During the 10-day intensive training camp, USA Women's Eagles stepped up their preparations for the much-anticipated showpiece event to be held in England for the first time in 15 years.
The team stayed at the Elite Athlete Centre and Hotel, benefitting from the University’s world-class sporting facilities, including Powerbase gym for strength and conditioning sessions and various training sessions on Loughborough’s enviable high-performance sport pitches.
Sione Fukofuka, Head Coach of USA Women's Eagles, said: “It’s been excellent – world-class facilities. Both sides of the gym have been fantastic and allow our players to get in and get their work done both efficiently and proficiently in a great environment.
“The excitement that the World Cup is going to provide and the platform that will give us as a team in the US is exciting, and the girls are looking forward to it, however; we’re going after results.
“We want to play well in our Pool, exit out, and make quarter-finals, which will be underpinned by some pretty hard work over the next two weeks.”
Professor Jo Maher, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Sport at Loughborough University, said: “We’re delighted to host the USA Women's Eagles here at Loughborough University.
“The talented athletes here on campus create a halo effect. We want that inspiration so that our students, our staff, our academics, get to work with the world’s best on a regular basis.
“Bringing in world-class talent means it inspires us to be at the cutting edge of innovation and to have the best facilities, pitches and training environments. Iron sharpens iron. The best athletes want the best facilities, and here at Loughborough, you get to do both.”
With at least 25 Loughborough-linked athletes, coaches, and practitioners set to represent their respective nations at the World Cup, Prof Maher added: “To see Loughborough University involved at World Cup level is the pinnacle of sport. The work that the coaches, researchers and academics put in collectively to enable those athletes to thrive on the international stage is phenomenal.
Loughborough Lightning’s Kathryn Treder will be appearing in her second World Cup for the USA and is full of confidence ahead of the campaign. She said: “This is my second season with Loughborough, so it’s nice to be in a familiar place.
“We’re really excited. We’re crossing our T’s and dotting our I’s, installing our attack plan against England. We’re feeling confident. We’ve shown glimpses of what we’re capable of against Canada, and we believe we can bring that against England.”
The Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 is scheduled to take place between 22 August and 27 September. USA Women's Eagles have been drawn in Pool A alongside England, Australia, and Samoa.