When the Premiership Women’s rugby match between Bristol Bears and Gloucester-Hartpury was upgraded at the start of the year from Shaftesbury Park to Ashton Gate, it was a clear sign that women’s rugby is on the up. Of course, superstar Ilona Maher was one of the main reasons for the change in venue and record attendance, but it takes more than one superstar attraction to propel a sport. It requires players, coaches, support staff and much more and that all starts at grassroots level.

Last year Sandbach RUFC rebooted its women’s rugby programme and playing numbers have been steadily growing. To appeal to a wider base, the club launched a new initiative in January called ‘New Year, New Me, New Sport’.

The event held at Sandbach School last Wednesday was a non-contact activity session on the astroturf, aimed at attracting those to the sport who may not have tried it before. Future sessions will return to Bradwall Road, but it was a fantastic way to introduce new players to the game and in a different environment.

Ahead of the night, Sandbach’s Emma Gardner, who is also an assistant coach for the Girls team, shared her thoughts on the sport: “I enjoy rugby because it’s a chance to socialise and meet new people every week. When I play, I’m able to switch off from lifef or an hour or two and get stuck in. I also love how rugby as a sport embraces that there is a role for every body type within the game.”

Wednesday’s session involved a group of players relatively new to the game and consisted of a number of game-based activities to get the players active and having fun together. Once the play came to a close, the players retreated to a nearby pub to debrief and look ahead to future sessions.

The club has been included in the RFU’s Impact ’25 programme, which has been described as transformational and will hopefully leave a lasting legacy in the sport. Through this programme, Sandbach’s coaching team have been accessing coaching courses and events, including a women’s coaching conference at Sale Sharks, which took place on Friday and was attended by Ros Wiggins, Head of Women & Girls Rugby at Sandbach.

Hannah Chilvers plays for the Women’s team and is also an assistant coach for the Girls team alongside Emma. She started playing rugby aged ten and she shared her views on the game: “Rugby has always been a sport I have been fond of, so I was extremely keen to get involved with Sandbach when they started women and girls training last year. It has gained lots of traction amongst the girls and women locally and got us all socialising.

“I love that the sport challenges me mentally and physically, pushes me out of my comfort zone and I enjoy having that time to do something I feel very passionate about. I’d love to see more women down at the club training and I’m excited to see our team grow and get some fixtures lined up.”

Sandbach’s girls section, meanwhile, hosted their very first ‘Pitch up & Play’ event for U12, 14 and 16 girls at the club on Friday. Kicking off at 6.00pm under the floodlights, this event was aimed at all players from the local area and wider county. Everyone was welcome, including players from other clubs. Some of the clubs involved included Glossop RUFC, Macclesfield RUFC and Stockport RUFC.

These events have kick started an exciting year for Women’s and Girls’ Rugby and there is plenty more planned for 2025. With the Women’s 6 Nations just around the corner and the Women’s Rugby World Cup on the horizon, now is the time to get involved. The club’smessage is simple, whether it’s for fitness or fun, rugby is for everyone. Don’t miss out, come along and get involved.

New players are very welcome every Wednesday night, with the under 18s training at 6pm and the over 18s at 7pm. Contact sandbachwomensrugby@gmail.com for more information or just turn up on the night.