England Red Roses are great for rugby, but are they bad for business?
Should the dominant England rugby team beat France on Sunday in the final round of this year’s Women’s Six Nations they will notch up their 38th consecutive Test victory.
It is an amazing feat by one of the most incredible sports teams in the world, but is it good for business? For England, yes. For the women’s game, no.
Last year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup final victory in front of a sold-out Allianz Stadium felt like a turning point for England; they had their Lionesses moment.
And in the aftermath the Red Roses have managed to sign a number of sponsors and commercial deals that aren’t reliant on cooperation with the men’s team. It is a forward-thinking way of monetising women’s rugby in England and the governing Rugby Football Union should be given an enormous amount of credit for it.
Contracts with the likes of electronics maker LG and Crew Clothing are separate from the men’s team and reinforce the notion that England Women are a brand people want to invest in. That gravitas sees the Red Roses put into a bracket of the sport’s most marketable teams alongside the All Blacks and Springboks men’s teams.
But England’s success is damaging the rest of the game.
Everyone knows England are overwhelming favourites to win every game they play, so why would brands ever invest in a wider game for the long-term until there is some competition?
Do the Red Roses need to lose?
The domestic PWR competition does not have a title sponsor and, even with the potential expansion into other Home Nations countries, it doesn’t appear that one is close. That said, a partnership with Mitsubishi Electric Europe announced on Wednesday is a positive new agreement.
Global deals with Barbie maker Mattel, who created a figure of Ellie Kildunne, are great for publicity but the dolls are not on sale and there’s little commercial value to that in the long term.
The reality is this: England winning is bad for business for everybody except England. And even then, the Red Roses may find themselves being hurt by a potential lack of competition-wide sponsors across the globe.
Of course, the ideal solution here is that England’s brilliant investment into a world-leading team forces other nations to get in line and pump cash into the game.
But England cannot guarantee that that happens. With that in mind, then, they must exploit every commercial opportunity that comes their way – keeping in mind the importance of brand alignment and the role the team is playing at the forefront of a sport – and generate revenue while they are winning.
What is going on at Allianz Stadium is an inspirational message to women’s sport and, combined with the England football and cricket teams, proves that England is spearheading women’s elite sport.
On Sunday they take on their closest Women’s Six Nations rivals in France, and they should win. But quietly across the game there will be figures hoping that is not the case – because an England loss could keep the women’s game interesting.
Former England Sevens captain Ollie Phillips is the founder of Optimist Performance. Follow Ollie @OlliePhillips11