Breaking Barriers in Women’s Rugby – Exclusive Interview With Ella Amory
- May 6, 2025
- 5 min read
Ella Amory is a professional rugby player. She grew up in a traditional family that valued academic success, but Ella had a different vision. At just 18 years old, she left home to pursue her dream of playing professional rugby. She placed enormous pressure on herself to succeed, not only to prove her family wrong but also to show people back home that there is a future in women’s rugby. Today, she wants other girls to have the opportunity to connect with clubs around the world with just a few clicks, giving them the chance to follow their dreams.
Ella Amory, Professional Rugby Player
Introduce yourself! Please tell us about yourself and your life, so we can get to know you better.
My name is Ella Amory. I was born and raised in Brussels, Belgium, in a family of doctors and academics. My dad is an engineer, my mum is a radiologist, my brothers are surgeons and my sister a psychiatrist. Growing up, the expectation was clear: I was going to be a doctor too. So when I said I wanted to be a “rugby doctor,” it was a bit of a curveball. But it turns out that wasn’t really the full story. Rugby wasn’t just a hobby. It became my path.
I discovered rugby at age 10 thanks to my best friend Anthony. I joined Boitsfort Rugby Club, fell in love with the game, and never looked back. I moved to the UK alone to trial for Harlequins Women and ended up playing in the Allianz Premiership, all thanks to a few key connections. But that journey also exposed a massive gap in the women’s game. Opportunities weren’t just about talent. They were about who you knew. And I knew that needed to change.
I’m passionate about women’s rugby, about fairness, and about building something that makes this sport better for the next generation. Outside of rugby, I love cooking, coffee, traveling, and time with my friends and family. I’m competitive, but I care deeply. I work hard, and I keep things simple, no fluff, just impact.
What inspired you to create Offload, and how did the idea initially come to life?
Offload was born on a brutally hot, six-hour train ride in Italy, 35°C, no charger, nowhere to sit. I was coming back from a friend’s wedding and opened a notebook my dad had given me with "RUELCO" written on the front: The Rugby Ella Company. I started sketching ideas to help international women’s players settle in the UK. But then it hit me, this didn’t need to be a small thing. What if I made something scalable that could reach anyone, anywhere?
That’s how Offload started. A platform that connects female players to clubs, universities and unions globally based on what they can do, not who they know. Because rugby should be about merit, not privilege.
How does Offload differentiate itself from other platforms connecting players, clubs, and unions?
Offload is built for women’s rugby by someone who’s lived the grind. We’re not just a marketplace, we’re building a movement. Players create digital CVs with their highlights, stats, and experience. Clubs can recruit globally, universities can find their next scholars, and unions can track eligibility with transparency. Most platforms ignore women’s pathways or treat women’s rugby like an afterthought. Offload puts us at the center.
We're also uniquely human. I’ve had direct conversations with hundreds of players and clubs. I know what they’re missing and we build to solve that.
What challenges did you face while building a platform that caters to multiple stakeholders in rugby?
Time, funding, and wearing too many hats. I’ve built this from scratch designing, networking, marketing, managing development, customer support it’s all me for now. Getting buy-in from both clubs and players at the same time is also a challenge: one won’t come without the other.
And in women’s rugby, we’re still building trust. A lot of people haven’t had a support system before. They’re used to doing it all themselves. So I’ve had to prove Offload isn’t just another thing, it’s their thing.
How do you ensure that player data and communication remain secure and transparent on the platform?
We don’t sell player data, ever. All communications stay in-platform, and both sides must agree to connect. It’s built to be transparent, not transactional. Players control their profiles, their preferences, and their visibility. Integrity is a core value for me, and I’ve built Offload to reflect that.
What impact have you seen Offload have on the global rugby community so far?
Offload is still young, but we’re already opening doors. Players are connecting with clubs across the world and not just Tier 1 countries. We’re seeing athletes from Australia talk to clubs in France, Belgians connect with Greece, and grassroots unions now have a way to track and support their players overseas. I want the women’s game to feel like a small world, where in three clicks, you can sort your next season. We’re not quite there yet, but we’re building that bridge.
What future innovations or features can users expect from Offload in the coming years?
I want Offload to be the hub for everything in women’s rugby. Player profiles are just the beginning. We’re building coaching resources, recruitment analytics, eligibility tracking, visa support, and funding guides, the kind of tools that can turn raw talent into real careers.
One of the areas I’m especially passionate about is university access. There are so many young girls around the world who could use their rugby talent to earn scholarships, study abroad, and build a future, but they simply don’t know where to start. I want Offload to shine a light on those pathways. We’re developing features to help players discover university opportunities linked to rugby, understand what’s required, and connect with the right programs. It’s not just about playing, it’s about unlocking education, growth, and global opportunity through the sport.
Tell us about your greatest career achievement so far.
Honestly? It’s Offload. I’ve taken my savings, my time, my network, and every ounce of drive I have and poured it into something that didn’t exist before. And already, it’s connecting people across continents. I’m proud of what I’ve done on the field, but this is the legacy I want to build.
If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why?
I’d break the gatekeeping. Rugby should be based on talent and hard work, not who you know. Too many players, especially women, miss out on life-changing opportunities because no one’s watching their corner of the world. I want to level the playing field. I want girls from anywhere to know they can and that someone’s finally built the bridge.
Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today.
Packing my bags for England after my coach Daffyd helped me trial for Harlequins. That one moment, a conversation, a connection changed my entire life. But it shouldn’t take luck. It shouldn’t take knowing the right people. That was the moment I realized: rugby gave me everything. One day, I was going to give something back. Offload is how I do that.
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