BRISTOL, England (AP) — American rugby star Ilona Maher made her debut for the Bristol Bears women’s team on Sunday before a record-breaking home crowd of 9,240 spectators.
Despite her considerable online following—Maher is known as “the most followed rugby player on the planet”—Bristol lost to the reigning champion Gloucester-Hartpury, 40-17, in a Premiership Women’s Rugby match.
Introduced as a substitute in the 61st minute, with Bristol already trailing 28-10, Maher contributed to several rucks and actively sought opportunities on the wing. However, her 20 minutes of playing time had limited impact on the game’s outcome.
The previous attendance record for a Bristol women’s home game was 4,101, set in May 2022 against Harlequins. The significant anticipation surrounding Maher’s debut prompted Bristol to move the match from a smaller venue to Ashton Gate to accommodate the high demand for tickets.
The 28-year-old Maher, a bronze medalist in rugby sevens at the Paris Olympics with the U.S. team, has signed a three-month contract with the southwestern England club. She began training with Bristol in December, following the announcement of her signing, before returning to the United States for the holidays.
Maher boasts over 8 million followers across Instagram and TikTok and was a finalist on “Dancing With The Stars.”
The Vermont native is returning to the 15-a-side game to improve her chances of being selected for the U.S. team at the 2025 Rugby World Cup in England. She is capable of playing wing or center.
Bristol also highlighted the attendance as a record for a stand-alone Premiership game. Harlequins, the league leader, reported a record-breaking attendance of 18,055 for their December 28th match against Leicester Tigers (42-17 victory), though this was part of a doubleheader with the men’s team at Twickenham Stadium.
