{"id":51466,"date":"2023-04-05T06:02:39","date_gmt":"2023-04-05T04:02:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/tygerburger\/rugby-becoming-increasingly-inclusive-in-eerste-river-20230405\/"},"modified":"2025-03-19T21:35:00","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T19:35:00","slug":"rugby-becoming-increasingly-inclusive-in-eerste-river-20230405","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/tygerburger\/rugby-becoming-increasingly-inclusive-in-eerste-river-20230405\/","title":{"rendered":"Rugby becoming increasingly inclusive in Eerste River"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Women\u2019s rugby is looking brighter in the community of Eerste River with schools now starting girl\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe game of rugby is looking brighter in the community, with schools now starting girl\u2019s teams, women coaches and players being recognised, more opportunities for growth offered and eager young girls vying to become the next Portia Woodman,\u201d says Joseph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schools join in <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Joseph says three schools that have embraced girl\u2019s rugby is Eerste River Secondary, Apex High and Kleinvlei Secondary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe schools have a strong rugby programme for boys and in recent weeks they have started to include girls too. The girl\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese are all teams with a mixture of experienced and new players. Hopefully these schools are encouraging other schools to start their own girl\u2019s rugby teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWomen 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWomen 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\u2019s enthusiasm for rugby is clear and this is helping to drive growth in the sport. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMore 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\u2019s rugby teams,\u201d says Joseph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She says their club is willing to help schools that want to participate in rugby. \u201cWomen\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019s rugby team in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n