The RFU are set to break new ground in 2025, as it has been reported that the English Rugby Governing Body will appoint their first ever female President. Deborah Griffin is set to take the role, the same year that England host the 2025 Rugby World Cup.
Reports in Telegraph Sport present that Griffin will be formally confirmed for the role, at an RFU council meeting on June 16th. This historic appointment reflects the progression of the women’s side of the sport, with the 2025 Rugby World Cup aiming to sell-out Twickenham Stadium for a triumphant Red Roses victory.
Griffin is a trailblazer for Women’s rugby, and rightfully deserves the upcoming position as President of the RFU. In 1983, Griffin founded the Women’s Rugby Football Union, and was the Chair for the first women’s Rugby World Cup in 1991. Griffin was a fearsome competitor on the pitch, starring for Richmond and University College London as captain.
After hanging up her boots, Griffin moved into the boardroom and she played an integral part in overseeing the WRFU’s merger with the RFU in 2012. Griffin was awarded with an OBE in 2011, for her services to Women’s Rugby, and in 2018 she became the first female member of the RFU to be elected to the World Rugby Council.