Injury And Getting Into The Game

Hello and welcome to the launch of Grassroots Women's Rugby. This podcast is for women and girls of all ages within the rugby community at a grassroots level, whether that's retired, active or even inspired to play. In true grassroots nature, we're recording our very first episode in a changing room with our local rugby club based in Oxfordshire, England. In our first episode, we're going to be sharing your stories about injuries and how your rugby journey started. We've had so many stories sent in to us from many places ranging from Brighton all the way to Alaska. In future episodes, we will be talking about many more subjects in women's rugby, especially the things that people shy away from. Periods, being a mum, anxiety, self-doubt, body image, shame in taking time away, stereotypes, life balance, imposter syndrome, and all the other hidden unrepresented topics in women's rugby. I'm going to kick off the first story by sharing my own journey and injury. So I will make my journey quite brief as the start of the journey was quite brief in itself. I just moved to Oxfordshire and I was looking for a local team. Literally any sport will do. I needed some friends, I needed to be outdoors and just do something. I was googling away and came across rugby and it is not a sport I had ever thought of playing and had never played before. I met a great bunch of women there and they were also fantastic. I was training for about two months, got into my second game and broke my ankle. Not great. So when I broke my ankle, I did not realise the severity of it, what's the weather. Funnily enough, it was actually quite comedic when I broke my ankle. They moved the side lines, well sorry, the touch line. I used to play football, sincerest apologies. They moved the touch line, the other side of me so they could continue the game. It's so I'd hammer it down with rain, super windy. I couldn't move. No one could move me because I was in so much pain. So the medic brings out a stretcher and decides to use it as a rain and wind block. And like this is fantastic, I won't get cold, it's all great. So red flag there. Yeah, red flag. Next thing I know, the medic, let's go of said stretcher and the metal bar smacks me in the head. Not great. Concussion, alebbroken ankle. Then after having a hit to the head with a stretcher, the medic proceeds to walk around and trip over my broken ankle. Great times. It's fantastic. Finally get me onto the stretcher. They put some sort of splint on my ankle so it wasn't as painful. They get about five feet down the pitch and I am dropped. I got dropped. This really wasn't a good day for you. It was not a good day. Yeah, fully dropped off the stretcher. Really not ideal. Obviously we called an ambulance and they said it was going to be five hours. Thank you, NHS. They call three hours later. Say they're going to be another four hours. And also like I need to get to a hospital immediately. So we put a bigger splint on my ankle. Get me there. I'm still finding it kind of entertaining at this point. I'm like, first frog be injury. Was it a hospital for a week? So a triter set my ankle with gas in air. Did nextary. Didn't get put in place properly. Got those top with ketamine. They tried to set it. Didn't work again. Then third time lucky. They put me under the ankle went back into place. And it wasn't until I got back and I was in a cast that I really did hit. Yeah, reality absolutely hit. I'm a teacher. So breaking any part of my body is not ideal because I need all my limbs. I mean, it's not ideal for anyone. But definitely not helpful for you. Not in the slightest. And it was a very, very long recovery period. And all I wanted to do was weirdly go back to rugby. Considering I'd only been playing for a couple of months and it was my second game of breaking my ankle. I was hounding the physio at the hospital every single week asking if I can go back and it was a say answer. No, simple no. Exactly. Yeah, my rehab probably took a good year because it was quite a nasty break. But getting on back onto the pitch is genuinely the best thing that has ever, ever, ever happened to me. And I'm just so happy to be back. Yeah. And actually, I am really proud of you because if that was me, I would be terrified. I think the fact that you've come back and you're stronger and you're better. Like you still have your moments where you get a little bit nervous, but you know, you push that to the side and you fight through that and I just think that's incredible. And that's so like inspiring for other people and people that have been through the same thing as you just over here, rocking it. Okay, we're going to kick off the stories with Sarah from Yoville Women's Rugby. I first injured my shoulder about three years ago, then re-ingered the shoulder two years ago during an inter-scod game. After this, my shoulder has been very unstable. I had an MRI with contrast to see what had happened and I had a right shoulder slap tear and small bank car in 2025 and April. My surgery was booked for the 18th of December 25. After my surgery, my surgeon informed me that instead of a small tear at the top and a small tear at the front, it was in fact torn from the