TRY HARD

GIRLS’ GAME KEEPS GROWING AT HORSHAM RUGBY CLUB

On a bitterly cold February evening, the grass at Horsham Rugby Club glistens as it starts to freeze. Under the floodlights of the all-weather pitch, clouds of water vapour form from the mouths of the girls who have braved the conditions to pursue their passion for rugby.

Horsham RFC proudly boasts one of the strongest girls’ sections in the region. From its humble – and relatively recent – origins, Horsham now has two women’s teams and about 120 girls playing in its junior ranks.

Trish Lefevre coaches the U12s, U11s and U9s girls and also plays for the Lionesses, which supports the Horsham Women’s 1st XV. She said: ‘Most children first start playing rugby when they’re aged between five and seven. At Horsham, these sessions have been run for many years by Norman Blower, on Sunday mornings. The sessions are fun and girls love the “tagging’ games as much as boys do. However, when they start tackling properly, we see a huge drop in the number of girls playing.’

‘Girls can play alongside boys until secondary school at U11s, but very few keep going for that long, so it was always difficult to then move them into a girls’ only team. Something had to change, so we started offering younger girls their own coaching sessions. Some of the more talented girls also train and play with the boys too, and more than hold their own. As a club, we encourage mixed rugby, but certainly having girls’ only sessions means that we are able to maintain more players.’

Grass Roots

It wasn’t all that long ago that girls were pooled from a wider age range, and a team could comprise players spanning three or four school years. This meant small girls would often face stronger girls several years older, making it too hard for some and too easy for others. A recruitment drive by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) has helped, as has the success of the England Women’s team, known as the Red Roses, in the Six Nations and Women’s World Cup. However, developing a successful girls’ programme also requires a huge commitment from clubs at grass roots level and Horsham has been more successful than most. It has established girls’ teams at U18, U16, U14 and U12 level and hopes soon to have separate teams at U12, U11 and U9 too.

Trish said: ‘We started with just a handful of players and now have good squads in each age group. But it hasn’t been easy and some parents still don’t like the thought of their daughter getting hurt. Rugby has a reputation as a man’s game and that stigma partly remains. We've had to change the minds of a few people with old-fashioned ideas, as is the case with any traditionally male-dominated sport. However, Horsham RFU has been fantastic in supporting women's and girls’ rugby. The club and has done everything we've asked of them and is now fundraising to build new changing rooms specifically for female players of all ages.’

National Success

When Horsham RFC unveiled the artificial pitch in 2018, it outlined its intention to become a more inclusive, community-focused club. It has achieved this objective and more besides, as the girls’ and women’s teams have also enhanced social aspects of the club. Several former and current men’s players help with coaching too, helping the girls’ squads develop and achieve success. The U16s have reached the quarterfinals of the National Cup, edging out Reigate in the round of 16.

Players Scarlet Down and Evie Collingbourne says the win has generated even more excitement in the squad. Evie said: ‘We have a great team spirit, as quite a few of us have played together for several years. We have strengthened every season, but always maintained our core, so we all fight for each other. We have been on tour too and that helped form friendships within the group. Also, everyone here gets a chance to play, as the Sussex League games are used to develop the entire squad, while the National Cup provides tougher competition for others.’

The U18 girls are also competitive and were unbeaten this season, until defeat in the National Cup. However, they continue to perform well in the Sussex league and have reached the semi-final of the Regional cup competition. Freya Bell and Alina Hillicks are familiar faces at Horsham, as their respective fathers (Richard Bell and Greg Hillicks) both played for the men’s teams. They have seen how far the women’s game has progressed. Alina said: ‘When I started playing, there were about 15 of us in the entire girls’ section. Now, there are hundreds of girls and some of us help coach the younger squads too.’

Talent Pathway

Some of the most talented players have gone on to play at an elite level, which inspires all who follow. Grace Clifford and Katie Shillaker were selected for the England U18 Women, while Jessie Spurrier (now at Harlequins) was among those picked for the England Talent Development Programme. Matt Brown, Vice Chairman of Horsham RFC’s Minis and Juniors section, says that their success proves there is a talent pathway at the club. ‘In October 2022, Horsham hosted Harlequins Women v DMP Sharks in the Allianz Cup, a match that featured players who had once been at our club. It was fantastic for our girls to watch a highquality women’s match. Some former players have given up their time to speak to the current squads too, which gives them all added incentive to train hard and improve.’

‘We have a very good coaching team here, but the fact that some of the older girls help out with training as well speaks volumes about the club. It makes a big difference, as the younger girls connect with the U16s and U18s girls in a way that we can’t as adults.’

WOMEN’S TEAM

After finishing at U18 level, some of the best players harbour ambitions of playing at a higher level, or continuing at university. However, there are two women’s teams at Horsham offering plenty of opportunities. The Women’s team was formed in 2018, when coaches Stephen Driver and Tyrone Matthews both had daughters finishing in the U18s. The 1st XV, which added a pink flourish to the club’s traditional green and white kit, has been a great success and is now supported by the Lionesses in the same way that the Lions support the Senior Men’s side at Horsham.

Trish said: ‘We reached a point where we had about 45 players in the women’s team, so we established the 2nd XV to play friendly matches and tournaments. As well as giving a game to girls back from university during the holidays, it means that some of us older players can keep going. My daughter, Hannah, is 14 and plays in the youth teams. She says that I can’t quit until we’ve played together on the pitch. Unfortunately, that means I need to keep going until I’m about 50!’

As well as providing more experienced members of the squad with chances to play, the Lionesses gives those in the youth sides a chance to get a taste of women’s rugby. Freya Bell is among those who has recently made their debut. She said: ‘Three of us from the U18s played for the Lionesses last week and they joked that the combined age of the back row was a lot lower than usual!’

Local Support

The club has also attracted help from the community and local businesses, which has helped it to grow its men’s, women’s and youth teams in recent years. Sponsorship from Henry Adams has benefitted the whole club, while further sponsorship from the likes of Invictus Wealth Consultants Ltd,

Marshall Toyota Horsham, Stanford Wealth Management and Harris Lord Recruitment has made a difference too.

Matt Brown said: ‘Having shirts for individual age groups really does boost the girls’ confidence and makes them feel equal to the boys. It has meant we’ve been able to help out families who are less fortunate, ensuring that everyone can play rugby.’

And anyone questioning the giant strides of the women’s game on the pitch should heed the words of Neil Hobbs, head coach of the Girls’ U18s. He said: ‘About 30 years ago, I watched an exhibition game of women’s rugby and it was mostly men watching and some were laughing out loud. I was probably as guilty as anyone. Three years ago, I took my daughter to The Stoop and watched a brilliant match featuring the same team, Richmond Ladies, and thought, “nobody is laughing now.” Those women 30 years ago blazed a trail, breaking down prejudices and growing the game for the benefit of all.’

WORDS: BEN MORRIS

PHOTOS: ALAN WRIGHT

Further information:

Visit: Coolhurst Ground, Hammerpond Road, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13 6PJ

Tel: (01403) 265027 horshamrufc.com

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