Rugby has always been a huge part of my life. I started playing at 8-years-old. Since then I've played for four teams: Tring Rugby Club, Welwyn RFC, Hertfordshire RFC and now Bournemouth University.

 

A lot has changed in the 12 years I have been playing. When I started I was playing on a mixed team. At some points during these first few years I was the only female player in the entire club - in all age groups. I experienced, like so many other female players have, the problems of being a female player. Boys wouldn't pass to me because I was a girl, I was treated differently by coaches and told the sport was for boys. When I turned 13 the nearest Women's team for me to play on was 45 minutes away. 

 

But now even in my short time playing there are now so many more women's teams and the sport is growing at a rapid rate. I am so delighted that I get to watch my sport grow. But there is still room for improvement. 

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Women's rugby is something I am passionate about and if my journalism career can revolve around that it would be the absolute dream - so this project was an obvious choice. 

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I hope my project shows the growth of this empowering sport through my case studies of the Red Roses and shines a new light on how far women's rugby has come but also how far it CAN go. 

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I'm so excited to share my work with you all. Thank you for following along.

 

- Darcy