Beyond the Sidelines: Rugby World Cup 2025 Champions Emerging Female Photographers
NORTHAMPTON, UK – The roar of the crowd, the bone-jarring tackles, the elation of victory – these are the moments that define rugby. But what about the individuals capturing these fleeting instances of glory? At the Rugby world Cup 2025, a groundbreaking partnership between World Rugby and Getty Images is not only showcasing the sport but also nurturing the next generation of sports photographers, with a particular focus on empowering women behind the lens.
Fourteen undergraduate sports photography students from nottingham Trent University, including ten women, are experiencing a “dream come true” as they work pitchside at the Rugby World Cup 2025. This unique initiative pairs each student with a seasoned mentor, all under the guidance of Getty’s director of sport content, Laurence Griffiths.
“As part of this push to promote women’s rugby, we thought it was really important to get a big group of new content creators with a great female portrayal behind the lens,” griffiths explains. “Female content creators, photographing women’s sport; that’s really at the heart of it.”
Griffiths acknowledges the past gender imbalance in sports photography, noting, “It’s been quite a male-dominated profession. That is slowly starting to change, and with the rise of women’s soccer and women’s rugby, we’re seeing more of an uptake with young female content creators as well.”
For the students, the experience is transformative.Second-year student Shanni Davis is “almost speechless” about the opportunities she’s been given. “It’s been invaluable, what I’ve learned both shooting and editing. I’