top down to the front. I have four bone anchors and I'm currently on week six tomorrow post-op. The first three weeks were the toughest of my life. Mentally, I was absolutely crumbling. I had a setback early on with my recovery and it completely consumed me. I had friends, teammates, family and my wonderful wife with me the whole time. Whether that be in person or text away. I actually had physio today and she's really happy with my progress. I'm two weeks ahead of usual progress and the only way is up from here. Oh my god, Sarah, I absolutely feel for you. It's one thing getting injured and then to find out the injury is significantly worse than you thought. It's horrible. You're probably given this time frame of healing and then it's like, "I'll actually plot twist." I think as well with surgery, I mean if you're ill, you can't play until you're better. What's your better? You can go but with surgery, you have that recovery period and then you have like a second recovery period because you have to ease yourself back into it and all you want to do is go and play rugby. You just want to throw in the tackles and you want to kick the ball and you want to chase somebody else down the pitch. So to recover from just daily things to then being back on that pitch, it is a big difference. So there is like two different recoveries to go through and I think that is very mentally challenging. So yeah, I'm really sorry to hear about your injury but I hope you are recovering well and hopefully you'll get back on that pitch very soon. This story is from Emily who plays for Kingswood Women's also known as the Queens and they're in NC3. So I'm currently navigating recovery after a broken fibula in November which did turn my life upside down. My entire life and I'm 32. I've been incredibly passionate about rugby, sport and fitness. I started playing rugby at age 13 and I had a massive identity crisis with this ankle break. I was talking to one of my teammates who reminded me that the quote unquote strong powerful woman isn't just who I am on the pitch but the woman who shouts and encourages from the sidelines. I think that is important for the others to know if they're like me they're in mobile for a long period of time and not being able to do what they love with who they love. Relate to this so hard. Obviously I broke my ankle. Unfortunately for me I didn't have the biggest support system in the world and I had to stay with my ex's parents when I broke my ankle in a small little village. The room was upstairs. I could not do anything by myself and my ex partner also wasn't there because it was too far from their job. Yeah don't envy you there at all. No not ideal so that happened when I was so I'm 28 now. I think I must have been 26. Yeah I want to say 2022 2023. It was 23. I can't do maps. It's fine. Around 2023. Well mid 20s. It was a ballpark absolutely fine but no super relatable. I didn't realise the impacts it actually had until I had a cast on my leg. Right? Yeah. I think with that a lot of people like I've got a cast on I'm fixed but actually it's nothing like you still have to go through all that pain and for someone who is very independent when that is taken away from them that is a really big struggle. This is Julie also known as Mama Jew from Lord's Wood Falkeries. So my rugby journey started in the summer of 2020. My daughters had been playing for this club for about a year and she said you'd like the fitness mum why don't you come along to a bit of the summer fitness. So being a fitness lover of course I did. That then led me to starting to play that season in September and I haven't looked back. At the grand old age of 58 I'm still playing. Current position flanca and I scored my first ever try this year. The celebration was of course pretty epic and in true rugby style. My elder daughter is captain of the team, Holly and my other daughter G.E. plays at 8. My son-in-law is a head coach so it's a true family affair. Rugby has taught me the true meaning of a sense of belonging, on and off the pitch. Everyone has each other's back. The social occasions are as much fun as the games. I sit here currently sporting a black eye from the last game, but that will not stop me. Almost to the next game as we go. Laws with Falcaries are a great team and always welcome newcomers too. It is a club that is thriving and growing and hoping to have a very own development team this season and a Vets tournament too. So I've never looked back from that first fitness session on a Barmi Summer's Day back in 2020. Julie, I totally agree with the fact that the socials are just as much fun as the games for sure. We've had multiple socials with rugby and each one has been great and just full of laughter. Us just uplifted in each other and it actually builds a better bond within the team. So I feel like we've been closer than ever really. I feel like even with our socials well, some girls come to training and they do decide that rugby isn't for them. They're always welcome at our socials. Rugby is a big family. Yes. It really is. So Mum, I do keep cracking on with those socials and I hope you black eye heels quickly. We've all been there. Hey, I'm really excited for this story. I read it earlier