Ilona Maher ‘loves being a superstar’ as Bristol signing looks to grow the game
Share:
Ilona Maher hopes she can inspire and elevate more players to superstar status in women’s rugby. Olympic sevens bronze medallist Maher announced her arrival in English rugby by helping Bristol Bears generate a club-record crowd for a women’s game of just over 9,000 at Ashton Gate.
Her eagerly anticipated debut against Premiership champions Gloucester-Hartpury attracted fans from Kentucky and Washington DC, while Maher spent more than an hour after the game signing autographs and posing for pictures. With more than eight million followers across Instagram and TikTok, 28-year-old American back Maher is the world’s most followed rugby player on social media.
She will undoubtedly make a major impact during her three-month stay with Bristol, then potentially the England-hosted Women’s World Cup later this year when Maher hopes to be part of the United States squad. Her commitment to the sport, enthusiasm for it and engagement with supporters makes her a box-office ticket.
“I love being a superstar,” she said. “People call me a superstar of rugby, but that’s not enough for the sport. We can’t just have one superstar, we need to have more, we need to have people connecting with so many different players. “We can’t just have one superstar, we need to have more, we need to have people connecting with so many different players, and that is what will grow our game.
