History is set to be made when Harlequins Rugby Club attempts to end an epic year of women’s sport by breaking its own world record for the highest number of fans attending a club women’s sport match as part of its landmark annual Big Game event at Twickenham on Saturday 30 December.
With the festive fixture set to be the last major women’s sports event of 2023, Harlequins has teamed up with the Harlequins Foundation, the club’s charitable arm, to launch the 2023 Women In Sport Heroes List, or WISH List, a stellar line-up of the top 10 women’s sport stars who took this year by storm.
The WISH List was voted on by 25 schools linked to the Harlequins Foundation*, with pupils from one of the schools partaking, Richmond Upon Thames School in South West London, attending the launch event at Harlequin’s Twickenham Stoop stadium. The school children were joined by Harlequins Women’s players Bryony Cleall, Flo Robinson and Makeda Lewis, and held posters of the world beating women’s sport stars aloft in celebration.
Comprising sporting superstars like Lioness and World Cup runner up goalkeeper Mary Earps, Heptathlon World Champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson and World Rugby Women’s Player of the Year Marlie Packer, the WISH List was announced in advance of the rugby club’s attempt to beat the current world record attendance of 20,000 at a women’s club rugby match.
For a full list of the top 10 women’s sports star of 2023 (in no particular order), please see below.
Top 10 2023 Women In Sport Heroes List:
· Tammy Beaumont – Cricketer, PCA Women’s Cricket Player of the Year
· Mia Brookes – Snowboarder, 16-year-old Snowboard Slopestyle World Champion
· Chantelle Cameron – Boxer, Defeated Katie Taylor to become Undisputed Super Lightweight Boxing Champion
· Mary Earps – England football player, FIFA World Cup runner-up, and FIFA Golden Glove winner
· Jessica Gadirova – Gymnast, 3 x European Gymnastic Gold Medallist, first woman to do so since 2004
· Alex Greenwood – England football player, FIFA World Cup runner-up, and Team of the Tournament defender
· Helen Housby – Netball player, England Netball World Cup finalist, World Cup Player of the Tournament
· Katarina Johnson-Thompson – Athlete, Heptathlon World Champion
· Imani-Lara Lansiquot, Asha Philip, Bianca Williams, and Daryll Neita – Athletes, World Championships 4 x 100m Bronze medallists
· Marlie Packer – Rugby player, World Rugby Women’s Player of the Year, WXV & Six Nations Champion
Commenting on the WISH List and a massive year for women’s sport, Harlequins Women’s and England Women’s Rugby Player Bryony Cleall said: “It has been a big year and there are so many women we should celebrate and shout about. It was great reading through the 2023 Women In Sport Heroes List and remembering the impact every single woman had on the sporting landscape. I hope they all realise they have inspired so many people and I am glad the spotlight is being shone on them once more.”
“We had a record-breaking crowd for Big Game 14, and this year we want to go bigger, looking to get over 20,000 spectators into Twickenham to see our match with Gloucester-Hartpury. Looking through the WISH list has given us all the energy we need to deliver an electric performance in front of another record crowd at the home of English rugby!”
The WISH List launches as the world’s biggest club rugby event returns to London on Saturday 30 December with Big Game 15 set to light up the post-Christmas gloom with pulsating back-to-back rugby matches, family entertainment and world-class performances.
As well as seeing Harlequins Women’s rugby team take to the pitch, fans looking to beat the festive hangover can look forward to seeing the Men’s team take on Gloucester Rugby in the end of year contest.
Big Game is renowned for putting on a show and this year, Harlequins is keeping it loud with best-selling DJ Joel Corry performing live on the pitch between the exciting rugby encounters. With 2.5 billion streams and five top 10 singles to his name, Joel Corry follows in the footsteps of musical royalty, with previous Harlequins events at Twickenham Stadium having hosted global DJs Pete Tong, Faithless and Kaiser Chiefs.
