Mattel Inc.’s Barbie® brand has a new partnership with the Red Roses, England Rugby’s Women’s team. Marking Barbie UK’s first-ever partnership with a sports team, the collaboration aims to inspire the next generation of female rugby players through grassroots initiatives, funding, merchandise and powerful storytelling.

The partnership comes as new research from Barbie, the leading girls’ empowerment brand and England Rugby’s Red Roses, the number one-ranked women’s rugby team in the world, reveals that a third of girls disengage in sport by the age of 14. The drive behind this includes concerns over body confidence, doubts in their ability, and a lack of visible female role models in sport.

Commenting is Zoe Aldcroft, Captain of the Red Roses.

“As Red Roses captain, I’m passionate about inspiring the next generation and getting more girls into rugby. That’s why we’re so excited for the upcoming home tournament – playing across the country gives us the chance to reach girls nationwide and show them what’s possible. Rugby has given me so much: confidence, friendships and a platform. I want every girl to know there’s a place for them in this game too.”

 

 

Of 1,000 girls surveyed, many said they felt less confident playing sport when they were shouted at (27%), had fears of getting things wrong (34%), or didn’t feel strong or fast enough (21%). Despite the progress made by women’s sports teams, gender stereotypes remain a significant barrier, with only 28% of girls believing all sports are for both genders and 38% of girls still viewing rugby as a sport more suited to boys.

Yet the appetite for greater representation is clear, as research found 80% of girls want to see more women’s sport on TV, and 59% of parents saying rugby helps build girls’ confidence, strength and self-esteem.

Meanwhile, more than half of parents felt that social attitudes discourage girls from staying involved in sport.

 

 

As part of the Barbie Dream Gap project, Mattel is making a £20,000 donation to the RFU, supporting its commitment to increase the number of female players. These funds will help increase access to clubs and coaching across England, ensuring more girls get the opportunity to discover the joy and community of team sport.

To further champion women’s rugby and empower girls to stay in sport, Barbie will also be supporting the RFU’s Girls’ Activity Days, part of the Impact ’25 Programme, which aims to encourage and enable rugby clubs across England to attract more girls into rugby by offering multiple activities at their clubs, alongside rugby.

Barbie and the Red Roses are launching a licensed apparel range, produced by Castore, with empowering slogans and designs celebrating rugby, with a range of T-shirts and hoodies available this month. A special edition Barbie x Red Roses Gilbert rugby ball will launch in October. The apparel range spans sizes Junior XS to Adult 4XL.