Steve Brown said that professionalizing the women's game is a matter of prioritization and timing.GETTY IMAGES
The Rugby Football Union "declared its ambition" to fully professionalize the women's game in England, according to Gavin Mairs of the London TELEGRAPH. The governing body was in April "considering a dramatic about-turn to reinstate contracts for women's XVs players" after its decision to axe them after the World Cup last year was "widely denounced." The RFU instead offered professional contracts to the England Women's Sevens side ahead of the recent Rugby World Cup. RFU CEO Steve Brown revealed on Monday that the governing body's intention now is "for professional contracts to be offered to both the England Women's XVs and Sevens sides and a deal could be completed next season, despite the RFU's current financial pressures." He said, "One of the decisions we are making at the moment -- let's be clear, our ambition is to have fully-contracted professional sevens and 15s stand-alone and fully-contracted -- it is just a matter of prioritization and timing" (TELEGRAPH, 7/30).
