Inspired by the elite game, ladies rugby is soaring in popularity. One team leading the charge are Medway RFC Ladies, thanks to a sponsorship deal with Everest

Every weekend across England, women lace up boots, don shoulder pads, tape up legs, chuck in gum shields and run, ruck, tackle, maul and scrum – all in the name of rugby.

It’s one of the country’s fastest-growing female sports, with 30,000 women and girls playing regularly at a club – twice as many as in 2014 – and the trend isn’t just national, as World Rugby has seen a 60 per cent increase in participation globally since 2013, with females now making up a quarter of all players worldwide.

One of rugby’s attractions is that it enables women to break a traditionally patriarchal stereotype

An example of this new age of the sport is epitomised by Medway Rugby Football Club Ladies Team in Kent, who went from a group of seven players just a few years ago to a squad of 25-plus, with a thriving girls’ youth section.

So what are some of the reasons behind this rapid rise? One of rugby’s attractions is that it’s something new that enables women to break a traditionally patriarchal stereotype, as well as benefiting physically, mentally and socially at the same time.

“Playing rugby makes me feel like I am good at something,” says Medway Ladies Team’s Abbie Marriott, who was recently selected for England under-18s Centre of Excellence Academy.

Seizing the opportunity: rugby brings mental, physical and social benefits

“My aerobic fitness has improved, I’ve lost a lot of weight, I feel a lot better in myself and my health benefits have sky-rocketed too: I have a lower resting heart rate and lower blood pressure.

“Rugby is also a massive stress reliever for me; it gives me a social and physical platform to clear my head, forget about any worries and reset.”

Another justification for the sport’s exponential growth is down to the exposure of the elite game and inspiration gained from it. England Women have reached two World Cup finals since 2014, one of which they won.

Strong partner: Medway's sponsorship deal with Everest has been hugely beneficial

Their Six Nations fixtures are regularly broadcast on TV and the first professional domestic league (Premier 15s), which all of them play in, launched last year with a title sponsor.

“The sport gained a lot of momentum from England Women winning the World Cup; it motivated a new generation to take up rugby,” says Medway Ladies Team manager, Charly Ward. “Before that, our challenges came from a lack of players and no funding.”

No more, though, as in addition to their flourishing senior side and youth set-up – which boasts 55 girls – Medway Ladies Team have a sponsorship deal with Everest, enabling them for the first time since their inception to focus on playing rugby, not the costs that come with it.

We run around for 80 minutes in shorts, tackle people and get muddy, because it’s something we love doing

And it shows: the team stormed to a league title in early March following an emphatic 81-0 win over Ashford Ladies. “We’ve had a great year with some fantastic results,” says their captain, Caroline Jordan.

“Everyone has had each other’s back on the pitch, and the camaraderie has been incredible. We have a great set of girls, and true friendships have formed.”

The landscape of women’s rugby has made a dramatic transformation at all levels, but it took decades to reach this point. Previously it was routinely subjected to dismissal and unfair comparison with the men’s game.

The only comparison that actually matters is the passion and commitment with which it is played.

“We run around for 80 minutes in shorts, tackle people and get muddy, because it’s something we love doing,” adds Jordan. “It’s getting out there and getting fit without having to go to the gym, which I find boring. This is fitness with a purpose.”

For the sport to continue on this upward trajectory, there is still much to do: governing bodies need to boost media coverage, drive more sponsorship, encourage more women and girls to play the sport and target more people to support and engage with it.

Driving forward: the landscape of women’s rugby has been transformed

Progress has been made: 17,440 fans packed into Grenoble’s Stade des Alpes in March to watch France v England in the Six Nations on the same weekend as 11,062 flocked to the Principality Stadium, Cardiff for Wales v Italy.

That behaviour has filtered into the domestic scene too: 4,542 watched the Premier 15s tussle between Harlequins Ladies and Richmond FC in west London – also in March – and even Medway have benefited from an increased interest at grassroots level.

“We have incredible support for both home and away matches,” says Jordan. “It makes me feel extremely proud to lead the team out in front of such great crowds. People are committing to us and that makes us want to give even more.”

Tides are turning in the sport, as the Rugby Football Union looks set to nominate its first female representative to the World Rugby Council.

Rugby’s “masculine” image is fading – and with it, its outdated opinions – making way for a fresh future based on inclusivity: something Medway can proudly say they are helping to pioneer.

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