Visitor numbers reflect huge success of West Northants Rugby World Cup activities

10 October 2025

The outstanding success of the Women’s Rugby World Cup (WRWC) brought tens of thousands of people together to enjoy world-class sport, community events, and live entertainment, latest figures have confirmed.

According to recent analysis on the event’s impact in Northampton, nearly 10,000 people attended the Women’s Rugby World Cup Fan Zones in the Market Square this summer, with a further 48,500 people watching the matches at Franklins Gardens. In addition to this around 2,000 people attended the Rugbyfest in Abington Park with over 1,000 people involved with the two trophy tours which took place in February 2025 and May 2025.

The tournament delivered a significant boost for local hospitality and businesses, with four international teams staying in West Northamptonshire, seeing hotels benefitting from long-term team stays of up to a month. Thousands of additional visitors also filled local hotels, booked restaurants, and supported high street businesses, leaving a positive lasting impact on the local economy - with business owners telling the Council they were pleased with the event and that their sales increased during the duration of the tournament.

Northampton’s Grosvenor Shopping Centre also reported a significant uplift in visitors, welcoming more than 120,000 people in the first week of September - the highest number outside of the busy December period for over 18 months, and a 20% rise compared with the same week last year.

The extensive Rugby World Cup activities spanned 12 months and were delivered by WNC using a modest budget of £35,000, specifically ringfenced for sports, leisure and culture events.  The remaining costs of the activities were funded externally through strong local partnerships and the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Funding (UKSPF). During the tournament, WNC also received £10,000 income from Rugby World Cup for the hire of the Claret Car Park, further offsetting costs.

“The Women’s Rugby World Cup was a fantastic opportunity to showcase West Northamptonshire at its very best - full of energy, pride and community spirit. We are proud to have been able to deliver such a wide-reaching programme of events on a modest budget alongside effective use of external funding, ensuring exceptional value for money and lasting community benefit for our residents.

“It’s been wonderful to have created a lasting legacy from this tournament and to see more women and girls getting involved in sport and we look forward to building on this momentum for the future.”

Cllr Mark Arnull, Leader of West Northamptonshire Council

The WRWC programme was made possible through collaboration with a wide range of local organisations, community groups, and businesses, all of whom helped to bring the celebrations to life.

“We feel so privileged to have been part of the Women’s Rugby World Cup with our Yarn Bomb Art project. It provided us with a wonderful opportunity to bring members, from across the county together to work on such a fantastic project - they worked tirelessly on designs and ideas to make it eye catching and memorable for the visitors coming to the town. We wanted visitors to see how proud we are of Northamptonshire and what it means to us.

“The WI ethos is all about friendship, community and education and we saw an abundance of that throughout our twelve months of working on this project. Not only did it create a sense of belonging it gave us the chance to share our skills and knowledge with so many other people.

“We have had so many wonderful comments from visitors to the county as they wandered along the route to see our displays in St James and Northampton Town Centre. Furthermore, we have developed new working relationships with both statutory and voluntary organisations and increased our profile across the county and beyond.”

Chris Carr, Chairman of Northamptonshire County Federation of WIs

The success of the WRWC activity has already inspired a wave of ongoing engagement projects including new weekly touch rugby sessions for women of all abilities, delivered by Northampton Saints utilising £5,000 of UKSPF funding, ensuring the spirit and legacy of the tournament lives on across West Northamptonshire.

Visitor analysis showed that the events drew a broad demographic mix, attracting traditional rugby fans as well as families and older women, with many visitors staying longer, reflecting a strong social and cultural atmosphere. Catchment data also revealed that people travelled from across Northamptonshire and neighbouring counties, positioning the town as a regional hub for sport and culture.

The breakdown of analysis by pfbb UK using BT’s Location Insights data shows: 

• On Sunday 24 August 2025, 1,500 people attended the Fan Zone, with an increase of people seen across the wider town centre +10.6% compared to the previous year.
• On Saturday 30 August 2025, 2,500 people attended the Fan Zone with an + 8% increase across the town centre compared to the previous year.
• On Sunday 31 August 2025, 1,700 people attended the Fan Zone with an +8.0% increase for the wider town centre compared to the previous year.
• On Sunday 7 September 2025, the fourth Fan Zone, coinciding with the Northampton Music Festival, had 2,200 people attending, showing a +5.8% across the wider town centre compared to the previous year.
• On Sunday 27 September 2025, the fifth Fan Zone showing the Red Roses win the Final at Twickenham, had over 2,000 people attending, showing  +6.3% across the wider town compared to the previous year.