Remember Ilona Maher? The rugby sensation who smashed her way to Olympic bronze and then danced into America’s heart? She’s everywhere now—red carpets, chat shows, even custom rhinestone boots! But behind that infectious smile and 8.5 million followers lies a straight shooter who’s never sugarcoated anything. “I’m being wrung dry,” Maher admits after her eye-opening stint with Bristol Bears. Sure, she’s breaking attendance records and landing major deals, but what’s she seeing behind the scenes? Why is rugby’s most-followed star insisting that there is work to be done?
When Ilona Maher speaks, the world listens. Fresh from her stint with Bristol Bears, Maher doesn’t hesitate to pull back the curtain on women’s rugby’s uncomfortable reality. You’d think England—rugby’s heartland—would have it figured out, right? But Maher thinks there is much more to it! “There’s still so much work that needs to be done,” she says of the women’s club game. “Even in a country like England where rugby is so big, we still have so much work to do. The PWR is still semi-professional. We still train at 8.30pm at night because our girls have full-time jobs……. to take that step out there.”
The story is developing…
The post Happy With Growth, Ilona Maher Highlights Rugby’s Dark Reality: ‘Still So Much to Do’ appeared first on EssentiallySports.