There is a sense of…..more. Why, I’m not entirely sure, maybe it’s that I’m busier, maybe it’s a new social media environment, maybe it’s because it’s a rugby world cup year. But definitely more.

There’s far more positive chat about the women’s game. There are articles being written, podcasts recorded and even the broadcasting of matches feels like it’s being given more time, and more care.

Eimear Considine spoke on Virgin Media on Saturday about care. The care in the IRFU, the care of the players, the care being given to the game. During her brief time back in Ireland before retirement, it was something she was clearly very conscious of. As someone who had recently had a child and then battled a significant injury to not just get back to sport, but the get back into the Ireland jersey, I can see why she would notice the care being given.

Women’s rugby as a whole feels like it’s getting more care from within as well as from its audiences. Five years ago, the loudest of people were telling us that nobody cares about women’s rugby. Men that felt threatened by women’s participation in ‘their’ spaces would take every opportunity and comment section to tell us nobody cares. It was clear they cared.

Just two years ago a very prominent man in the halls of Leinster Rugby was overheard saying “who gives a fuck about women’s rugby?!” to a table that laughed heartily alongside him.

We are not there anymore. We’re worlds away from that. Or at least that’s the feeling I’m getting.

I have cared about women’s rugby for a long, long time. I’ve been a fan, an advocate, a player, a coach and a social media….something or other. Just this weekend a memory popped up of me and my now wife in Dublin airport greeting the women’s team as they returned after winning the championship for the second time in three years. I was a chaotic fan girl then, and I won’t pretend I’m not the same now, as cringey as it might be.

Between then and now, the women’s game has suffered on these shores. But it feels like the culture, as well as the team is experiencing somewhat of a renaissance.

The culture appears to be somewhat embracing the differences in women and the women’s audience, finally. For too long the powers that be tried to replicate the men’s game, their culture, and assumed their fans are the same as ours. Now we’re seeing events geared towards families, social media heavy strategies and better comms from the unions throwing the spotlight on the women’s team. The best bit about our sport though, is the players and how fabulously engaging they are with their fans. The audience absolutely thrives on this. In fact, the best people to market the game to the fans is the players, directly, via their own socials, media appearances and engagements. We need more of this, but it’s getting there.

It’s not perfect, there is still lots to fix and tweak. There’s far more investment needed, there’s more attention to be paid to domestic competition, and the Celtic Challenge isn’t servicing us as we need it to….yet. Despite all this, there’s small positives everywhere, and I for one am overjoyed.

Irish Women’s Rugby Supporters Club