PLAYING WITH… ILONA MAHER
Bristol Bears full-back and Wales international Jenny Hesketh describes the incredible, seismic impact of US rugby superstar and all-round social media queen Ilona Maher joining the Bears, and becoming their high-profile teammate this year.
Having signed for them last December, Maher joined them in January to get ready for the Rugby World Cup. Things started to sizzle on her debut in front of a sold-out Ashton Gate, and on her first start – against Exeter Chiefs – she scored her first try.
Finally, she completed her club contract in March before focusing on the USA Eagles World Cup campaign. Safe to say she left an indelible mark on the Bears and their fans, as Jenny Hesketh (below, centre, with Maher and Bears teammates Reneeqa Bonner and Simi Pan) explains…
It was back in December 2024 that the Bristol Bears players discovered that the Olympic Sevens star Ilona Maher was joining us. Although there were many rumours around Ilona’s move to play in the PWR (Premiership Women’s Rugby), it was only announced to us at Bristol that Ilona was signed by the club a few hours before it was made public.
There was a buzz around the team, but also slight apprehension as to what her arrival would mean for the squad and our audience.
Huge Impact
Within just three hours, between the public announcement and when we finished our squad training for the evening (2nd December 2024), we saw our Bears Women Instagram following increase by over 10,000 followers.
By the following day, it had doubled again, to 40,000 followers. This immediately made it clear the impact that her signing was going to have – and left us excited.
Ilona arrived at Bears already as the most followed rugby player across the world, having massively grown her platform during the Paris 2024 Olympics when USA won a Bronze medal in Rugby Sevens.
We knew she was a great athlete on the pitch, standing out for her strength, power and skillset in the Sevens’ world.
The way she uses her profiles on social media show her authenticity as an individual away from the pitch, as she leads the narratives around body positivity and the importance of creating relatable content in engaging new audiences in women’s sport.
The way she uses her profiles on social media show her authenticity as an individual away from the pitch, as she leads the narratives around body positivity and the importance of creating relatable content in engaging new audiences in women’s sport.
Record Breakers
Then her debut in January 2025 brought a record-breaking crowd. Women’s rugby audiences are so diverse, and to have this crowd take over Ashton Gate for our standalone Bears Women’s game was really cool.
There was so much more fan engagement prior to the match, and the whole Bears team were involved in the day.
It felt like we were so much more visible as role models for our fans – which was powerful – to know how much of an impact we can have.
Ilona came over to Bears to increase her 15’s experience, with ambitions to make the USA World Cup Squad (above, left – and in action against England’s Red Roses, below, centre). She came into the environment asking questions, wanting to learn on the go and throw herself into it.
It felt like we were so much more visible as role models for our fans – which was powerful – to know how much of an impact we can have
Well Connected
As a double Olympian and having competed for USA Sevens on the World Series for six years prior to this, Ilona brought professionalism and confidence in her skillset.
Alongside this, she wanted to connect with the squad and make sure she put the work in to have a positive influence on our environment.
Alongside the rugby, a priority for her was to use her platform to increase the outreach we all had, wanting to share and make content with teammates, and let her followers get to know us all as individuals.
Outside of squad socials, we went out for food quite a lot – Ilona wanted to try the best places near us as she’s a big foodie. On the odd Wednesday, our day away from training (above, right), myself, Berner [Sarah Bern, above left front] and Ilona went to a swing dance class in South Bristol, and that was fun!
On the odd Wednesday – our day away from training – myself, Berner [Sarah Bern] and Ilona went to a swing dance class in South Bristol, and that was fun!
All Change
We finished the season losing in the semi-final to Gloucester Hartpury, a repeat of the previous year’s final, which was gutting. With Amber Reed retiring, Ilona leaving and a few big squad changes coming, but also a really exciting summer of women’s sport and the Rugby World Cup to look forward to, it was a weird time.
Ilona headed back to USA to compete in the Pacific Four 15’s campaign, so she was onto her next big tournament. By the time PWR season ended, our Bears Women Instagram following was now sitting at over 100,000 followers.
The audience Ilona brought with her left a big impact on the club and our profile as a team across the world – and that was really cool.
Photos: Jenny Hesketh, Bristol Bears/PWR, Rugby World Cup
You may also like our interview with England captain, Zoe Aldcroft: https://thenewwomenssportmagazine.com/its-our-turn-now-exclusive-interview-with-red-roses-captain-zoe-aldcroft/