and there's nothing I like more when kids get their mums into rugby. I think it's fantastic. Okay, we have Emily. Our story began when my daughter Beth was in the Under 11's mixed team. I told her that the following season we would need to find a new team and a new club. Her response was simple and firm. No, I play for Droidwitch. We would have to make a team for her. At that point, I was just another parent on the sidelines. I'd never played rugby myself. I helped out when asked, car park duty, after match hot dogs, that sort of thing. Fast forward two and a half seasons and things look very different. I'm now head a Women and Girls Rugby on the DRFC Committee. I'm part of the organising team for North Midlands playing operations, coordinating the pubs. I set up the Women's Contact team which I now play for. I coordinate and play family touch. Our girls section now has around 20 players from under 12s to under 16s and competes as part of a cluster. The Merceum Valkyries, supported by an incredible team of coaches and volunteers. I'm currently completing at my ERCA and my referee and courses and I signed up for the Gloucester Heartbreak Coaches Academy. And then there's my amazing daughter, Beth. Her whole life is rugby. If it weren't for her sheer determination and what some Michael Stubbornness, Droidwitch would not have a Women and Girls section today. She lives and breathes the game. Until recently, she even slept with a rugby ball. She adores her cluster teammates and Droidwitch rugby club is her safe space. Beth started playing when she was just four and she'll be the first girl to progress all the way through Minis and Juniors. For many seasons, she was the only girl in her squad. Even now at rugby camps and specialist training sessions, she's often the only girl. But all she wants to do is play rugby. She follows the red roses and the PWR and her knowledge of the players is second to none. On Sunday mornings, she helps coach the under-sixers. And if you ask her what she wants to do today, her answer is always the same. Play rugby. Emily, please tell your daughter to never stop playing rugby because it's girls like her who inspire us or to keep being who we are and doing what we love. Absolutely. And I think for generations to come, right? You know, when Beth gets older, if she decides to have children or, you know, Nises, Neth, use whatever, she can say to them, "I have been playing rugby my whole life." And that is incredible. And she's getting involved with coaching, which is absolutely awesome because for me, you know, I don't see 28 as a very old age, but, you know, up until a couple of years ago, it was unheard of for women in rugby. I only started playing a marching rugby a couple of years ago. And in school, girls weren't allowed to play rugby. That was just for the boys. It was always, if we were, it was always tag rugby, but the boys could do contacts. Yeah. And then you have girls like us. We also want to be throwing people around into the mud. We want the rough and tumble as well. I don't want to be running around playing tag rugby. Saying that I do love tag rugby. Don't get me wrong. However, when there are options that we can't have, that's what infuriates me. Boys can do this and girls can't do this. Yeah, I totally agree with that. And also, like, for Emily to go and do her coaching, like her daughter has inspired her to do that, which is incredible. Because majority of the time it's the parents that encourage the children and inspire them. And now it's the other way around. And I wish you all the best with your coaching. And this sort of really exciting because more female coaches. Yeah, I was literally just about to mention how many male coaches do we know? And within our county, there's not even a handful of female coaches that I could name. Like, there's a few, but for more women to be coaches, that is amazing. It's exciting. It is. It's very exciting. Oh, thank you so much, Emily. Hey, moving on. I'm excited. I'm excited to. But you don't know where the story is from. I do. Is this the one from Alaska? It is indeed. We have somehow made it all the way to Alaska, which is beyond me. That's really cool. It is. Okay, so on to this one. This is Rose. My name is Rose and my club is Fairbanks Rugby Club Ravens Fairbanks Alaska. I grew up in rural Alaska and have always played sports. But the town I lived in, please forgive me Rose, Ut Kegvik was a pretty rough place. And I graduated high school early. But second semester, I found a flyer for women's rugby and honestly thrived the rest of the way through college and made some of my absolute best friends and played on the club team at BYU. While we were gaining recognition from the university. Playing on the first team to complete in the national college gate tournaments, have not heard of that. We made it to the elite eight that year. I came home to Alaska and played with a club often on for a few years but got married. Move back to Ut Kegvik and had four children. So I had to take some time off due to that. And also because we didn't have a team up there. I wanted to come back in 2022 but my husband wasn't supportive and I ended up getting pregnant with my youngest. My marriage was pretty