Carys Hale from Wales is among the players on a part-time contract
United Rugby Championship chief executive Martin Anayi says there is a “want” to establish a women’s competition.
Anayi said talks have already taken place with URC teams as well as the five unions represented in the 16-team league.
He cited England’s Prime Minister 15 as a benchmark and said a women’s URC would strengthen the Six Nations.
“We’re just investigating how that happens,” Anayi said.
“There is definitely a will – we would like to see a URC for women.”
The growth of women’s rugby is reflected in the current Six Nations, with a record crowd of over 14,000 watching England beat Wales.
Welsh Rugby Union handed 12 players professional contracts earlier this year, with a further 12 players on part-time contracts.
“The other day we had a strategy day and we asked everyone what are the top three things we want the URC to do in the next five years,” Anayi added.
The United Rugby Championship – how the revised competition will work
“One women’s competition finished in the top three of everyone.
“I think there’s a real push and I don’t think it’s market responsive or anything – it just feels like we should have a women’s competition.
“I’ve asked all our clubs and unions where everyone is.
“What is really important here is what our unions are doing at the moment and what they plan to do and what we can do to help create a better working environment like they are doing in England.
“We’re also talking about this with World Rugby because they have their own women’s 15 competition and are talking to the Six Nations, which is really developing.
“We believe the URC can be a key element in how the Women’s Six Nations can grow even bigger and stronger.
“We’re just trying to work on how we can achieve that. Does it have to be 16 teams? Probably not. If you look at women’s super rugby, not all teams are.
“We have women’s teams in Ireland and it’s a bit of a back-and-forth elsewhere
“But I think we can put together a really great competition that has to be linked to what the unions want to achieve and what the clubs want to achieve.”
The men’s United Rugby Championship was inaugurated at the start of the current 2021/22 season and South Africa’s top four teams are taking part in the competition.
However, the South Africans’ participation was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic in November 2021.
Two weekends of URC matches in South Africa, featuring traveling sides Cardiff, Scarlets, Munster and Zebre, were postponed following the discovery of the Omicron variant.
Anayi admits the situation was “harmful” to the competition and had a financial impact.
Cardiff were due to play Lions and then Stormers in South Africa in November
“It was the first time we would see her [South African sides] in the URC on their home pitch and then we had to wait until March for it to come into play,” said Anayi.
“It’s a shame it didn’t happen in November/December but we’ve bounced back and what we’ve learned over the last two and a half years is to be resilient and keep bouncing back.
“We suffered a major cost hit this year. We will still be more profitable this year than last year and if I say profit it will flow back to the clubs.
“I am really looking forward to a season that is not affected by Covid.”
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