JERSEY RFC are hosting a girls’ open day on Sunday 29 January to encourage more new enthusiastic members.
The club promises lots of fun rugby-based activities and a warm welcome from the existing girls’ squad.
The day at St Peter is open to all girls aged between 11 and 18 who would like to give rugby a try. The session starts at 10.30am and finishes at noon.
The club advises that girls wear comfortable clothing, boots or trainers they do not mind getting muddy and a bottle of water. Bacon rolls and bottles of Lucozade will be offered around too.
The girls’ manager, Lucy Hart, hopes the day will attract a number of new players to join her current squad of around 15. Hart said that previous open days have been a great success but retaining players is the difficult part. She hopes to boost numbers so players can begin experiencing proper match rugby.
‘We have 14 or 15 girls registered across four age groups,’ she said.
‘As great as it is, because they are not of the same age group they do not get that live game experience.
‘If we can get more numbers we can start looking at going away and competing in festivals and things like that.
‘Retaining these girls who come up to the open day is key,’ she added.
‘A lot of sports on the Island are on the same day so that can make it a struggle. Also some parents didn’t realise it was an option.’
Head coach Julia Williams will be taking the session, which will include standard passing and catching drills and some contact with the pads. There will also be a meet-and-greet afterwards. Jersey RFC Women’s coach Simon Le Moignan will also be lending a hand, while some of the senior women’s squad will also be in attendance hoping to inspire a new generation of players in the Island.
Rugby union is considered to be the fastest growing sport among women, with more than 2.7 million regular players worldwide. It has been estimated that 40% of the total number of rugby players will be female by 2026. Meanwhile, in England, the RFU are reporting a 17% year-on-year growth in participation. Hart hopes that the phenomenon will transfer to Jersey and more girls on the Island will take up the sport. But she also says there are more practical reasons to give it a go too.
‘It’s also a great opportunity for girls who are doing GCSE PE, as rugby is one of the sports that can count towards it,’ she said.
‘I’ve also had enquiries from a number of girls wishing to take part for their Duke of Edinburgh award.’
The Jersey club also hopes that the recent success and exposure of the Women’s Rugby World Cup that took place towards the end of last year, which was won by the hosts New Zealand in a thrilling 34-31 win over England in the final.
