Mattel brings Barbie and England Rugby’s Women’s team – the Red Roses – together for collaboration spanning funding, activity days and apparel line

Mattel is embarking on Barbie UK’s first-ever partnership with a sports team in a collaboration with the Red Roses, England Rugby’s Women’s team.

The partnership comes as new research from Barbie and England Rugby’s Red Roses reveals that a third of girls disengage in sport by the age of 14, driven by concerns over body confidence, doubts in their ability and a lack of visible female role models in sport.

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

Barbie and the Red Roses will also launch a licensed apparel range, produced by Castore, with empowering slogans and designs celebrating rugby. The range of t-shirts and hoodies will be available this month, while a special edition Barbie x Red Roses Gilbert rugby ball will launch in October.

Barbie will also be supporting the RFU’s Girls’ Activity Days that look to enable rugby clubs across England to attract more girls into rugby by offering multiple activities at their clubs, alongside rugby. This summer, over 400 clubs will host a Girls’ Activity Day.

“We know how important the visibility of rugby is in attracting girls and boys to our sport and it’s been a core part of our strategy for the women’s and girls’ game for many years,” said Alex Teasdale, RFU Executive Director, Women’s Game.

“We wanted to collaborate with Barbie to introduce the game to new audiences and champion female voices in the sport. With increased BBC coverage and the Red Roses leading the charge, rugby is set for a major visibility boost this summer. But as our research finds, access is key. That’s why we’re working with over 400 clubs nationwide to host Girls’ Activity Days during the tournament, giving girls the chance to try rugby for themselves and see why so many are joining the game.”