shifty and I lost a lot of myself trying to keep things quote unquote "okay". But ultimately he left me and I decided to get back into rugby. I found a personal trainer and had the best summer I've had in a long time. And bought all my kids to watch almost every practice where they've picked up a few skills and they love to watch me play. There were a bunch of other divorce folks on the team and I met my best friend. I've even had the confidence to travel and play in some tournaments and look up local rugby teams to meet and play with wherever I travel. Rugby people are my favourite people and I'm looking forward to making rugby more accessible to the youth where I live now in Fairbanks, Alaska. When I have more time to give. I love this. That's really cute. This is good and I can't believe we've got a story in from Alaska that is crazy to me. It is and I totally agree rugby people are the best people. 100% there's no people like rugby people. That's a really sweet story. I think with rugby it is just one big like union of just love. And like you do find your best friends and the thing is you do have things in common with them. And rugby is for everyone. Hey, on to the next story. Hello, I'm 43 and have multiple disabilities including autism, bipolar, osteoarthritis and EDS. I've played rugby for a decade so started later in life and took a long break due to declining health four years ago. I returned after a year to a new team as I was experiencing domestic abuse at home. As I've moved to a new county I felt very isolated. To start the physical and mental health challenges I persisted after joining stains women RFC. And due to the amazingly supportive coaches and teammates I managed to push through the huge challenges and low confidence to become the player that I always wanted to be. I'm not the fastest, certainly not the fittest. I would all like a penguin and my ADHD brain makes me a coaching challenge for our coaches. I'm clumsy, famously quirky and hopelessly in love with Marley Packer. An inflecacy flirted with her in front of Rosie. But I'm so proud of who I am on that pitch. And whilst I will never win the heart of Miss Packer, I will be playing rugby until I'm 80. I did talk to Marley about my desire to increase awareness around older women and women with disabilities and the issues around the issues that commonly affect women. And how club level rugby can help support women better. She asked me to inbox her about it so she can help me find a contact with the RFU for discussions around these issues. I think getting first-hand experiences from amateur players is an excellent idea. and a great way to start dialogue around supporting women better. So many women's teams are struggling for numbers, and I feel a part of that is because women like me don't feel sports like rugby for them. So a whole new section of local communities avoid giving a go. I also feel a lack of management team understanding, training, and awareness of how to support women beyond rugby means that retention of players experiencing challenges is hard. Kate, Faye, I think you are absolutely on the mark when it comes to understanding women in rugby. Obviously, rugby is a male dominated sport. There are significantly more male coaches than there are female coaches. And running men's rugby is so different to women's rugby, which we have seen all too well. It was only recently that we were telling one of our coaches it's okay to talk about periods. It's okay to ask about periods. It's okay to ask women what it's like on certain days of their cycle. And he looked quite taken aback when we told him that because he also teaches men and boys. And he has said it's just so different and you're right. It does stop player retention. Yeah, and I think with women as well, we have so many different hormones. And sometimes I think us as women, we don't even understand how we're feeling or what hormones are going through our bodies at that time in that moment. So it is difficult. And I think that's why it's important for us to talk about it and get our voices heard and let men understand because equally that then helps. Like our coach once speaking to that. He took that on board and now he's a little bit more familiar with that. And that's what this is about. It's about talking about the things nobody wants to talk about and it is always periods with boys. And then, it was for us, it's so normal. And we'll happily talk to the girls about periods and stuff. But when you have four male coaches, you know, we're blessed with the coaches that we have. And especially ones that are dads to girls, you know, they're so much more understanding and they are happy to ask us about how we are on the first few days of our period and how we're feeling if we need to take a minute away because we've experienced, you know, certain training sessions in, you know, various clubs around the county where the coaches would scream at the girls and women. And it's just not productive, you know. We don't have that same reaction to being shout out like men might do, you know. Sometimes it kind of drives men. Whereas with us, especially from, especially from our period, you don't know how we're going to take that. We're either, you