Leicester’s women’s programme promotes the sport within the city, Leicestershire and the surrounding areas and has partnerships with Lichfield’s regional team, Nottingham University and the UXI international women’s rugby institute, which aims to provide a pathway to PWR.
Their six-year plan, Project Genesis, has the ambition of making the team self-sustaining and “the leading force in the women’s game” by 2027.
Tigers chief executive Andrea Pinchen previously said that more than £750,000 had been invested in the programme, building on figures showing a 17% year-on-year participation in the women’s game in the UK and an increase from 25,000 to 40,000 adult women playing rugby in England over five years.
“We’re super excited but the pressure’s now on because we’ve got that funding,” Goatcher said.
“We’ve got to go and make it work now. It’s put us in a place where we can be really excited for next season.
“I’m really pleased that we’ve retained most of the core squad and there are some exciting signing announcements to come pretty soon, so there are big things coming.”
Leicester’s final away match of the season is against 15-time top-flight champions Saracens at Twickenham Stoop on Saturday (14:30 BST), followed by a finale at home to Loughborough Lightning on 7 June (15:30).
That game will take place at the Welford Road home of the club’s men’s team, where the women’s side made their debut days after their first-ever fixture in September 2022.
