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"

Sorry, double posted 🙈

Weird... of course I’d let my daughter play rugby!! Why wouldn’t you?

I'd like to see anyone trying to stop my dd2 playing rugby....

Yes, why not?

Yes! Mine plays rugby and does ballet! She wants to play for England one day! She needs to like getting muddy though! It's mixed until 11 and then girls only. She loves her rugby family.

My 9 year old dd plays rugby- she loves it. Forget what other ppl say, if she enjoys it let her carry on.

Good for her if she enjoys it, though it is an aggressive sport!

I played touch rugby growing up and loved it, but usually only in girl teams against girls. Occasionally with boys in PE. I found that some other opposing girls teams to be more heavy handed with their "touches" than the boys to be fair. Often girls would more like thump than touch.

Hopefully the boys use a bit less force on a girl..

God yes. My daughter has played for the last 2 years. She loves it. The club we play for has around 80 girls all from u11 up to u18 turning up twice a week. And I've started training there too - if you can't beat them join them.

DD used to, but in a girls club, the meetings clashed with something else and she quit. Although one of them went on to play for the county. I'm kind of glad it didn't stick as the inclusion of transgirls on the girls teams now would be a worry. The difference between the rugby boys and girls physique is shocking.

Yes I would. But I may pull her out if they get too rough with her (boys used to in my school). I would prefer she plays in a girls team if she is interested.
At the end of the day, they can get quite bad injuries in gymnastics or dancing too

Yes - I did until she went into S1, couldn’t play with her friends anymore and had to then go into the “girls team”.

She was so fit at the time. Broke her arm in a game once. Went on a couple of tours. Unfortunately her weight has ballooned since then.

I was gutted that she gave up

In a girls club yes.

I played rugby for over a decade, started playing at uni and then joined the town team after I graduated. I miss it,can't commit to Sunday matches anymore, but I would like to go back one day though. I will be honest that quite a few people over the years I've played with have sustained quite savage injuries, but similarly loads of us didn't! Nothing like being part of a rugby team to be honest, met some of my best friends and had the best times, especially Wednesday afternoons at university. It requires a load of fitness training rather than just the rough and tumble as some think, every team I have been a part of has had a really diverse group of women, and we often would go to watch games either locally or at Twickenham, a really great community. I would flinch a bit if my daughter wanted to play, but I'd also be really proud and keen to support however I could. There is more awareness now of head injuries etc after some tragedies, which is good and would reassure me a bit more.

Mine isn’t interested, which makes me sad as I loved rugby 🏉 ❤️

Yes of course.

Why not as long as she enjoys it . Great exercise, team work, fun, time outdoors - what’s not to love!

how old is DD?

DD1 is a football player. We are a petite family so football was a better option but considering how agressive she is on the pitch if she was bigger I'm sure it wouldbe fine. But as a general principle I would be fine with it and definitely would roll my eyes at the princess parents. There is a divide among the DC between the sporty and geeky girls and the 'fashion' girls at DDs school and I know which side I'd rather my DDs were on.

Definitely yes, my Dsis played for a while and I went to an intro session, we both really enjoyed it but being in our late 30s at the time meant it aggravated old injuries so didn't continue.

We both loved the team sport element but also the fact it was acceptable to be aggressive and physical there's very few sports you get to do that.

Oh and there was all types of women in Dsis team.

The only thing I would be worried about is letting DD play in a mixed sex team, once a teen/ past puberty. I did mixed sex martial arts and the boys I used to be able to floor had no problems with turning the tables on me once we got a certain age.

DD started rugby but because her vision is only 2d she couldn't made distances properly.

Why would you not let her play rugby?

Why wouldn't you if she's interested? My DD played for a mixed club team but ended up being the only girl and she found that quite hard. She now plays for a girls team and she loves it.

No, but I won't let my son either. I played rugby as a child, as did both my siblings and we all loved it - my sister was training with England under 18s at one point. However, my brother suffered a "catastrophic" injury playing and I will not accept that risk. It's a small chance, and other things in life are equally risky, but it's an unnecessary one.

Please, have the grace not to dismiss my experience, by telling me "everything is risky". I know. But I still won't let them play.

I'm not sure, I would be worried about head injuries and bones breaking. Equally if i had a son i would be worried about skulls and bones. I dont think girls skills and bones are any more fragile than boys'.

I say that as a woman who played rugby until I busted my shoulder.