Bath to apply for Premier 15s licence from 2023

Bath are one of five clubs in the 13-team men's Premiership that do not have a Premier 15s side

Bath are to apply for a licence to have a Premier 15s team.

The Premiership club are teaming up with Bath Rugby Ladies to develop a women's team and bring through youth players.

They are the second men's Premiership club in three weeks to reveal plans for a women's team, after London Irish.

"Women and girls don't have a clear pathway to the professional game," Bath chief executive Tarquin McDonald said.

"It's one of the biggest barriers to entry and one of the many stark comparisons against the men's game."

The licence period for the 10 clubs currently in the Premier 15s concludes in the summer of 2023.

Every three years, the Rugby Football Union opens a bidding process for clubs to have a team in the league, meaning there is no promotion or relegation.

Exeter and Sale were awarded new licences in 2020, joining the league at the expense of Richmond and Firwood Waterloo Ladies.

The new clubs made their debuts this season, with Exeter finishing sixth and Sale ninth.

There are currently five men's Premiership clubs without a side in the Premier 15s - Bath, Irish, Newcastle, Leicester and Northampton.

Bath Rugby Ladies play in the Championship South - the second tier of the women's game in England.

"This is a significant moment for women's rugby in the region," said the club's head coach John Gould.

"We have made huge strides on and off the field, recruiting over 100 members thanks to the efforts of Bath RFC, our players and volunteers, and the RFU's Inner Warrior programme.

"This opportunity with Bath Rugby will now help us accelerate those efforts, ultimately putting us on a path to the Premiership and encouraging more women and girls to take up the sport, developing future talent."