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Ilona Maher is one of the biggest global superstars of rugby. Recently, the American extended her gratitude to fans of the sport and penned a heartfelt note explaining why she spends so much time interacting with audiences after her games.
Maher has typically excelled as a rugby sevens player, leading Team USA to a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics in the event. However, the 28-year-old has recently turned her focus to the rugby 15s format and was named to the team that would compete at the Pacific Four Series.
At the Pacific Four Series, Maher and co. suffered one-sided defeats in all three of their games, falling to Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. However, Ilona Maher stayed back after each game, interacting with fans, signing autographs, and taking pictures.
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On Saturday, the rugby superstar took to Instagram to thank her fans for the massive attendance at their games and explain why she spends so much time connecting with the audience, writing,
"’Why do you spend so much time with the fans after the final whistle?’ Because they are also the ones changing the game. They are buying the tickets, showing up, and cheering for us. We want more people to play rugby but almost just as important: we need people supporting it. For the women's game to grow, we need to grow our fanbase. We need more seats filled to show the value that we know we have.”
She went on to urge fans to run a ‘pyramid scheme’ of people supporting women's sports, and encouraged them to show out on the field regardless of whether she was present or not.
“Our fanbase can be a lot different than the men but that's what makes it so cool. A massive thank you to the men/boys showing up and showing out. Thanks for seeing that the game is still extremely fun to watch no matter who is playing it. Please buy the ticket and then invite your friend and get them to buy a ticket. Run a pyramid scheme of people supporting women's sports. We need you all to grow our game no matter if I'm on the field or not.”
Ilona Maher shares a hilarious moment with fellow rugby star Krissy Scurfield
Over the course of her career, Ilona Maher has been vocal about female rugby players needing to engage with a larger fan base outside of rugby in order to grow the sport as well as their own brand. Maher herself rose to fame in 2020 when she began sharing glimpses of an athlete's life in the Olympic Village.
Since then, the American has become a global star who regularly interacts with her fans on social media. Recently, Maher shared a hilarious moment of herself and fellow rugby star Krissy Scurfield. In a video posted on Instagram, Ilona Maher can be seen forcing Scurfield into taking an ideal selfie, with text over the video reading 'trying to spread my social media knowledge with other rugby players’.
On the field, Ilona Maher’s 2025 has seen her return to the rugby 15s event. She kicked off her year competing in the Premiership Women's League, and has since represented Team USA at trh Pacific Four Series. Up next, the Olympic medalist will be hoping to make the team for the upcoming Rugby World Cup.
