Dozens of girls from 8 local primary schools enjoyed an introduction to rugby as part of our ongoing efforts to increase female participation in sport.
We teamed up with Hove Rugby Club to host the rugby festival at Hove Rec, with almost 100 girls from across Year 3 and Year 4 taking part. It was the latest event in our School Games programme.
Our staff and Hove Rugby Club coaches were supported by volunteers from Blatchington Mill and Cardinal Newman as part of the city’s Sports Leaders initiative, which sees older students developing skills and helping inspire younger children.
Vicky Alexander, the RFU’s women and girls growth activator for the London and South East was also in attendance to see first-hand the progress being made locally.
Teachers from each school were given guidance on how to deliver rugby sessions once back in school, with the festival focused on T1 rugby, an inclusive, non-contact format developed by World Rugby to mirror the full experience of traditional rugby union.
Girls who enjoyed the festival were also encouraged to join a new girls-only session launched by Hove Rugby Club.
Already home to one of the country’s longest-established women’s rugby teams, Hove Rugby Club recently celebrated the tenth anniversary of the start of its girls’ rugby programme by launching Hove Tigers, a weekly session for under-nines and under-10s.
And in recognition of its continued efforts to expand local opportunities for women and girls, we also presented the club with a signed rugby ball from last year’s New Zealand v Ireland Women’s World Cup match, which took place here in Brighton & Hove.
Earlier this year we launched our Sport Lifts Her Higher campaign, aiming to establish Brighton & Hove as the UK capital for women and girls participation in sport – with events like the recent rugby festival key to helping inspired more girls to get active and enjoy the lifelong benefits associated with sport.
Councillor Bella Sankey, Leader of Brighton & Hove City Council, said: “There is so much fantastic work being done across the city to create more opportunities for girls and Hove Rugby Club are a fantastic example of this.
“As a council, we’re committed to helping our local school community encourage and empower young people to get active and find a sport they love and events like our rugby festival are a key part of this.
“We know the difference being active can make and these sorts of events help us tackle the stubborn participation gap we still see between boys and girls.”
Sports Leaders volunteers from Cardinal Newman pictured with Holly Taylor (third left, from Hove Rugby Club), Emma Greenough (third right, from Brighton & Hove City Council) and Vicky Alexander (right, from the RFU).
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