Women's Summer of Sport: Euros and Rugby World Cup can be 'era-defining' for women's sport

A summer of major sporting events can be "era-defining" and help drive change that would see more women and girls enjoying sport, senior figures say.

England hosts the Rugby World Cup in August, with the Red Roses aiming to have a similar impact as their footballing counterparts in 2022.

The Lionesses won the European Championship on home soil and boosted participation in girls football.

"The World Cup is going to raise bar for women's rugby," said Sally Horrox, director of women's rugby at World Rugby, on a special Radio 5 Live programme, Names Will Be Made, to mark the BBC's Women's Summer of Sport.

"I think it will be a really era-defining moment.

"It will shift from being a niche sport to mainstream, that will make a tremendous difference for girls the world over."

Sarina Wiegman's footballers, meanwhile, are preparing to defend their European crown in Switzerland.

"It's incredible to think where the sport is now [after the success of 2022], and of course the Euros this summer gives us another chance to continue the growth of women's football in this country," said Kelly Simmons, former director of women's football at the Football Association.

"When I first started at the FA, our first count was 80 girls and women's teams across the whole country, now over three million girls and women play the sport."

Star athletes such as Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson will also be in action at the World Athletics Championships in September.

British Olympic Association chair Dame Katherine Grainger told the programme that the summer of sport is a "unique opportunity to really make change" and to work on ways to remove some of the barriers facing women in sport.

"In a year's time, if we were to meet, I would want us all to sit and go 'this is now different', said Grainger.

"All these moments are a unique opportunities to really make change. Whether it's in law, or people's lives, or in attitudes, the doing something next is important. Not just hearing and agreeing but taking action."

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