“Even in a country like England, where rugby is huge, the women’s game is still fighting for its place. “We’re training at 8:30 p.m. because our girls have full-time jobs,” Ilona Maher told The Guardian. Maher isn’t just speaking about the problem, but she’s living it. An Olympic medalist. A powerhouse on the pitch. A social media influencer of it. Yet, she still needed two jobs to make it work. Rugby gives her everything, but does it give her enough? A player who puts her body on the line for a sport that gives her everything… yet, at times, not nearly enough. But here’s the real question: Should an elite athlete—one of the best in her sport—need a second job just to make ends meet? Maher has something to say about it. And she’s not holding back!
Ilona Maher doesn’t sugarcoat it. Being a professional women’s rugby player isn’t exactly a dream financial setup. In her House of Maher podcast, she laid it all out—the love for the game, the sacrifices, and the brutal reality of pay gaps in women’s sports. “So we kind of made just like that decision from right from Dancing with the Stars to go out to England and start playing rugby here,” Maher shared. “And it, it’s been amazing because it’s also now set me up in the rugby space to show what I am, who I am as a figure in rugby.”
Maher made headlines when a record-breaking 9,420 fans showed up to watch her Premiership Women’s Rugby debut against defending champs Gloucester-Hartpury. The demand was so high that the match had to be moved to a bigger stadium. Before that, the club’s highest attendance was just 4,101 in May 2022 which meant Maher’s debut more than doubled the previous record. But despite the rising popularity, financial stability in women’s rugby is still far from a given.“It’s a weird battle I have to kind of deal with of like play rugby or do things outside that would make me so much more money,” she admitted. “Like if I could, I would just be an athlete. But I’ve said it so many times before, I’m just not gonna make, you know, money being an athlete.”
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Her sister chimed in, putting the stark contrast in perspective: “Male athletes, if you play in the NFL, you make a certain type of paycheck where you can just play the sport that you love. Whereas you’ve played the sport that you love while building stuff on the outside.” For context, the average NFL salary in 2024 is around $3.2 million, a steady rise from previous years, thanks to the league’s collective bargaining agreement. Meanwhile according to 2023 data, in the Premiership Women’s Rugby league, the team salary cap for the entire squad is just £190,000 ($240,000) which has to be split among 45 to 50 players. That means some of Maher’s teammates work full-time as doctors, nurses, and teachers while training late at night. “For a lot of ’em, it’s semi-professional. A lot of ’em aren’t getting paid. If they’re getting paid, it’s very little,” Maher explained. “We have doctors and nurses on our team and teachers. So like, we’re in rugby doing this for passion. But at what time can it be like for, as a job, as a career?”
Still, Maher has no regrets about making the move. “I think this was the best option for me. I’ve met so many great people. One of my favorites is Sarah Byrne, who’s, you know, one of the best players—my personal best player in the world, I think.” At the end of the day, she knows the toll rugby takes. “I’m putting my body on the line for something that is giving me a lot, but at times I feel like I’m giving it much more.”
Ilona Maher juggled two jobs
Ilona Maher wasn’t just tearing it up on the rugby field at the Tokyo Olympics—she was also taking over TikTok. The 24-year-old U.S. rugby player became an unexpected social media star, giving fans an unfiltered, hilarious look at life in the Olympic Village.
Her content? A mix of behind-the-scenes antics, self-deprecating humor, and brutally honest takes. Whether she was hyping up Team USA’s Ralph Lauren uniforms (bucket hat supremacy!), nervously debating whether to approach a group of Romanian volleyball players, or breaking down her teammates’ performances, Maher had everyone hooked.
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Her squad got in on the fun too. One viral clip of them testing the infamous cardboard beds? Over 6.8 million views. Another gem? A video appreciating teammate Joanne “Nana” Fa’avesi, the team’s unofficial hairstylist. “We would be lost without Nana Fa’avesi,” Maher captioned the clip.
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But juggling rugby and TikTok wasn’t easy. She admitted to spending up to six hours a day making content basically working two jobs at once. “I’m a Survivor” by Reba McEntire played over a clip of her filming, perfectly captured the grind.
Having Worked Two Jobs, Olympic Medalist Ilona Maher Voices Strong Opinions About Pay Disparity With Other Sports
