Ilona Maher Voices Hope for Future of Her Sport: ‘Come for the TikTok Girl, But Stay for the Rugby’

The professional athlete wants to inspire both new spectators and the next generation of women’s rugby players alike.

Ilona Maher / Brendan Moran/Getty Images

When it comes to professional women’s rugby, Ilona Maher has high ambitions—for herself and the sport more generally.

Of course, she wants to bring her best to the pitch. And she trains accordingly. When she signed with the Bristol Bears of England’s Premiership Rugby league earlier this month, she knew that it would be a bit of an adjustment. For the past few years, Maher has been focused on the sevens game (which is more popular in the U.S.). With the Bristol Bears, she will be playing in a 15-player format.

Her background—both on the pitch and off of it—is unconventional, but Maher has found the transition relatively seamless. “Here is this girl coming in, playing sevens, from a dance show, joining their team and they have been so nice and welcoming,” she said on a recent episode of BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly.

Ilona Maher / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Beyond the newfound relationships she’s forming off of the pitch, Maher is embracing the learning curve on the pitch. “To be with some of the best players in the world, who play such a crisp game that I would love to play, I just know I am going to learn so much from them,” she remarked. “I hope I am going to get up to that level.”

And while she’s hoping that her few months-long stint with the Bears helps her improve on the field, her ambitions extend beyond her own performance, too. While in England, Maher has every intention of continuing her mission to bring spectators (and, hopefully, future players) to the game.

Over the past few years, the 28-year-old has been building a social media presence. The venture is, at least in part, geared towards inspiring future players. “We want to get more players into the game - where are those players?” she said. “They’re on TikTok. They’re scrolling the apps, they’re watching my little videos and going 'Oh, look at this girl play rugby.’”

In terms of rugby spectatorship, at least, Maher is already seeing her social media presence pay dividends. After signing her, the Bears had to move their Jan. 5 match against Gloucester-Hartpury from a 200-seat venue to a 27,000-seat venue.

She is happy to be the inspiration for new rugby fans. But she wants the change to last. “If I am what gets them in the door, awesome, but I hope that the rugby being played is what makes them stay,” she said. “Come for the TikTok girl, but stay for rugby which will be on par with the best.”