England women: Rugby Football Union offers new contracts with 'significant enhancements'
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England, who lost the last World Cup final to New Zealand, will be better resourced heading into the 2025 event on home soil
England's women have been offered new deals with "significant enhancements", the Rugby Football Union says.
91热爆 Sport understands the contracts contain a big pay rise, although the RFU does not disclose player salaries.
Contracts running up to three years - mainly one-year deals were offered before - are among the improvements, while the number of players contracted will increase by two to 32.
England - beaten finalists last time - will host the next World Cup in 2025.
The Red Roses won the 2023 Six Nations Grand Slam and the players offered the new contracts will be announced by the RFU in July.
England and Bristol prop Sarah Bern described the contracts as a "great development" and "a reflection of how far things have moved on in the women's game".
The RFU says other "enhancements" include improved match fees, better opportunities for off-field development and agreements around "revenue sharing if business targets are exceeded".
Despite not yet having taken over the team, future Red Roses head coach John Mitchell was involved in the debate about the new contracts, alongside England coaches Louis Deacon, Lou Meadows and Sarah Hunter, with input from RFU executive director of performance Conor O'Shea and head of women's performance Charlie Hayter.
Christian Day, the general secretary of the Rugby Players Association, was also involved in the contract talks and described them as "ground breaking".
Day added: "As the world's number one ranked women's team, the Red Roses have long been trendsetters in terms of both on-field performance and the off-field support made available to players.
"To maintain this position, and indeed to continue to grow the gap as other nations seek to level up, it was vital that the players' contracts would be advanced at a time of unprecedented growth and opportunity for women's rugby."
Alongside the 32 players on full-time contracts, there will also be six transition contracts to "support aspiring Red Roses".