Ilona Maher: Social Media Success Fuels Professional Rugby Career

Ilona Maher has secured a three-month contract with Bristol, commencing in January. While possessing attributes like size, strength, speed, and surprisingly adept hands, Ilona Maher acknowledges she is not the world’s top rugby player. “I’m amazing at rugby, but realistically I’m maybe not the best at it, which is fine,” she stated to Rugby Union Weekly. She further explained, “There are so many great athletes like Portia Woodman [New Zealand’s two-time Olympic gold winner] and Maddi Levi [Australia’s World Sevens Player of the Year].” However, Maher emphasized, “But I have something else I can bring, which is personality.” This “something else” refers to her significant online presence. Maher has become a social media phenomenon, likened to a “Jonah Lomu” of digital platforms, with her follower count rapidly increasing to eight million and continuing to grow. LISTEN: Rugby Union Weekly meets Ilona Maher She is considered a unique figure in rugby. At a time when rugby officials express serious concerns about declining demographics and the imperative to engage younger spectators, a 28-year-old sevens player from a country where rugby holds minimal prominence appears to have found a solution. Online, she stands as the most prominent rugby player, regardless of gender, attributed to her humorous and spirited posts promoting femininity in its various expressions, body positivity, and Olympic village interactions. This article incorporates content supplied by TikTok. We request your consent prior to loading any material, as TikTok may utilize cookies and other technologies. Reviewing TikTok’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external is recommended before acceptance. To access this content, select ‘accept and continue’. She has graced the cover of Sports Illustrated and been featured in Forbes. Over the last several months, she participated in Dancing with the Stars, where she secured second place. The casting process for the US iteration of Strictly Come Dancing (known as Dancing with the Stars) is not a low-tier selection, unlike in some other nations. In the United States, prominent celebrities participate. Past seasons have seen boxing legends Evander Holyfield and Floyd Mayweather dance (though not as partners), NFL hall of famer Jerry Rice perform a cha-cha-cha, and World Cup winner Hope Solo compete before being eliminated. This year, it was Maher’s opportunity. And next year, it will be England’s moment. In January, Maher is set to commence her three-month contract with Bristol Bears in Premiership Women’s Rugby. This video can not be played Ilona Maher: Rugby allows you to express yourself in the fullest way possible Should this initial period prove successful, she plans to return in August for the Rugby World Cup in which the United States take on England in a blockbuster tournament opener. Prior to these events, her immediate objective has been to foster connections with her new teammates, having met them for the first time. England prop Hannah Botterman has already provided her with transportation around Bristol, and Maher specifically mentioned Wales wing Jasmine Joyce-Butchers – a former sevens opponent – along with England players Holly Aitchison and Abbie Ward, as other notable athletes she anticipates playing alongside. “Here is this girl coming in, playing sevens, from a dance show, joining their team and they have been so nice and welcoming,” Maher further commented. She expressed, “To be with some of the best players in the world, who play such a crisp game that I would love to play, I just know I am going to learn so much from them. I hope I am going to get up to that level.” Maher has emerged as a crossover celebrity, attending high-profile events like the Emmys. Her performance on the field will involve a period of adaptation, as Maher’s last XV-a-side rugby match was in 2021, having focused on sevens rugby due to its Olympic status and superior funding in the United States. However, some of her teammates will also gain insights from her. Maher, who holds a master’s degree in business, recognized early in her rugby career that her financial well-being would be directly tied to her social media follower numbers. “I have had to do it in a different way,” she stated. She elaborated, “Rugby is my thing, but I have had to create this whole other thing around me.” “Being on the pitch is amazing, but as a female athlete, as a female rugby player, I have to do 10 times as much off the field,” she explained. She continued, “I can’t just play the sport I love. I’m not going to make millions playing rugby, I’m not even going to make six figures playing rugby – that’s the sad truth.” “I’m not going to be like a men’s player – I can’t put all my focus here. I have to put it into everything else as well and somehow that’s translated into being the biggest star in rugby because of my personality,” she concluded. Historically, rugby has tended to avoid such individualism, prioritizing team cohesion over personal branding. However, Maher contends that the sport cannot afford to abstain from self-promotional social media engagement. “I think rugby is, in many ways, stuck in the old ways – on the field you have just got to work and that’s where it stops,” she further remarked. She emphasized, “But we have to grow as the world changes and as society changes. We want to get more players into the game – where are those players? They’re on TikTok. They’re scrolling the apps, they’re watching my little videos and going ‘oh, look at this girl play rugby’.” The exact date of her debut playing rugby for Bristol remains undetermined. She is scheduled to attend Bristol’s match against Exeter this weekend. The game against last season’s champions Gloucester-Hartpury on 5 January has been relocated from the 200-seater Shaftesbury Park to the 27,000-capacity Ashton Gate due to “unprecedented demand,” despite Maher quickly clarifying that she is improbable to be prepared for her debut at that time. Maher previously competed against some of her current teammates, including Jasmine Joyce-Butchers, during the United States’ victory over Great Britain at Paris 2024. While Maher the player might not participate, Ilona the personality will be present. The potential for stand selfie opportunities likely accounts for a significant portion of the attraction. “If I am what gets them in the door, awesome, but I hope that the rugby being played is what makes them stay,” she stated. She added, “Come for the TikTok girl, but stay for rugby which will be on par with the best.” Bristol, the Rugby World Cup organizers, and the broader rugby community will be observing, learning, and anticipating a positive response to that invitation. © 2024 BBC. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.