know, we might sit in the corner and cry, or we might be hunting you down the other end of the pitch. Like it's hard to say. That was becoming a winner. Honestly, prop full speed ahead. Thank you so much, Fay. Okay, up next, we have Anna from the Dutch Worth Furns. A return to rugby, tentatively, in September, after almost a year out, due to back problems. At 45, I thought my boots might be hung up for good, but with the help of the team physio and a wonderful PT at my gym, as well as the optimistic and encouraging messages from my coach and teammates, I played my first league game last Sunday. I played around 45 minutes, and I'm glad to say we had a convincing win against a great team who were at the top of the table. A long period of reduced mobility, struggles of pain, MRIs, hospital treatment, and almost no physical activity. My fitness and confidence were impacted. But I've worked hard over the last few months with support both in the gym, on the field to rehab my back, up my general fitness, drop a ton of weight, and build muscle which had disappeared over the break. Integrating back into the team was the easy bit. Like all good rugby teams, other players have become friends, and despite not being able to make it on the field for most of last season, my mates kept me included in the social side of things, and were all eager to have me back. They don't know how much they all helped me to stay optimistic about recovery, and I guess keep me feeling like I still belong there. Starting playing rugby at 40 might seem crazy to some. Many people stop playing by that age, but there's something about women's rugby that attracts and retains women from 18, that fairway into their 50s, all valued, all welcomed, and with a real sense of unity and identity within the team. We see the best of each other, lift each other up in rugby, but also when life challenges and events present themselves and have a real deep, authentic care for each other, as well as some perfectly, comedically-time, Mickey-taking. We've come a long way as a team in the last five years, in skill, numbers, in successes, and in deepening positive team culture. Well, Anna, if any of your teammates listen to this, they will for sure know that they were there for you and supported you, and it'll probably be nice for them to have that validation. Some people may say that 40 is crazy to start rugby, but it's not. It's definitely not. It's so not. But we played a game a couple of weeks ago. We did. And we found out that the scrim half was hallowed. 65. She was 65 years old, and I won't lie. She carried a lot of that game. Yeah, to be fair, I did start rugby that long ago, but my fitness isn't the best. It isn't the worst, and she was 10 times better than me. It was a crazy, crazy game, and we then, so she played a fully two minutes, and we then found out that the day before that, she'd also played a full game hockey. Yeah, I'd be done. I'd be absolutely done. And you know, when the rest of the team found out about that, the women in their 40s in our team were like, "Oh no, I was telling myself over a tie." They said, "This is my age." I can't do that now. Never. So for anyone, age should never, ever be a factor of rugby, because there is always a position for someone. Absolutely. Now let's have a look at Izzy's story. I started playing rugby at a young age, joining Bishop's Castle, RFC, when I was around nine years old. I played with the boys until I was 14, which gave me a strong foundation and a real love for the game. After that, I had a good stint off and today joined the touch rugby at Luktoneans, eventually progressing back into full contact rugby. As Luktone built the women's team, I've been with them ever since. In October last year, I sustained a serious injury, a complete ACL rupture and a grade three tear of my MCL. When I first found out I needed surgery, I was in denial about just how serious the injury was. I was fortunate to have my surgery around 12 weeks later, which gave me a time to do extensive rehab. With the help of my amazing physio, I became strong and physically prepared for the operation. However, waking up after the surgery and truly realizing the severity of my injury was a huge shock, and things just seemed to get harder from there. I reacted badly to the pain medication and developed an infection in one of the incision sites. Despite all of this, the one thing I never wanted to stop doing was to get back on that pitch. Rugby has always been a huge part of my mental health, making me feel better, and giving me the opportunity to turn off from everyday life. Having surgery and being unable to play caused my mental health to deteriorate significantly, as I could no longer do the thing that helped me feel better. I won't lie, it has been an incredibly difficult 12 months, both physically and mentally. Throughout this time, the support I received from my friends I've made through rugby, particularly at Luktonians, was incredible. They supported me in ways I will never forget, even helping me wash when I first came out of hospital. Having friends like that is one of the best feelings in the world, and I wouldn't have those girls without rugby. My love for being active and my determination to