Would you let your daughter play Rugby?

[queenqueenqueen]

My daughter goes along for training sessions with her brother and enjoys them. There are some girls there but tbh not many. No one has said anything about my daughter doing it but have lost count of the amount of "there's no way I'd let my daughter do this" or "my daughter wouldn't do it , she's a princess" comments. They haven't really bothered me but today for some reason they have. I don't know, almost as if it was being inferred I didn't care about her because I was letting her join in with such a "rough sport"

@Cloudybean how many is too many? The fact that it is a possibility would be enough to put me off. Thankfully for me I no longer play (I haven’t for 15yrs) and this is a hypothetical discussion.

Absolutely!! Our club have a thriving girls section and mixed teams up to 11 or 12yo. Both my DD's play and I started playing a few years ago too. My eldest daughter started age 5 and played against boys up until 11. Then moved into girls rugby, got picked for an academy and the England U18 squad and is now a premiership player. With regards to fears over transgender players my understanding is that the RFU have recently outlawed it.
Just ignore other people's comments, they're the ones with the problem. Although I totally appreciate how frustrating it is. My FIL is awful about my daughter playing rugby, refuses to watch or even talk about it and yet boasts to HER about how good his DGS is who only plays club level and got picked for England U16.

Yes, I have a lot of firefighter friends who play rugby, they would definitely recommend it.

say hello World Rugby have just outlawed it. The RFU have confirmed they will carry on allowing it anyway. Despite the evidence of increased risk of injury.

I happen to know all about the financial support and insurance provided in cases of catastrophic injury, and I imagine it would be a darn sight higher if a female player can show that RFU knew they were putting her at further increased risk of injury, over and above what would be expected, against WR advice.

My daughter started with the U5's and loves it. She's U8's now and her rugby mates are superb. She'll have to move to a girls team for U12's, which for us means moving clubs which will be sad

Sure..my son played it so I'd let my daughter. She has no interest however.

If she enjoyed it then absolutely.

Only if you have the clubs word that only biological girls are playing.

Or your dd could get very hurt

I would until English Rugby said this week that they were going to let males play on female teams.

My daughter played from the age of 4 until she was 12 (when they are separated by sex). She had other interests by then, so we didnt bother looking for a girls' team. She had another spell of playing a couple of years ago, when she joined a ladies' team. She might well pick it up again when she goes to uni.

I dont want her to to play against "male bodied people" though. I'm pretty disgusted at the stance of the RFU on this.

Yes, I would. My husband and two of my boys play. My daughter could if she wanted to, but she doesn't. She gave it a try and decided it wasn't for her.
In all the years we have been going to the rugby club, there has been a grand total of 1 major injury in all age groups, which was a broken arm.
All sports come with an element of risk. Football, swimming, horse riding, gymnastics. Yes you can be injured, but these are usually from crap coaching or people not listening and are fluke accidents most of the time. I've seen more injuries from punch ups on the pitch than I have from the actual game.
Kids rugby comes in stages. Yes they begin to tackle at age 9, but its very much "they've wrapped their arms around you, now pass" rather than full blown tackle to the ground type tackles. They gradually introduce more and more elements as they move up an age grade. Its not until they get above 18 and into the adult team that they play the full game with all the elements.
I've got one in the under 10s and one in the under 8s. They eat, sleep and breathe rugby.

Dd plays women's rugby, not for the faint hearted (I can't watch) but she loves it. She plays hooker.

MrsDragon that's quite disrespectful, to essentially say that "it's your own fault you're injured, should have listened". I juries sustained in rugby are very serious indeed. Life changing, sometimes life ending. All of life has an element of risk of course but there's no need to choose the more dangerous option on purpose.

One of my daughters plays rugby, the other plays football. Neither of my sons do. One of them is a swimmer and the other likes to climb.
There is a huge surge in girls football in particular at the minute,

@MrsDragonLady

Your club is different from mine. They start tackles at 8, not allowed to play from P4 onwards without bringing a gum shield because that's when they start. And they start playing with all the elements before turning 18 and joining the adult teams.

If my son (or daughter) really wanted to do this or any sport I would let them, as in they had a massive desire and it is all they wanted to do type thing.

Am I very glad my son (or daughter) does not want to do it - yes absolutely I am very pleased.

@WhereverIGoddamnLike, I’m with you. My daughter has been playing full contact since she was maybe 9, tackling was introduced at under 9s age group. We’ve had a few bruises and bumps and one broken finger. But I regularly broke fingers playing netball. My son has broken a leg slipping on a wet pool sideafter a swim, my football playing daughter has had a broken nose and a concussion.
The only one yet to significantly hurt himself climbs walls. But I’m sure it’s a matter of time!
My worst ever injury occurred walking from the car to get my haircut and I slipped on wet leaves and dislocated my knee and elbow...such is life!

I would. Mine have all played contact sports at various times.

Life is too short to restrict everything to “safe” sports - no football, rugby, netball, skiing, snowboarding, volleyball, bike riding, scooters etc. I destroyed my shoulder swimming competitively and the worst injury I’ve ever seen was at school when someone injured themselves with a javelin.

My non-sporty DD has had as many injuries climbing trees and being daft on stairs as the others have from sports.

Yes! I've always wanted to play rugby!

I played when I was younger. My daughter now plays. She loves it.

My 3yo DD is going to start this season. We had a girls team last season for the first time and they did so great, happy, excited to take part and a couple of really standout players that will go far. I’ll take her to play as long as she wants to

Yes of course.

Urgh I’d shudder to describe my daughter as a ‘princess’. Princesses grow up to be very unpleasant women IME. Not at all something to which anyone should aspire.

If your daughter wants to. My sons started high school and is going to hockey practise being only 1 of 2 boys amongst all the girls. He isnt bothered in the slightest. In fact he said some of the girls are brutal

If I had one, yes. I hate rugby myself but plenty of women love it.

Would not let my son do it either.

The risks of concussion and brain injury are too high. Children and teenagers especially vulnerable because of developing bodies and skills and lack of skill.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-northern-ireland-35636594