How Much Do Female Rugby Players Get Paid? | Ellie Kildunne | The Big Jim Show

Harlequins & England Rugby player Ellie Kildunne joins Jim as they discuss the pay gap between men and women in the game and how better pay could mean better rugby!
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[@JohnHirsch88]

As Jim said, it's like the men's game 30 years ago, but unfortunately, it exists alongside and is compared to the men's game of today, which is fully professional.

[@johninnz]

Just watched her play NZ tonight at Mt Smart Stadium....what a little rocket, robbed of the two tries, I'm in love.

[@hughphillips5129]

Women need to support their girls go to matches and watch games. Sell out crowds will bring more investment and the game can grow.

[@cameronmmj9291]

Its a difficult discussion because the facts are sometimes hard to swallow. Any professional sport is a business. You get paid based on; 1) number of tickets sold, 2) how much tv revenue and sponsorship you get paid (either at club or international), 3) your perceived and interpreted talent in your position, and the demand clubs have for you. The fact is, the women's game does not bring the viewership, or sponsorship, to warrant the game going professional at club level. Look at basketball, the WNBA is a NBA subsidised league. It's never turned a profit in 20 years.... despite all the money and marketing that gets pumped into the league. I'm not trying to be a dick about it, but if women really care so much about the plight of these female athletes, maybe they should take ownership and start supporting them, buying tickets, travelling to away games, buying merchandise, and everything else that goes with it? Maybe im a synical person but perhaps it's because its a lot easier to make yourself look like you care, with your #tags, than actually following through and supporting the ladies game.

[@dougclark9921]

I agree but I would add that if they paid more money and put more money into jnr girls rugby it would attract more players and make it more likely that a higher quality of player would participate. Higher quality = more fans = more money = better pay = etc. Its chicken and egg so you might as well fund it and try to create that positive feedback loop. One other thing on turning a profit is that if you look at the top 2 leagues they are shedding players overseas because the clubs cant turn a profit and had to cut wages.

[@cameronmmj9291]

@@dougclark9921 That would be fine, but the reality is we have already seen how that plays out. The WNBA has been going for over 25 years and still isn't turning a profit or getting anywhere near the viewership/attendance needed for it to stand on its own. Basketball is infinitely more popular than rugby, which is already a niche sport in this country. If they can't get womens basketball profitable, with the money and reach the nba has, what hope does rugby have? It's a very simple fix, women need to take more of an interest in their female athletes. It can't be on men to pick up the slack. At the end of the day, we have our own male game to watch. At the end of the day, women aren't as interested in sport as men. Hence why reality TV shows are a multi-billion dollar industry, targeted at women. Its simple supply/demand economics. Either get bottoms in seats, or accept it will never be a pro game series.

[@DesmoXVI]

So you saw that Bill Burr bit about the WNBA then? lol

[@cameronmmj9291]

@@DesmoXVI doesn't make him wrong though, does it?

[@dougclark9921]

@@cameronmmj9291 As I say I didnt massively disagree with you. I still think that they deserve the chance to make it something.

[@dougclark9921]

1:05 So if you play pro-level women's rugby on the lower band your contract is the same-ish to working in Tesco as a baker. If you are on the higher its comparable to the Tesco warehouse manager. Not knocking people who work in Tesco but when you consider how short a rugby career is, the dedication and the injuries its pretty horrendous.

[@stephenprior61]

It’s supply and demand - the sport needs to be more creative and look at things like micro sponsorship /individual player sponsorship - the real problem is Rugby is controlled by old school rugby players and not entrepreneurs like the US NFL or F1

[@kaplazma6748]

Out of interest does anyone know what the average attendance is to a women's prem game? Went to the aftermath of one recently and the stadium was probably a 500 seater stadium, and the tickets werent much. Maybe the Prem games need to be played in bigger stadiums more to try and allow more people to go.

[@grumpygramps5350]

I know that the 🌹v 🇨🇵 match at the end of their 6 Nations campaign filled 56, 000 at Twickenham!

[@grumpygramps5350]

Ellie Kildunne from Keighley, West Yorkshire; I've got a England tee shirt with her name and number on it ❤️

[@nickybutt9733]

Why don't more women actually go to support the game? It shouldn't just be on men to turn up and get tickets, nothing stopping women doing the same and making the game more commercially viable.

[@glennherr5966]

Professional rugby is a business. If you create money you get paid accordingly. Simple economics. What's the mystery?

[@Stand663]

Start your own company.

[@easytigers8936]

"its not liveable to live on £27k" That is insane to say. I wish I got paid that so I could live better

[@KingLouis51]

She literally said the opposite of that. Listen again from 1:04 to 1:32.

[@lukejohnson4767]

She didn't say that wasn't a liveable wage, she just said that those figures are the upper, most get nowhere near that. You also have to take into account that it's a short career and so just a liveable wage is still not great if its your only income because you have to think about afterwards.

[@14nst3w4rt]

you can only get paid from the revenues and sponsorship you generate.

[@easytigers8936]

and subsidised to...

[@paulbennett2929]

If the mens' team followed this route then there would be massive pay cuts all round.

[@cameronmmj9291]

@@paulbennett2929 there needs to be, the current financial model in the English prem isn't viable, unless new money can be found

[@vinniechan]

To be fair a lot of players have some jobs on the side to put together a decent revenue for themsleves

[@GC-ow2wn]

Mens game has only relatively recently gone professional, with the woman's game ultimately being subsidized by the mens at the expense of the sport. England womans team have a huge unfair advantage as the majority of players for other countries are not 'professional' and hence we see the red roses putting silly scores past tier one nations. Womans rugby simply doesn't attract enough support or produce the revenue to be professional, and its disappointing to see big Jim and so many others pander so these players; you get paid biased on financial viability, which in this case, these ladies are massively overpaid. On a side note, the endless useless commentary from ex female players during rugby matches is infuriating, not just because their insights are so poor, but because there are so many talented top flight players who struggle financially post retirement from rugby that would excel as commentators and add benefit to the spectator experience. Rugby has unfortunately gone 'woke' with their affirmative action, loss of traditional values, and constant butchering of the laws, loosing players and supporters from grass routes up, with no real plan of action.

[@johnnunn8688]

Makes a change though, as the men suffered greatly (fitness and skills-wise) when the likes of NZ & SA were getting properly-ish paid.

[@whattiler5102]

A lot of those other players are playing for English Prem sides, so they are better off than they would have been, they are making some living and getting to play at a pro level regularly, which should be good for them and for their federations. Before bringing up "traditional values" analyse what they actually were across the board and beware of 'buzz' words like "woke" which are open to so many different interpretation that whatever you mean by it is not the same as many others.

[@ScipioAmericanus__]

Almost certainly sure 95% of your audience has no desire to cover this topic, including me.

[@BH-ui5eb]

They are paid to much

[@jonsumisu9016]

So you think they should be paid les ?

[@BH-ui5eb]

Yes

[@victoriaagyin1264]

@@BH-ui5eb why? they are already paid peanuts.