return to the pitch helped me pull out some very dark times. It pushed me to work relentlessly on my physio, rehab, and recovery. Don't get me wrong, there were times when I did give up and skip the gym, but it only took me a week or so before I pulled myself back on track. I've had good days and bad days throughout this journey, but I've recently overcome a huge milestone. I ran my first 5K and now started my return to play process, so we are on a positive at the moment. Regardless of this, I'm still expecting more bad days to come. I think it's natural to think why me? Why am I going through this? However, I am determined to be back on the pitch by the end of this year. I have prepared myself for the bad days and I know how to pull myself out. My friends and family know how to stop me spiraling too. A good support network has been essential for me. With the support of my friends and my family who also play rugby, I know I will overcome this and be back on the pitch. 12 months ago, playing rugby again felt like an eternity away. Now, 12 months post-op, I'm back training and working through my return to play, feeling stronger than ever, definitely stronger than what I was before. Thanks for all the gym work and the rehab I've put in. God, denial is such a huge thing when it comes to injuries. Definitely. Really, really, really is. Like, obviously, when I did my ankle, I just, I didn't understand how bad it was until recovery. Yeah. Yeah. And it's daunting and it's isolating and lonely. and I'm so glad she had people there to support her. because not everyone is blessed with a community like she has. And to have friends that even helped her wash when she came out from hospital, that is really sweet. I think as well for people that are so interested in their sport and are so committed, it is really difficult both physically and mentally. I mean both men you have been off with injuries from rugby and we are very stubborn people and all we want to do is play rugby so we understand how other people feel when they're injured and they can't be on that pitch. But I think she's done a really good job but you know going to the gym, pushing through that pain, getting stronger and like she said she's stronger than what she was before so I'm really proud of her for getting herself from those start places and through that bad time to where she wanted to be in the first place and hopefully is he you will stay on the pitch, you will get some tries and you'll be back in shape in no time. There's just something so addicting about rugby right? Yeah. Like what is it? You know you come off the pitch and then the whole time you're just thinking I want to get back on the pitch. Yeah. And I think sometimes it is really really hard when you see your teammates especially when you have great friends through rugby and they're all playing together and you can't play with them but yeah I just think on and off the pitch equally you're all a team like like we said is he's already proven that by saying they gave her a wash and everything so hopefully is he you'll continue your rugby journey and hopefully no more surgeries for you. Is he rock? Keep rocking it. Okay on this story we have I apologise for saying your name wrong is either Amma or Ema and she is from Abba Felde Rugby club which is in Scotland so we've got another one that's really far away it's very exciting. So she started playing rugby when she was 49 and her husband left her and her daughter but she did say it was the best decision ever. Amma says that she was off injured a lot last season because her body wasn't used to that type of exercise but she still went to training. She says "I kept coming back because even though I couldn't fully train fill in the girls made it very clear that I was still part of the team and was a very valued team member. I needed that. I needed them too. I was very cautious with my injuries last season. I probably could have played harder but I'm a single mum who wanted to say fit and mobile for my child. This season I focused on mobility and more strength training. My preparation has been a lot better for tackling. I'm a bigger build now than when I was young and a lot slower but there's a place for me on the pitch. I love being a full wood. I love being a prop and I can just about put up with the jokes about props eating all the time. I love how there's everybody type on the pitch. Is your body built for it? Everybody is built for it but you have to be up for it mentally too." She also says that their captain has grown the women's side over the years from just two players and they now nearly have a full team. She's also encouraging us into getting to the coach inside. We have our first home game coming up soon so really really really big luck to you and I hope is the most fantastic game ever and I think a lot of women can relate that when these really big events happen in our lives we think it's going to be the end of the world essentially especially when there's children involved but ultimately they can lead to being the best things that ever happened to us and I think it's fantastic when you can find a group of like-minded women and just be a part of something bigger and I think that's what it is it