MORE ladies are being urged to join the scrum of players taking up rugby as an ambitious club begins a new era of coaching.
Around 60 women turned up at Darlington Rugby Club to hear the plans for the coming season from new ladies coach Chris Anderson.
Pre-season training has just begun at the Blackwell Meadows ground with high hopes for the coming year.
The ladies’ first team will play in NC3 league next season facing tough opposition from clubs as far away as Workington, Keswick and Penrith, as well as more local clubs such as Stockton.
Newly appointed captain Rebecca Snook said: “We want to give the girls something to aspire to by providing a team of skill, knowledge and stability.
“We are in a new era now for the younger players coming through. We have around 25 players on the books for the senior squad but recently 60-70 ladies came down to hear the new coach, which is fantastic, and we are looking to forge close relationships with the girls who are doing incredibly well.
“Chris has a long association with the club and probably has another season playing for the men. His three children all play and he is incredibly passionate about the sport.”
She said last season had been difficult with players having to cope with losses and injuries but they were looking forward to playing clubs they hadn’t met before.
“Rugby has its peaks and troughs but I have come from having just five players, who were unable to play matches, to winning the county cup,” said Rebecca, an inclusion manager for a crane manufacturer. “The goal is to get some good wins next season and to build our confidence.”
Darlington Rugby Club, one of the oldest in the country, founded in 1863, managed to field three men’s teams for the first time in years last season, as well as the women’s sides, colts and a host of children’s squads.
The facilities at Darlington are second to none with a Conference League standard pitch.
Rebecca, Richmond-born now living in Middlesbrough, said there was a place for players of all shapes and sizes. “Most women are self-conscious about their shape and size but there is a place here for everyone,” she said.
“I’m a second row, a No4, and use my size, strength and aggression. I enjoyed playing immediately. It gives you friends for life, a family, you have someone who has your back. It gives you a sense of belonging and it gives you confidence.”
The club has been running fitness sessions all summer and pre-season training takes place on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 7pm to 8.30pm. “Some people have played before others are novices wanting to learn the fundamentals,” she said. “Some come down to improve their fitness while others seek to hone their skills and techniques. There is something for everyone.”
Pre-season games begin in August, with the season starting in September, just as the men’s World Cup gets under way in France.
Anyone interested should contact the club at ?????? or visit www.pitchero.com/clubs/darlingtonrfc/.
