Ilona Maher drops 3-word reaction to Kingsholm Stadium name change for Bristol Bears-Gloucester-Hartpury PWR semifinal clash

The bronze Olympic medalist, Ilona Maher, has become a prominent player of the Premiership Women's Rugby League team, the Bristol Bears. She recently shared her thoughts on the Kingsholm Stadium name swap through her Instagram post.

Maher is an iconic rugby player who plays center for the USA Eagles. During the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Eagles made history by winning the first Olympic medal in the sport. Kingsholm Stadium, the home stadium of the Gloucester-Hartpury Women, has been temporarily named Queensholm Stadium for the semi-final of PWR against the Bristol Bears.

Through her Instagram post, the three-time National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) champion shared her views on the changed name and expressed her reaction in three words, mentioning:

“Absolutely love this”

Screenshot of Ilona Maher's Instagram story | Credits: IG/ @ilonamaher

Maher signed with the Premiership Women's Rugby League team, the Bristol Bears, on a three-month contract in December 2024. For her debut match against the Gloucester-Hartpury Women, the venue had to be shifted from Shaftesbury Park to Ashton Gate to accommodate 9,240 people, which was the club record in attendance.

The Bristol Bears face the Gloucester-Hartpury Women in the Premiership Women's Rugby League semi-final match. Maher has become one of the best rugby players in the league and has 4.9 million followers on her Instagram. She has had a lot of success in both her on-field and off-field careers.

Ilona Maher shares her thoughts on her role in raising awareness for rugby

Ilona Maher at the Harlequins v Bristol Bears - Premiership Women's Rugby - Source: Getty

Ilona Maher started playing rugby at 17 and in 2017 she received the MA Sorensen Award for National Player of the Year. The Olympian enjoyed her collegiate career at Quinnipiac University. During her recent interview with FanSided, the athlete shared her thoughts on her role in bringing attention to rugby and increasing its popularity.

“It's tangible now because we've set a record every time I've played at these home stadiums here in Bristol for fans coming out. That's tangible—that's butts and seats, that's people paying to watch women's rugby. We just play recently played at Harley Quinn's and they had their biggest number of fans for a standalone game ever, 6700 fans. It's not just because of me, but I am a driver,” she shared during the interview [5:57 onwards]

Through her views, Maher opened up about the growth and success the women’s rugby is currently experiencing. She further highlighted the rising numbers of supporters who are turning out to watch their games. She emphasized her and the team’s role in taking the sport to greater heights.