is being a part of something bigger. This is Jazz from Hallum Share Women's team. I'm 25 years old, final medical student of Sheffield. I've always been involved in sport from being a kid. I played football, netball, dancing and most of all athletics. I concentrated on pole vault for 10 years competing at county level training 5 to 6 times a week. An injury stopped my pole vault and I decided to go back to throwing which is what I started off doing in athletics before pole vault. My boyfriend and wanted to join a rugby club for the social sport and to make friends and get active. He's always raved on about how lovely Hallum Share was and I thought the same when I came to support him at his games. After a while of everyone telling me to give it a go myself, I did. I've not played a team sport in a very long time and never done a contact sport before so I wasn't really sure if it would be for me or not. My background in athletics was really transferrable as throwing is all about power and technique similar to rugby. I ended up loving it and played my first game just after two weeks. The Hallum Share Club is so welcoming and have made an amazing atmosphere where everybody supports and uplifts one another. It's amazing to be part of a team like this one. Since starting in October I've loved every minute and even been recognised as a player of the match a couple of times. With my final exam at uni I find it great stress reliever and never stop laughing at training sessions. It's really helped me maintain a good balance. I'm looking forward to the rest of the season and trying out sevens for the first time. Jazz you are going to get faster's hell if you start doing sevens. You'll come back into the next season and I don't know what position you play but you're probably going to be hammering it down the wing if you start in sevens. There's no community like a rugby community. Every woman I've spoken to that started rugby have played sports in the past and there was come from things like you said athletics, you become from hockey, football, had a lot of netball people that come into it and I think they don't get that stress release and if you start pushing someone around on a netball court you're going to get sent off and it's great that women can have a good mental outlet and stress outlet and exit the community around it is just so different. Obviously in football you have that hooligan mentality, you know, rugby, you have a stadium packed of people completely integrated, you're allowed to drink alcohol and people are supporting the other teams half the time. If they do a decent run down the field they're there for it. We support everyone in rugby and I mean first of all, well done for getting a player of the match a few times. That is incredible especially because you haven't been playing that long but also myself. I came from dancing, dancing in rugby are very different sports. I don't know just more flowy and calm and like you can release those emotions but it's completely different to rugby. So yeah, well done for all of that and like Kyle said, playing sevens you're going to get super fast and you fit this is going to be extremely, extremely good. So well done to you. Hey this one is a journey story. I have played rugby for five years dotted about from different clubs. My journey started in 2021 when I unfortunately got abused by my ex boyfriend. I've always enjoyed watching rugby, being interested in it as my dad is a coach and my brother is a rugby player. Too fair, I was always the girly type but I was held back as my ex was controlling and emotionally abusive. After I went through a breakup I thought to myself I want to play rugby. It was like my skin got thicker. I became fearless. Rugby always has its ups and downs. I became a flanker due to my dominant tackles and second row but I had no confidence in myself but on the pitch I was a different person I was at home. Unfortunately a rugby club I was fully invested in for the women folded and there wasn't enough interest. I had nowhere to go. I lived in a town where they had no local rugby clubs. I went to a different team where I felt completely judged. I have a medical condition and I was left on the bench the entire game and I just wanted to show people what I could do. My confidence dipped again but now I'm at Hallumshire ready to call it home and hit that pitch. I've not been injured yet and I also coach rugby. I played walking rugby which obviously gave me the itch. I love this. That's cute. That is very cute. Also big up the Hallumshire. Oh no, so we've had a couple come out from there too. I'm sorry some Hallumshire. Hallumshire to you guys. Yeah huge big up to Hallumshire RFC. Thank you for throwing in two stories into the mix today. So first and foremost obviously anyone going through that is absolutely terrible and no one should ever ever have to go through that. I think obviously on one hand it does build resilience but at the same time it knocks every ounce of confidence that you have and you do become a different person that you know people, women, anyone, find things like rugby and they find their people. Yeah I think like with the whole we just mentioned about you do become a different person. I