World Cup Rugby Stars Open Coffee Shop After £20K Win

Just two weeks after winning the Women's Rugby World Cup in front of 82,000 fans, England captain Zoe Stratford was back to work in a very different uniform.

She and teammate Natasha Hunt picked up the keys to their new coffee shop near Gloucester's Kingsholm stadium. The venture, called MoZo, represents more than just a side business for the two athletes.

Despite earning £20,000 World Cup bonuses and central contracts worth up to £50,000 annually, every member of England's championship squad must plan for life after rugby. Their teammates have chosen diverse paths: winger Abby Dow retired at 28 to pursue mechanical engineering, while Amy Cokayne serves as a police officer in the Royal Air Force.

For Stratford and Hunt, the coffee shop fills a crucial gap. "With rugby we had so much intensity coming into the World Cup," Stratford explained. "This gave us a new lease of life."

The pair have thrown themselves into the business, working shifts and handling renovations personally. Stratford admits she's "terrible at coffee art" and sticks to the till, while Hunt has mastered the frothy designs customers love.

The shop opened just before Christmas, with both women serving customers on the same day Gloucester's men's team played Castres. They're already thinking about expansion.

Why This Inspires

The coffee shop represents something deeper than financial necessity. Stratford credits these outside interests as key to athletic success, noting that the most accomplished players on England's squad all maintain lives beyond the pitch.

The mental break matters as much as the income. When Stratford leaves the coffee shop, she can truly switch off from rugby's demands, returning refreshed to training and competition.

Both women remain fully committed to rugby. They've won all seven matches this season with three-time defending champions Gloucester-Hartpury and were named to England's 47-player training camp this month.

England will defend their Six Nations title against Ireland at Twickenham on April 11. But whatever happens on the field, Stratford and Hunt are building something that will outlast their playing days, one cup of coffee at a time.