Women’s World Cup: Northampton is doing itself proud
Our town has shown itself a winning host on the world stage
It has been nothing short of fantastic to see our town rise to the moment over the past few weeks as Northampton has hosted part of the group stage of the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025. Whether it’s the flag bunting in Abington Street or the incredible knitted creations lining the way to Franklin’s Gardens, Northampton has done an incredible job of marking the moment and welcoming the world to our doorstep.
Our town famously has a proud history of rugby, with Northampton Saints dating all the way back to 1880 and having an international reputation as one of the best teams in the world. We are no strangers to welcoming international crowds to Franklin’s Gardens. But hosting the Women’s World Cup has had an incredible, additional impact.
Everywhere you look, Northampton’s part in this historic event is being celebrated. Bollards and lampposts across the town centre are proudly emblazoned with the competition colours, Stagecoach have put it on the back of their buses, and the Women’s Institute have been working hard for over 18 months to create and “yarn-bomb” plenty of places in town, a brilliant way to bring extra vibrancy to our town.
It is wonderful to see the Market Square and Abington Street crammed with rugby fans, not only enjoying the rugby and entertainment provided in the fan zone but importantly patronising our independent businesses. Hosting huge events like this undoubtably provides a boost to our local economy, and businesses have certainly gone all out to mark the opportunity.
But this year’s World Cup is unique in being the most watched and attended women’s rugby competition in history. For me, this spirit of inclusion and supporting women and girls in sport that is especially great to see. The museum has curated an amazing exhibition showing the history of the women’s game (the highs and lows) and shown a hopeful glimpse of its future. Northampton Saints have worked hard to mark the significance of the occasion, doing huge amounts of outreach work with schools and clubs to get girls interested in rugby.
Nowhere was this spirit of local pride and inclusivity better presented than at RugbyFest in Abington Park to celebrate the start of the competition. The Old Northamptonians and other local clubs gave a great show of their girls teams’ talents to a very impressed crowd, whilst others (including myself) could try their hand at the inflatable rugby pitch. Kids were loving the graffiti and Hakka workshops and there was the usual showcase of local musical talent from the bandstand.
As for the matches themselves, Franklin’s Gardens has not disappointed in putting on a show for our guests. Whether it’s being welcomed with local drumming groups or tucking into some local cuisine, fans from across the UK and the world couldn’t escape the message: ‘Welcome to Northampton!’ Of course, the record-breaking score England had against Samoa (92-3) last week also helped create a celebratory mood in the sold-out stadium. It was a truly great evening!
These past weeks have proven that Northampton really can be a destination on the world’s stage. Everyone has come together to pull out all the stops to welcome thousands to our town and put on a worthy show of local pride. As the group stages end this weekend, I hope we can look back on this time as a proud moment for Northampton and mark is as the beginning of something special for our historic and potential-packed home.