The agreement will give women’s university rugby its most comprehensive coverage to date, with every fixture streamed live alongside highlights from every game and access to Clubber TV’s live clipping tools for participating universities, from the start of the season next Wednesday (14 October).
Appleby, who won 65 England caps during her international career, has played a key role in the development of women’s rugby as both a player and coach. After helping establish the Gloucester-Hartpury women’s team, she built Exeter Chiefs Women from their launch in 2019, guided them to two Premiership Women’s Rugby finals and two Allianz Cup titles. She was also instrumental in strengthening the link between Exeter Chiefs and the University of Exeter, helping create a strong pathway between university and professional rugby.
She said: “This is a fantastic step forward for Women’s BUCS Super Rugby and for the players competing in it. To have every game streamed live means these players will have a much bigger platform to showcase their talent and for more people to discover the next generation of players coming through.
“The standard of women’s university rugby is incredibly strong, and the pathway into the professional game is becoming increasingly clear. We are seeing more and more players make that transition into Premiership Women’s Rugby and go on to represent their countries.
“I saw at Exeter and Gloucester-Hartpury how important the relationship between a university and a professional club can be in creating opportunities for players. Giving talented players the chance to develop in a strong university environment while having a clear pathway into the professional game can make a huge difference.
“Visibility is a huge part of growing any sport. Giving every player and every team the opportunity to be seen, followed and supported can only be positive for the women’s game.
“The opportunity to watch every Women’s BUCS Super Rugby fixture live is a major boost for the competition and for the players involved. There is a huge amount of talent within university rugby and this partnership will give those players the opportunity to be seen by a much wider audience.”
The strength of the women’s pathway is reflected in last season’s figures. Of the players who competed in Women’s BUCS Super Rugby, 49 also played in Premiership Women’s Rugby or the PWR Cup, with 27 featuring in PWR itself.
Players from five of the seven BUCS Super Rugby institutions were represented across six of the nine PWR clubs, while 15% of all Women’s BUCS Super Rugby players also played in PWR or the PWR Cup.
The university system has helped develop a host of leading international players, including England stars Ellie Kildunne, Zoe Aldcroft and Emma Sing, Wales internationals Gwen Crabb and Lleucu George, Scotland internationals Lisa Thomson and Rhona Lloyd, and Ireland international Nancy McGillivray.
Will Roberts, BUCS CEO, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Clubber TV for the next three years. Moving from around 20% of BUCS Super Rugby matches being streamed to every men’s and women’s fixture being available live is a huge step forward for university rugby.
“This is about much more than watching matches. It gives players greater visibility, gives universities more content to share, gives families and supporters the opportunity to follow their teams wherever they are and provides a bigger platform for the next generation of rugby talent.
“The women’s pathway is particularly exciting, with 49 players from Women’s BUCS Super Rugby last season also featuring in Premiership Women’s Rugby or the PWR Cup, including 27 who played in PWR itself. This partnership will help showcase that talent and give the women’s competition the coverage it deserves.
“Clubber shares our ambition to make student sport more accessible, engaging and sustainable, and we’re excited about what this partnership can do for BUCS Super Rugby and university sport.”
Women’s games will also be selected as part of 18 matches that will be broadcast free-to-air, starting next week when Edinburgh host Cardiff Met.
The Women’s BUCS Super Rugby season kicks off on 14 October with a series of compelling clashes across the country, all live on Clubber TV:
- Brunel vs Exeter
- Cardiff vs Surrey
- Edinburgh vs Cardiff Met - Free to air
- Hartpury vs Loughborough - moved to 4 November 2026
The partnership will also give supporters greater access to the competition through a schedule of 18 free-to-air fixtures, with one home match from each participating team available without a subscription.
Students and supporters will also be able to access an exclusive discount on Clubber TV season passes during the opening weeks of the partnership. The season pass will include access to Clubber’s coverage of Champ Rugby, with profits from the BUCS partnership reinvested into the university rugby system.
Lar Doyle, COO of Clubber TV, said: “We are committed to giving women’s sport the platform and visibility it deserves, and this partnership with BUCS is a significant part of that commitment.
“Women’s BUCS Super Rugby is producing outstanding rugby and some of the players coming through the competition will go on to have significant careers in the professional and international game. We want to help tell those stories and give players the opportunity to build an audience around their performances.
“Showing every women’s fixture live is a major step forward. It means players, teams, families, supporters and universities can follow the competition throughout the season, while giving women’s rugby the consistent coverage that is so important to growing its audience.
“For Clubber TV, this is about more than streaming matches. We want to play a role in creating sustainable opportunities for women’s sport and helping more people discover the next generation of players.”
