Rollie delighted by game- changing pro contracts
SCOTLAND full- back Chloe Rollie believes the agreement of professional contracts between the SRU and the bulk of the national squad will make a “massive” difference to women’s rugby in this country.
Rollie and 27 of her team- mates have signed the new deals, which run until November next year and are worth an average of £ 25,000 according to a Murrayfield source.
The contracts have primacy over any other agreements, but players will still be able to earn additional money by turning out for club sides or by continuing to work outside of rugby, provided such activities do not get in the way of their Scotland duties.
There will also continue to be a separate “National Team Agreement” which will provide further funding for everyone – contracted or not – who is called up by the Scotland squad.
The squad who represented Scotland at the recent Rugby World Cup in New Zealand had short- term contracts to cover their preparations for the tournament as well as the competition itself, while Rollie and a few others have had central contracts in the past. However, this is the first time that the governing body have issued longerterm contracts to such a large number.
“The chance to be professional is massive,” Rollie said yesterday. “It’s what I’ve been waiting for, and personally I didn’t think it would come within my playing time. For it to happen is huge.
“We’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time. We’ve been waiting to be categorised as professional. The onus is on us to improve as individuals and I think everyone will take the challenge with both hands.”
As well as the financial benefit to individuals, the new contracts will help the women’s game to be taken more seriously by more people, according to Rollie.
“I think in the past it was more of a hobby for women, and people on the outside knew that as well, so maybe didn’t take it as seriously,” she continued. “But over the time I’ve been here, since seven years ago when I first played for Scotland, the difference is huge – with support, with people watching, it’s night and day.
“And I think people will take it a lot more seriously. There’s a lot more engagement on social media and I think this is a massive push in the right direction.”
While the new contracts are for just under a year, it is anticipated that they will be renewed at around the same level.
Like Rollie, Jim Mallinder, Scottish Rugby’s director of high perform- ance, believes the contracts represent significant progress for the women’s game.
“This is a landmark moment for the women’s performance programme and these contracts are a significant first step in a long- term journey towards professionalising the women’s game,” he said. “Today’s announcement will provide a crucial boost ahead of the TikTok Women’s Six Nations Championship and the launch of the new global women’s competition, WXV, as we aim to ensure that we can compete and challenge the top teams on the world stage.”
Three members of the national squad, Rhona Lloyd, Lisa Thomson and Shona Campbell, have signed contracts with the Team GB Sevens programme for the coming year. However, they will still be considered for selection when available, as will anyone else who does not have an SRU contract.
Several other internationals have yet to decide whether to sign the contracts on offer. Hannah Smith is the only member of the World Cup squad who has since announced her retirement from international rugby.
“I do expect some of our women to decide they want to work rather than take up the contract offer,” Mallinder added. “But if you decide to do fulltime work, you may find over time that the standard of rugby will increase and ultimately you won’t get picked for the national team.”