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The Stadium of Light is one of eight stadia selected to host the biggest ever celebration of women’s rugby. The women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 is supported by its official partners Mastercard, Capgemini and Gallagher. Canada, England, France and New Zealand have already qualified for Rugby World Cup 2025 after finishing in the top four of RWC 2021, with the remaining positions to be filled via World Rugby’s new women’s international 15s tournament, WXV, and regional competitions in 2024.
Between the wars, the club enjoyed a couple of successful county cup runs but also saw the appearance in their ranks of three players – Hartley Elliott, Alan Bean and Eric Watt Moses – all of whom were later to put their individual stamps on the national and international game. Hartley, an Ashbrooke man through and through, became a well-respected international referee in the 1950s, helped in the production of some of Britain’s top rugby coaches and also founded the Dolphins touring side. Alan and Eric became top administrators in the RFU and both became well known for their writings on the laws and the refereeing of the game. When the first club meeting of the 1874/5 season was held in October 1874 and fixtures for the season announced, Sunderland Football Club was clearly on the map. During the five years which followed, (and at the end of which Sunderland AFC was formed) , Sunderland Football Club was noted frequently as one of the leading rugby playing clubs in the entire north of England. RWC 2025 will be the first Rugby World Cup hosted under the new joint-venture model (Local Operating Committee) between World Rugby and the RFU, with funding from the UK Government and support from our host city partners which will aim to optimise efficiency and impact across the tournament.World Rugby and the RFU, with support from the UK Government, have confirmed that the event will take place between August 22 and September 27 2025, and has unveiled the host cities and venues that will stage matches in the global contest, with each venue expected to attract supporters from around the world. Rugby World Cup 2021 smashed records across the board with more than 150,000 fans attending across the tournament, 1.8 million viewers on average in England and New Zealand tuned into the final with more than 156 million video views on social media.Powerful personalities were born, and a new generation of accessible and relatable role models championed change. The Stadium of Light continues to cement itself as the premier destination for elite women’s sport, with our World Cup finalist Lionesses’ also celebrating their homecoming on Wearside on September 22. The RWC 2025 is the latest milestone that we hope continues to forge a legacy that empowers and inspires all within our regional community for many years to come.” Culminating in the Rugby World Cup Final on September 27 2025, the countrywide format provides an unparalleled opportunity to see, engage with and support the stars of the women’s game.
Sunderland Football Club - I have indisputable proof that we are and have always have been Sunderland Football Club Councillor Graeme Miller, Leader of Sunderland City Council, said: “This is a fantastic announcement that will be welcomed by sports fans across the region. The city of Sunderland and the Stadium of Light will be once again seen on the world stage hosting a World Cup. Women’s rugby – like women’s sport in general – is growing in popularity, so to be able to support the England International Team at the Stadium of Light is an opportunity we know people locally will enjoy, and we’re looking forward to welcoming fans from across the world to Sunderland.” The history of SRFC up to the early 1960s has been well chronicled and notes a number of sad losses in wartime and another memorable county cup success in the late 1950s. The story of the next fifty years should be in print by 2012 (‘Fifty Years On’) but is bound to include the huge growth in mini and junior rugby from the 1980s and a number of welcome First XV successes under the new league system. By April 1874 and the end of the 1873/4 season all the signs are that Sunderland Football Club was established and firmly grounded. In April, three of its players were selected to play for a side representing Durham County and during the summer months a number of athletes taking part in sports were rugby players and gave their home club as SFC.Following a competitive selection process, the final roster of host cities and venues reflects the tournament’s core mission of growing the sport, taking rugby across the country and engaging with diverse communities. All will provide a family-focused festival of rugby. Sunderland RFC has been ‘on the go’ for almost one hundred and forty years. The letters RFC behind the club name tell the tale; quite simply, the club was formed some years before ‘union’ and ‘league’ separated in the 1890s causing clubs starting thereafter to be designated RUFC and RLFC.
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