Wasps Women are a women's

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

based in

Acton, London Acton () is a town and area in west London, England, within the London Borough of Ealing. It is west of Charing Cross. At the 2011 census, its four wards, East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton and Southfield, had a population of 62,480, a ...

, England. They were founded in 1984 and play in the

Premier 15s The Premier 15s, currently known for sponsorship purposes as the Allianz Premier 15s, is the top tier of the women's English rugby union domestic league system run by the Rugby Football Union (RFU). The league was created mainly from teams in ...

. They are the women's team of

Wasps FC {{Infobox rugby team , teamname = Wasps Football Club , nickname = , image = WaspsFC1867.png , colours = Black and yellow , fullname = , founded = 1867 , ground = Twyford Avenue Sports Ground , capacity = , location = ...

, who are affiliated to

Premiership Rugby Premiership Rugby, officially known as Gallagher Premiership Rugby, or the Gallagher Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is an English professional rugby union competition. The Premiership has consisted of thirteen clubs since 2021, and is the ...

team

Wasps A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. ...

. They play their home matches at Wasps FC's Twyford Avenue Sports Ground.

History

Wasps Women was founded in 1984 by Sue Martineau and have played in the top flight of English women's rugby union since 1991 as they were not involved in the first season of the Women's Premiership in 1990. In 1992, they won the Women's National 7s title. They have won league titles including three consecutive wins between 2001 and 2004, including a league and cup double in 2004. Aside of their local rivalries with fellow London clubs

Saracens Women Saracens Women ( /ˈsærəsənz/) are a women's rugby union club based in Hendon, London, England. They were founded in 1989 and currently play in the Premier 15s, the top level competition of women's rugby in the country. Saracens are the m ...

and

Richmond Women Richmond Women, formally Finchley RFC, is a women's rugby union team based in Richmond, London, England. They were founded in 1986 and played in the Women's Premiership. They are also the women's team of Richmond F.C. History Richmond Women we ...

, Wasps Women also have a rivalry with Bristol Bears Women, formally Clifton Ladies. Wasps Women run two teams with Wasps Women II playing in Championship 2 South West after being relegated from Championship 1 South in 2013. Being affiliated to Wasps, Wasps Women have played matches at the

Coventry Building Society Arena The Coventry Building Society Arena (often shortened to the CBS Arena or just simply Coventry Arena, and formerly known as the Ricoh Arena) is a complex in Coventry, England. It includes a 32,609-seater stadium which is currently home to footb ...

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...

and Wasps' former home ground, Adams Park in

High Wycombe High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye, Buckinghamshire, River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, ...

, Buckinghamshire. Wasps Women also take part in charity games, including playing against Guernsey Ladies in

Sark Sark (french: link=no, Sercq, ; Sercquiais: or ) is a part of the Channel Islands in the southwestern English Channel, off the coast of Normandy, France. It is a royal fief, which forms part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, with its own set of ...

. In July 2021; in line with a company wide rebrand, the team were rebranded Wasps Women having previously been called Wasps Ladies.

Notable players

Wasps Women have provided a number of players for international teams. Sue Day and Shelley Rae played for both Wasps Women and the

England women's national rugby union team The England women's national rugby union team, also known as the Red Roses, represents England in women's international rugby union. They compete in the annual Women's Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. ...

. Stephanie Te Ohaere-Fox played for both Wasps Women and the

New Zealand women's national rugby union team The New Zealand women's rugby union team, called the Black Ferns, represents New Zealand in women's international rugby union, which is regarded as the country's national sport. The team has won six out of nine Women's Rugby World Cup tournamen ...

References

{{Premier 15s Women's rugby union teams in England Rugby clubs established in 1984 Women's sports teams in London