World Rugby is bringing together leading figures from across the sport in London this week for its annual Shape of the Game meetings, focused on ensuring that the ‘rugby experience’ grows the sport’s reach, relevance and impact, driving sustainable global growth.
Integral to World Rugby’s new six-year strategic plan to bring together rugby and people through iconic events, impactful investment and leadership and support of members, Shape of the Game convenes World Rugby’s Executive Board and five committees: Men’s and Women’s High Performance, Professional Game, Professional Leagues Advisory and Community Rugby, aligning leadership and perspectives across every level of the sport.
The ambition is to establish a clear philosophy for success on and off the field, strengthening fan acquisition, conversion and monetisation opportunities for the sport as a whole on the road to historic men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups in the USA in 2031 and 2033.
Across four days of workshops and meetings, union and competition chief executives, player representatives, match officials, coaches and experts in player welfare, fan engagement and commercial growth will agree a set of commitments and actions to position the sport for long-term success. With rapid global expansion and increasing professional demands, the forum provides a vital platform to seize new opportunities and address the challenges shaping rugby’s next era.
- Key themes on the agenda include:
- Strengthening rugby’s global presence and impact
- Growing rugby’s audience appeal
- Law innovation and game presentation
- Sport-leading welfare advances
- Growing participation in the community game
- Sustainable growth of the women’s game
World Rugby Chair Brett Robinson said: “The Shape of the Game week is a major milestone within a new strategic mandate for the sport to secure a strong and sustainable future for rugby. The on-field game is in a good place. This is not about law tinkering, it’s about ensuring that the way we present and market the sport increases our reach, relevance and audience share. It is about unlocking new commercial opportunities and driving financial sustainability. By bringing together diverse voices from across our global community, we can align on the priorities that will define the next era of our sport.
“Building on rugby’s major global moments such as the new men’s Nations Championship and Cup competitions which will launch this year, a reimagined women’s WXV Global Series, and men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups in Australia and the USA, is key for us as a sport. How together we package, promote, present and celebrate our sport is essential to our success. It will determine how we accelerate new fandom, unlock new revenue, grow our participation base and reset our relevance in a rapidly changing society.”
The outcomes of the conference will help shape future policy decisions, law trials, and strategic investments designed to support unions, competitions, and grassroots programmes worldwide.
Further updates and key outcomes from the conference will be shared via World Rugby’s official channels following the event.
