The double-edged sword of double-headers
At face value, Harlequins’ Big Game 14 fixture seemed to be a brilliant record-breaking event. While this is positive for the sport, questions arose as to how much this perceived progress is seen on a weekly basis.
Currently, only one Premier 15s team, Bristol Bears women, have their names on the back of their shirts. For me, seeing Harlequins women with the same on their BG14 shirts filled me with joy, knowing how much this means to the players and the effect it has on the growth of the women’s game. My joy rapidly turned into disappointment when I discovered afterwards this was only a one-off for the game at Twickenham.
When Bristol Bears first introduced names to their shirts, the reception from players showed just how much it means to them. Not only does it give players a sense of immense pride to represent their name and be recognised as individuals rather than numbers, but it also eases the process of creating role models.
Identifying players by simply seeing them on the pitch rather than having to search to match a name to a number has a far deeper lasting impact on fans. Further to this, fans are then able to go out and buy shirts with the names of their favourite players on the back, something that has been commonplace for followers of the men’s game for years.
When I spoke to the Quins players prior to the original Big Game 14 date before it was rescheduled, they were set to play against Bristol and were keen to have their names on the back of their shirts too going forward. As part of a larger club with a men’s team attached who have to have their names on their shirts as part of the minimum operating standard in the Gallagher Premiership, it begs the question – why does their women’s team not receive the same treatment?
Many cite the financial cost as a factor prohibiting printing names on shirts, but for clubs with both their men’s and women’s teams in their respective premierships, it seems slightly confusing that they’re able to do it for one team and not the other. It may not be part of the minimum operating standards for the women’s premiership (yet), but for clubs that are able to afford it, it seems like a simple way to help to grow the women’s game and allow players to be seen as individuals.
It must be noted that the shirts themselves were a notable sign of progress from the Big Game 13 shirt fiasco. In their last outing at Twickenham, the ill-fitting shirts worn by the women’s team were unfortunately a massive talking point from the game and the rugby itself became shrouded in a khaki green fog which engulfed discussion on Twitter.
On Saturday, Quins reported a world record-breaking crowd for the fixture (15,420). However, if you dig a little deeper, this has its own intricacies which open up a whole host of conversations.
According to Harlequins the way this figure was obtained was through “using high resolution 360 imagery from the event and specialist software to tag and count the number of supporters sat watching the game”. Given that this game was a double header fixture with their men’s team playing afterwards, attendance through counting turnstile numbers would be inaccurate in providing the spectator figures for the women’s game alone, as many had entered the ground for the purpose of visiting the many bars that Twickenham has to offer.
From my position in the press box, it was clear that these figures grew steadily throughout the game. While it is brilliant to see more and more people engaging with women’s rugby, it would be naïve to say that this world record figure represented those who watched the duration of the game.
On a standard match day when Quins women play at their home ground, Twickenham Stoop, they struggle to fill one stand, averaging around 1,000-2,000 supporters in a 14,816-capacity stadium. Crowds for women’s games must fill these premiership stadiums in order for world records to seem salient. This situation has been perfectly put by Fi Tomas in her reply to the announcement of the world record.
What does it mean to have a world record on a one-off occasion and the biggest rugby stadium in England while clubs still struggle to get numbers through the turnstiles week by week? The sad truth of the matter is that these figures were most likely reached as a result of the men’s game which followed only 30 minutes after the final whistle of the women’s game and had an attendance of around 60,000 spectators. It’s wrong to quantify progress for women’s rugby as a whole on a one-off figure, though it’s an excellent achievement for women’s sport and something that will set the bar for future crowds to achieve. In order for the longevity of breaking world records to be seen, stadiums like the Stoop need to be filled for standalone women’s games.
While it would be difficult to quantify, but for this record to be meaningful it has to be carried forward to a future increase in supporters at women’s games. Whether this means more people being inspired to go to women’s rugby games, a negative perception of women’s rugby being positively changed or an increased interest in the Premier 15s, it has to happen as a result of this record.
If this was a figure for a standalone women’s premiership game, this record would feel far more pertinent. If 15,420 people had chosen to go to a women’s game, rather than a large proportion drifting in as the time ticked closer to the men’s game, this would feel like a real stand-out moment.
Further elements of doubleheaders, in particular Big Game 14, further add to subtle differences which have a negative impact on women’s sports. Firstly, the men had the better changing rooms. From what I’ve seen on social media, Harlequins men, who didn’t enter the stadium until halfway through the women’s game, were given the changing room used by the home team at Twickenham while the women had, by the looks of it, a smaller changing room. The men took to the pitch to warm up before the women had even left the field. This may be due to the brief time period between the end of one match and the start of the next.
At Twickenham, media personnel have to walk halfway around the stadium from the press box to post-match media conferences. Half an hour just simply isn’t enough time to get across, be involved in post-match media access, write up anything meaningful, and make it back around to the press box for the start of the second game, making it difficult to cover both games to the same standard. A simple solution to this could just be changing the timings between matches, though I’m sure this would come with its own flaws.
It’s not all doom and gloom when it comes to the most recent edition of Big Game 14. The figure and world record are something that should definitely still be celebrated. The cynic in me has picked apart the doubleheader with a fine tooth comb, but as a rugby fan, it was pleasing to see this world record achieved. It’s important that this is used as a springboard and does not end up being something that it rests its laurels on. I for one am truly excited to see the day when the premiership grounds are packed full of supporters for women’s games.
The players themselves enjoy the opportunity to play at Twickenham, so I’m in no way saying they should never be involved in double-header fixtures from this moment onwards and should be denied the chance to play at the iconic stadium. However, in order for the women’s game to truly grow, so must the figures at premiership games week in, week out.
