Share your tips and tricks for getting your daughters involved in Rugby - £200 voucher to be won

[geemumsnet]

Have you ever considered introducing your daughter to rugby? Whether it's finding the right club, tackling stereotypes, or boosting confidence on the field, we want you to share your tips and tricks for encouraging your daughters to get more involved. Additionally, how do you think we can make the sport more inclusive? Share your thoughts!

Share your tips and tricks below for encouraging your daughters to get involved in rugby and your thoughts on how we can make Rugby more inclusive.

One lucky MNer will win a £200 voucher for a store of their choice!

Here is what England Rugby has to say:

“The girls’ game is growing fast. The success of England’s Red Roses has increased the visibility of the game and when England hosts the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2025, there will be even more of a spotlight on women and girls in the sport.
Research from Women in Sport found that young girls are surrounded by expectations and stereotypes that negatively affect how they view and experience sport. By the time they are teenagers, many girls have decided that they do not ‘belong’ in sport.
England Rugby are tackling this head on and have launched the Love Rugby initiative to support girls to see and feel that rugby is a place where they can thrive.
There are so many benefits associated with playing rugby for both boys and girls; the sport really is for everyone.

To find your local rugby club or more information about age grade rugby, visit Find Rugby or the England Rugby website.

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

Insight T&Cs apply

Get yourself on the board of governors - or speak to the chair at school to try to get girls ruby on the curriculum - I would have loved to have played rugby and football at school - but it was netball and hockey for the girls.
Things are changing - but slowly - we need more parents/carers of girls to help their girls achieve what their mums could not

By calling it 'rugby' and not 'women's rugby' or 'girls rugby'...normalising language opens doors

Tag rugby in primary school was a good start for DD.

So after growing up hating exercise and sport, I decided after a crap few months to join a local woman's rugby club- it was newly formed. We all developed our skills together, came together as a team. We played full contact, travelled for matches etc we became a proper team with all ages and abilities. My daughter and all my family were cheering me on every step of the way, our last game was at Murrayfield where we lifted the trophy. The next week my daughter joined the mini team - proudly telling everyone about her mum. Our success has given the girls a proper pathway to develop in the local area.

Ì agree. It's a rough game with a high risk of injury. I wouldn't encourage my daughter to take part. But if she wanted to I wouldn't forbid it. When folk say more inclusive does that mean girls and women will play a dumbed down version of the game.

My daughter (9) plays on a mixed team on equal footing with the boys.

Sex segregation happens around 12 years old and there are 2 female options at her current club: tag/touch rugby or the full contact which is handled like any other rugby and is not "dumbed down".

Er, no.

Have you watched club rugby, or the Red Roses ?
Dumbed down it is not.

However, this seems such an odd question to be pinned in Active for weeks.
Rugby is probably the most inclusive sport there is.
A campaign for how to encourage more women and girls to take part in sport regularly has to be a good thing, but selecting rugby as a sport that needs to be more inclusive, seems a very odd take.

Presumably the RFU have paired with MN to do it given there are a lot of rugby related articles at the moment.

Yes, IF it's female only guaranteed.

No, as they allow males to play against them. I want my dds safe, not with their spines broken from a tackle by a 6 foot male called "Tina" with massive thighs and bulking arms.

The RFU rules for women’s contact rugby are sex-based and have been since 2022. Transwomen are not allowed to play on women’s teams unless it’s in non-contact rugby like touch.

https://www.englandrugby.com/dxdam/cc/cc222f52-677f-43f8-a4f9-75735f120986/RFU%20Gender%20Participation%20Policy%20FAQs.pdf

I know my daughter was a lot more interested in the cricket when she was able to join a girls only team. She found the mixed team quite intimidating even though she’s only 7. It’s probably more true for rugby given the physical nature of the sport.

Rugby is such a great game to play and watch!
Take them to watch the women’s games (and men’s) at your local club: tickets for women’s games are very cheap.
Contact your local grass roots club and ask about girls teams and opportunities.
Take your daughters to any matches you spot: currently on holiday and have just enjoyed a day watching the African Nation’s Men’s 7s tournament - and lots of children playing during a break in play.
Ask your child’s school about opportunities for them to put on rugby training: many large clubs will partner with schools for a day, or a season, of training - no harm asking!

Get involved in it as a mother. I help run a rugby club, 3 women currently run ours. I took the Level 1 WRU coaching and AR training. My daughter sees me involved and I help train the rookies. We had a girls team but they went to other clubs. She loves watching them play. Some of them are refs at our tournament and I point them out to her. If they can see it they can be it!

I think it's much more accessible for girls to be what ever they want - with ANYTHING, take them to a girls/womens only club - take their best friends - they are much more likely to do this if their friends are interested.

I think it has to be a process, and reasons why you want your DD to play this sport - if your a sporty mum it would be easy, I am not a sporty mum, but try to encourage my DD to play ruby by taking her to games, encouraging - but if she does not feel ready try a different sport as a gateway to rugby - such as non contact rugby, football or hockey - then if she feels ready take her to a female club for a taster session

I would buy them a rugby ball and kit and play passing, and see if they have an interest in the sport - them try to include their friendship group to see if they are interested - then have a test training session at a local girls club and see how they like this great team sport.

@geemumsnet is this thread finished now - has the winner been drawn ? thanks

I'd be interested to know as well. @mnhq I've just looked on the competition winners thread and I can't see a winner listed.

Watching women play it so they realise it's for girls as well.

If you love the sport your DD wants to play - take up coaching and build up your own team - gives you time to bond, give back to girls and give them a chance, get one of your girlfriends on board to help with the admin and arranging training sessions - see if any local company will sponser your kit

I've just reported my post to @MNHQ as can't find any info on if this has been drawn

Thanks for raising this - they have not drawn any winners for the last 7 or 9 threads now - perhaps they've run out of money @geemumsnet @MNHQ

Congratulations @Dizzywizz you are this winner of the £200 voucher!