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Jodie Ounsley: 'Time for us to smash perceptions'
By Gary Heatly
Jodie Ounsley believes that the ongoing Guinness Women’s Six Nations is whetting the appetite for rugby fans and that the women’s game is going to “explode into life” when the Rugby World Cup lands in England in August.
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Ounsley, the former Exeter Chiefs and England Sevens flyer now starring on television screens as the Gladiator Fury, has teamed up with Vodafone to help tackle false stereotypes and bring the women’s game to new audiences via the ‘See It. Believe It.’ campaign.
New data from Vodafone has revealed that 70 percent of Brits who hold a ‘negative opinion’ of women’s rugby have never actually watched the sport.
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Working with sports storytelling experts Goal Click, the campaign aims to show people what women’s rugby is really all about, empowering the women at the heart of the sport to tell their stories and, in turn, shattering misconceptions about the game.
Ounsley, the 24-year-old who was born profoundly deaf and whose story has inspired many in recent years, is one of Vodafone’s Goal Click storytellers and said: “A lot of negativity that is out there around women’s rugby comes from people who have never actually been to a women’s game and sometimes have not even watched a game on television.
“As soon as those people do come along or start watching the games when they are on television live they love it and that shows that there are false stereotypes out there about the women’s game and that, given a chance, the audience is just going to keep growing and growing as the game gets bigger and bigger.
“There’s an energy on the pitch and in the stands, that just hits different.
“This year of all years is the time for us to smash perceptions and show everyone what the game is all about.
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“If you look at the way the Six Nations has grown on the pitch and off it for example, in the last few years, then that is a great example as to why people should give women’s rugby a go.
“When I was walking into the Murrayfield complex and into the area surrounding Hive Stadium before the Scotland vs Wales game recently, the buzz about the place was amazing with everyone talking about the game and their favourite players.
“When the team buses arrived there was loads of people there to see them and what was so good to see was that it was not just women and girls who were there, but men and boys too and the women’s game really is for everyone.
“And the really exciting thing from my point of view is that I think women’s rugby has so much more growth to come and we are really going to see that explode into life when the Rugby World Cup comes around later in the year.
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“The ongoing Six Nations will whet the appetite and bring a lot of new fans to the game I hope, and then things will just crank up until the World Cup because people are going to be want to be a part of that.
“I can only see the game continuing to grow and negative perceptions around it start to disappear, people just need to be open to giving the women’s game a try, and I know a lot of them will get hooked when they do.”
As a former Brazilian jiu jitsu champion, sevens internationalist and now a Gladiator, Ounsley knows a thing or two about what it takes to be a top athlete.
And she believes that the continuing professionalism in the women’s game and the growing fitness and skill levels mean that more and more female role models are going to continue to be unearthed as the World Cup approaches.
“You want youngsters to see players and go ‘wow that is amazing, look what they are doing on the rugby pitch’ and we are already seeing that,” Ounsley stated.
“We had American Ilona Maher over here recently playing for Bristol Bears, and what an athlete she is, but we also have loads in Britain and we have seen them already light things up in the early part of the Six Nations.
“England set the bar over here, and someone like Ellie Kildunne is phenomenal, but you look at all the nations, and there are super athletes and role models popping up all over the place.
“And the great thing about these role models is that they are so accessible to fans, whether that is after matches and being able to get a selfie or following them on social media. They feel ‘real’ to youngsters, and that helps them to be inspired and want to become just like them.
“The great thing about rugby – and the women’s game especially – as well is that these super athletes come in all shapes and sizes and from all types of different backgrounds.
“Rugby is not a ‘one size fits all’ type of game, and people are just as inspired by the strength and the power of front-row players as they are by the pace of wingers or the quick feet of centres.
“There is something really special about that and the more of these players’ stories that can be told in the lead up to the World Cup the better as things just continue to keep building up around this amazing sport.”
Vodafone is working with Jodie Ounsley to help tackle false stereotypes and bring the game to new audiences. As the Nation’s Network, Vodafone is committed to lifting the nation through the power of positive connections. The “See It. Believe It.” campaign builds on the brand’s long-standing support for women’s rugby since becoming the Founding Principal Partner of Women’s and Girls’ Rugby in Wales in 2022.
Watch the latest episodes of Stronger Than You Think on RugbyPass TV now
