Women's players' union: Danielle Waterman launches organisation for Premier 15s

Danielle Waterman helped England win the 2014 World Cup

Former England full-back Danielle Waterman has launched a new players' union for women in the Premier 15s.

The World Cup winner told BBC Sport: "The domestic game in England is accelerating at the speed of knots, which is fantastic.

"But there isn't a representation or support service for all those players."

She added: "The players need to not only be looked after on and off the field they also need to be part of the discussions."

Players contracted by England women can join the Rugby Players Association, but this has not been an option for amateur or semi-professional players in the Premier 15s, which is the top tier of the English club game.

The WRA approached the RPA to see if it could provide a service for all Premier 15s players, but Waterman explained it could not "deliver that from a resource perspective, so it was a matter of cracking on, getting it done".

She added: "We don't want to lose another season."

There have been calls for better support and to standardise contracts across the Premier 15s league, with each club currently offering different packages.

In March, Wales international and Bristol Bears flanker Alisha Butchers suffered ankle ligament damage and had to crowd-fund to help fund her surgery.

Waterman hopes the WRA can bring in "minimum standards across the league" and says conversations with the RFU have been "incredibly supportive".

While Waterman has been named chief executive, she is launching the WRA with Emma Lax, Polly Barnes and Holly Hammill.

The four founders and directors are all volunteers and have formed the WRA in less than 10 months.

They were only able to meet in-person for the first time on the eve of the union's launch.