Women’s rugby is looking brighter in the community of Eerste River with schools now starting girl’s teams, women coaches being recognised for their work, opportunities for growth given, and eager young girls taking up the call to become part of this sport.
According to Alexandria Joseph from the Eerste River Rugby Club, rugby has long been seen as a male-dominated sport, but in recent years, there has been a shift as more and more girls and women are getting involved in the game.
“The game of rugby is looking brighter in the community, with schools now starting girl’s teams, women coaches and players being recognised, more opportunities for growth offered and eager young girls vying to become the next Portia Woodman,” says Joseph.
A rugby coaching clinic was held at Eerste River South Sportsground, behind Eerste River Secondary School recently where girls from different schools in the community came out in numbers to learn all about rugby.
Schools join in
Joseph says three schools that have embraced girl’s rugby is Eerste River Secondary, Apex High and Kleinvlei Secondary.
“The schools have a strong rugby programme for boys and in recent weeks they have started to include girls too. The girl’s team at Eerste River Secondary played their first match at the YTC Girls Festival at City Park in Athlone. Apex High and Kleinvlei Secondary still need to get a taste, but will get their chance on 21 April at City Park.
“These are all teams with a mixture of experienced and new players. Hopefully these schools are encouraging other schools to start their own girl’s rugby teams.
“Women coaches are also making their mark in the rugby community. In the past, it was common for male coaches to take up the call to coach rugby teams, but this is changing.
“Women coaches are now being recognised and they are bringing valuable insights to rugby teams and empowering other women to take up the call. Rugby clinics are taking place regularly and girls are learning the important values of rugby that they can also apply in their personal lives, such as teamwork, determination, discipline and respect. Girl’s enthusiasm for rugby is clear and this is helping to drive growth in the sport.
“More and more girls are eager to get involved and improve their skills. This has opened up opportunities to ask local businesses to join in on this amazing journey. Sponsorship from local businesses can help to provide equipment, coaching and other resources that can make a big difference for girl’s rugby teams,” says Joseph.
She says their club is willing to help schools that want to participate in rugby. “Women’s rugby is currently the fastest growing sport in the world and it is gaining more attention than ever before. With schools now having teams for girls, this will help to feed the women’s rugby team in the area. As more girls play rugby at a young age, it will help to increase the talent pool of the women’s rugby team in the future.”
- To get involved in rugby contact Joseph on alexandriajoseph9@gmail.com or 061 427 8715.
