Steve Jones, content director for Crowd Network, explains the outlook for rugby in 2025 and how podcasting is helping the sport reach new audiences.
There is a serious debate that 2025 will be the most commercially valuable year in rugby history.
This year's Guinness Men's Six Nations are as competitive as ever, with the Guinness Women's Six Nations taking place a few months before England hosts the biggest women's rugby World Cup ever.
Meanwhile, the Lions of England and Ireland tour around Australia, creating engagements and debate throughout their homeland. It feels like an important year for sports.
People will say rugby is dying. Some podcasters will tell you that every week. Not us.
It will be the first crowd podcast to generate £1 million in annual revenue for the love of rugby (FTLOR), hosted by England's most capped men, Ben Youngs and Dan Cole.
The presenters are still playing and do so in front of the growing crowds and TV viewers of the Gallagher Premiere. Their club, the Leicester Tigers, has 28 corporate partners listed on their website.
The growing commercial value of sports has become increasingly popular on podcast platforms, YouTube and social media.
This growth is especially true in a women's game with the first viral superstar in Olympic bronze medalist Ilona Maher, who became an internet sensation at the Paris 2024 match.
With over 8 million followers across her Tiktok and Instagram profiles, she is driving attendance in the Bristol Bears record match. She also drove a six-hour round-trip trip to Ftlor Studio, dramatically increasing her own social media in the process.
The 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup sold a record 220,000 tickets before the start of the year. 130,000 showed the strength of demand, with 130,000 being sold for sale alone.
This enthusiasm crosses geographical boundaries as World Rugby has received ticket applications from fans from 72 countries. It is also worth noting that an equal number of men and women are purchasing tickets, meaning that it will be the most comprehensive tournament in the history of the Women's World Cup.
Despite the social and commercial prominence of the sport, few young people play rugby. A review of the 2024 Rugby Football Union (RFU) found that the sport is not played at the youth level, even in traditional grammar and private schools.
This is due to several reasons, including the fear of head injuries, the view that it is too complicated to introduce children, and the (unfair) stereotypes of rugby players and fans as “Posh White Boys.”
Football is dominant in the UK. We know that. The Premier League is Giants, and there are more games in the Champions League than ever before, and the appeal of Gen Z and Alpha video games means that some young people have no interest in playing sports at all. You won't be accused of feeling uneasy about the future of grassroots rugby.
However, although young people probably don't play rugby themselves, they find themselves forming a core audience for the love of rugby.
Surprisingly, 61% of Ftlor listeners are 18-34 years old, while 83% are under 44 years old. They help generate 3 million YouTube views on Ftlor channels in six male countries, making their Instagram accounts the fastest growth of rugby media outlets.
Presenter Dan Cole held his first live event at Brewdog Waterloo in January. There were 100 listeners in the room, hundreds more competing in quizzes at Pubs in six countries before BrewDog Bars across the UK.
Former experts tell stories on the corporate circuits, it was very different from a typical audience.
Ben and Dan bring in insights from their careers and tell us what is actually happening within camps in England. Their aim is to ensure that the game is accessible to everyone, including listeners who may not be rugby experts and listeners who may feel that the sport is “for them.”
We learned that the podcast offers new audiences a way to discover the sport. When you're commuting to work, listening to podcasts, cleaning the bathroom, or cooking in the evening, it's an easy route to the world of rugby. This is a low way to keep up with the biggest topics.
What you learn about sports on the podcast is enough to chat with fellow fans, and you can welcome them into rugby fandom with open arms.
Rugby is known and loved for its community elements, and that side of the podcast is thriving. Especially at live events where fans can come together to celebrate common interests.
Brands that want to target rugby fans should pay attention. Rugby may be struggling to attract younger fans overall, but this is exactly the demographic listening to rugby podcasts.
These listeners are very enthusiastic and fans will also be involved with the brand when the brand works with podcasters. And with 2025 having so many successes for sports, there was no longer any more time for the brand to get involved.