don't know if I totally agree with that. I think you are who you are you just learning to find out who you are if that makes sense. I think people when they are in abusive relationships they're held back a lot. They don't get that opportunity to explore who they are and what they like and the things that they can do and their limits and I think that's something that rugby and a lot of other sports can bring to people and their attention is very much to them focusing on like wow I can do this that I don't never thought I could do before. So this story has been sent in by Tasha who plays for Long Leaven's RFC Women's Mixed Ability Rugby. We are a fairly new team, fully inclusive with a whole range of incredible women. We started training in August 2025 and before this I'd never even picked up a rugby ball before. I had always been part of a rugby family with my brother playing and then going on to have my partner play and our son's been playing since he was a toddler. So when the opportunity came up for a brand new Women's Mixed Ability Team I just thought why not. I had just had a new baby, my third child Oliver who was just over three months old when we started training and was also fresh off the back of suffering with a miscarriage. I have ADHD as well as being diagnosed with a chronic illness 10 years ago. I needed something that could be for me, something to give me purpose of more than just being someone's mum and to give me my own sense of identity back. Since started training I have also had a gastric bypass and ended up with having eight weeks out of training. I still turned up every single week to sit by the sidelines on watch, just to still feel part of the team, to still try and learn and still have that time for me. And when I was back on my feet, fit and ready, they were all there ready to welcome me with open arms. As if I'd never been gone. It is by far the best sport I've ever been a part of with the most amazing team of pure humble and truly wonderful people. Did you say she only started in August 25? Yeah, six months ago. Wow. Incredible. That is a lot in six months. Especially from suffering with a miscarriage to go straight back into rugby and having her third child as well because it can't be that easy having three children, having a miscarriage and then jumping into rugby and just balancing the whole situation. And this is why we're doing this right because you know obviously miscarriages are unique to women. Men absolutely suffer but ultimately it is you know the woman that is having to deal with the loss of a child that they were carrying no matter how far along they were. It's a very very big loss. It's definitely mentally and physically challenging as well. Hey, or Tasha, I'm so so sorry that you had to go through that but it is genuinely fantastic that you're getting back onto the pitch so well done. Yeah, and to be supported by all her friends and family too because her family plays rugby too. Amazing. Which is very relatable. I feel like a whole life is working rugby. So yeah, we do relate to that but well done to you and I'm really glad that your team is very supportive of you. It's a sad moment. Is it time? It's pretty much time. So we will be rounding up our very first episode but not just yet. Have we got something exciting to share with us? Very exciting. Well, I'm intrigued. So I had an email from MedwayRFC as they have reached a huge milestone in women's rugby. Wow. So it is possible not completely confirmed but possible that they are not going to be there. They may be the first women's team to have ever had contracted players that are not part of professional rugby. That's crazy. That's crazy. Yeah, that is incredible. So there are three contracted players. They will be paid for games, I believe. It's going to read a little extract that we have. So the last four seasons, SpekSavers Medway Stores has sponsored Medway Rugby Club Women and Girls teams. Craig Holland, retail director at SpekSavers Medway Shares. We're really proud of the partnership we have with Medway Rugby Club and that we continue to support them working towards achieving their growth ambitions as a team within our community. Firstly, big shout out to SpekSavers. They also say this is more than a milestone. It's a vision for the future by investing in a women sports program. We're not just supporting today's players, we're laying the foundation for generations to come. But the largest women and girls section in England, Medway RFC is proud to lead the way in creating an environment where enjoyment comes first, talent thrives, ambition is rewarded and equality is the norm. I love this. Yeah, me too. This is absolutely huge. Obviously, there's a lot of men that are paid for non-professional playing rugby. We don't get that as women. It's not a thing and it's fantastic that that is something that is finally happening. So there were some stories we were not able to read today and if your story was not on here, we do apologise but we got more stories than we expected. If your story was not read out, they will be read out on the next episode. For now, it is time for us to say goodbye and thank you so much for listening to the Grand Lodge of grassroots women's rugby. Bye!