll find something better to say eventually but I am just so unbelievably sad for Siobhan's family & loved ones. There should be a serious review into how this unfolded.
🔺 EXCLUSIVE: It was Siobhan Cattigan’s dream to play rugby for Scotland. She died just three years after that dream came true. For the first time, her grief-stricken family and partner tell her story
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A kid at a teacher friend’s school dressed as a rugby player for World Book Day and brought my book in 😭 (def a market for more women’s rugby biographies!!!)
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Love the up front ambition that has been at the centre of this bid right from the start. Will be an incredible moment for the women's game when this happens (and it will)
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Respect ✊
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Gordon D’Arcy has been an incredible ally to the Irish Women’s team but far more than that - he actually gets it.
And he’s right, the problem there isn’t about money, it’s about a culture which fails to understand women & has absolutely no interest in listening to them.
🗣 “There’s very, very little accountability in the IRFU - there always has been” | 🏉
Gordon D'Arcy says the issues within Irish women's rugby can be traced to neglect at grassroots level | ☘️
MONDAY NIGHT RUGBY ➡️
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I have no scientific evidence, just gut, but I feel like the next two weeks of cold, dark November, with Christmas still an age away, might be the hardest for many mentally. Look after your friends and colleagues. And roll on December 🙌
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Wonder if he contacted his own women's national team who were also in Dublin this weekend playing a test match?
The
@WhiteHouse
has issued a statement on
@joebiden
’s congratulatory call with the Irish rugby team.
@rtenews
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Seeing as everyone's quite het up about it today - may I take this opportunity to say if you want to know about the history of progress in women's rugby then you might kindly consider pre-ordering my book 😬
Thrilled (but mostly relieved) to finally say my book , charting the history of women’s rugby, is now available on pre-sale. Out July 25th. 😀
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It shouldn't be this way, but it's a fact that when high profile male sports stars speak about gender inequalities they're listened to more than women themselves. It's why it still rankles not a single Irish men's player afaik proactively supported their women's team last year 🤷♀️
* NEW EPISODE *
A passionate
@ugomonye
calls out the inequality facing female rugby players on today's episode of The Game Changers podcast.
He also calls for more men to step up and support women's sport.
It's brilliant listen. Find it here:
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Emily Scarratt has been the most consistently outstanding player ever in women’s rugby IMO. A once in a generation talent from her first cap to her 100th. Her performance in the World Cup Final in 2014 stood her apart but she’s just always class.
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This is only true if you presume that senior civil servants are incapable of operating neutrally while having their own views on the world. If you think Sue Gray couldn’t do that you really don’t know her.
The Sue Gray appointment looks SO bad in terms of Civil Service impartiality.
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I’m learning how to swim atm (I never did it as a child) & I can’t describe the adrenaline and joy I feel after a mere 30 minute lesson (with an amazing teacher) - a buzz that takes me through Wednesday evenings. If you read this and can’t swim - I couldn’t recommend it more 🙌
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Just imagine Twitter if the brilliant Sonja M had *not* asked Owen Farrell about the controversial decisions in the match and England's penalty count. 🤔
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This is embarrassing & frustrating but for me personally a great reminder why I give up a load (aka all) of my free time to advocate for & campaign for women's rugby & fairness across the sport. And memo to those clubs blocking progress - this won't hold.
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I'm writing a book about the history of women's rugby, which really ought to be finished by now (& it nearly is!) but everytime I re-read a chapter I decide I need to interview *at least* 5 more ppl. HELP ME.(Tips & ideas from writers about how to finish this greatly appreciated)
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Twitter is sometimes just amazing. Through people reading this post, I have just had an *actual* text from one Mr Keith Wood offering to re-sign the photo! Thank you
@austinstacksabu
!
Keith Wood! I have (had) a treasured signed photo of him scoring that great try between the legs of Jonny Wilkinson at Lansdowne Road, which he had signed on the glass of the frame. One day, our cleaner, vigorously doing her job, unintentionally scrubbed the whole lot off 😖
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Painful to see players impacted by ignorant social media comments. No one with any credibility actually thinks this and I hope the team can see the difference.
🗣 "Reading comments that we are disappointing our country, that's hard to take as an athlete."
🗣 "Some of the stuff being said is frankly ridiculous.
Ireland captain Nichola Fryday and Dorothy Wall speaking ahead of Ireland v England this Saturday.
#IREvENG
#TikTokW6N
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This is admirable but God how exhausting it is being a woman in sport. The biggest battles players fight are far too often off the pitch. It shouldn't be like this.
"Credit to the players for being brave and saying what we want for the future and look where we are today"
Wales captain Siwan Lillicrap on the Welsh Rugby Union offering professional 15-a-side contracts to women 🏉
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Massive. To go from rock bottom to third is a huge achievement & to turn around after the England walloping to win - just excellent. The debate about whether being in WXV1 is a step beyond for Ireland is for another day - they should be thrilled this evening.
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Every time I come to a full Twickenham I think *imagine* this full for a Women’s World Cup Final in 2025 🤞
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Ingrained attitudes towards women’s rugby have come on a lot, but the fact that two of the game’s major governing bodies have had to publicly apologise to their women’s players in the space of a week (Ireland the other) is a reminder of the way to go yet.
An inevitable apology from the NZR after yesterday’s ill advised and highly criticised post which failed to acknowledge the world champion Black Ferns and included an image of Sevu Reece, who pleaded guilty to assaulting his female partner in 2018.
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