Dear Member
You will be aware of just how popular women’s rugby is becoming in the UK at this time. England Women are ranked No 1 in the world and narrowly missed out on winning the Women’s World Cup in November. We at Portsmouth RFC are immensely proud of the success of our two Valkyries sides who are both riding high in their respective leagues. Not many clubs can put out two ladies’ teams on a regular basis and it is a testament to all the players, management and coaching staff that we do so.
Another successful part of the club is the Junior section, which is thriving and growing very quickly. So much so, we are looking to hire more ground at Rugby Camp from Portsmouth City Council to allow even more Juniors to train safely on a Sunday morning.
However, one area where we would like to encourage more girls to play rugby is in the Under 13’s (Years 7 & 8) and Under 15’s (Year’s 9 & 10) squads. At the moment, we don’t have enough players to run out our own sides each week and we have to make up 15’s with players from other clubs. We are seeking to address this and it is our intention to recruit more girls in these age groups.
Matt Mitchell has done a fantastic job over the last three years with recruitment and he now needs all of our help to recruit more girls to play rugby. Matt has contacted local schools, organised taster days but we still need more.
So, as the city’s named rugby club, is there anything you as the members think we can do to attract more girls to play rugby at our club?
Can you please put the word out citing the positives of the game, just how good Portsmouth RFC is for looking after its Junior players and that there is a progression path to a high standard of adult rugby for all girls who are keen to make a success of the sport.
Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome so please contact Matt at matt.mitchell1975@gmail.com or Chalky White on hughwhite57@gmail.com with any ideas.
One City, One Club