Herts RFU’s Club of the Season 2013/14 looks to strengthen ladies squad as team plans to enter RFU Ladies League
Team launches recruitment drive as England Women’s team excel in Six Nations
Cuffley Ladies RUFC have held an open day to start a recruitment drive to sign up new players to its ladies rugby team.
The team, based at Botany Bay Cricket Ground, in East Lodge Lane, launched in the summer of 2014 with the support of the main Cuffley RUFC club, held an RFU Ladies Rugby Pitch up and Play Open Day to attract new players
The club currently has a squad of 19 but is looking to boost this number to 30 this year or more, with a plan to becoming a full fixture team as Cuffley Ladies Rugby Club look to join a league and play matches every week.
Ladies captain Jade Mitchell said: “The open day at our club house at Botany Bay was a great success with more than 20 women turning up to express an interest in joining the ladies team. However, we are still on the lookout for more players and we are hoping that the start of the England Women’s 6 Nations campaign on February 5 will really turn the spotlight on what a great sport this is for women.
“The ladies rugby team has proved to be really popular. We started the team back in the summer of 2014 when 15 took part in a summer touch rugby league at Botany Bay.
“The women that took part showed a great interest in pushing the team forward and were keen to take part in weekly coaching at Cuffley. So a few more girls joined last year, taking the total up to 16, and after playing at a ladies rugby festival at Old Albanians RFC in St Albans, which was a great success, we decided that it was time to add to our squad so that we can start playing regular matches.
“Players of all levels are welcome with the majority of the current team being new to the game. It’s a great way to stay fit as well as being a really sociable sport too.”
A spokesperson from the RFU said: “Ladies rugby is one of the fastest growing sections and there are very few teams in North London / South Herts so Cuffley’s growth is a fantastic addition. The RFU are fully behind the women’s game with increased Six Nations publicity adding the buzz.”
Training takes place every Tuesday with experienced coaches from the main Cuffley RUFC club. Matches are on Sundays and at the moment are mainly friendlies but the team plan to enter a local league next season. The ladies team are coached by head coach Gary Harris and two other coaches Chris Wilson and Marc Bright.
Any women interested in joining Cuffley Ladies RUFC, should email:
• Jade Mitchell, ladies captain at ladies@cuffleyrugby.co.uk
• Gary Harris, chairman and head coach at Gary@cuffleyrugby.co.uk
About Cuffley Ladies RUFC
- Cuffley Ladies RUFC launched in summer 2014 and is affiliated to the main Cuffley RUFC, which is based at Cuffley RUFC’s ground at Botany Bay Cricket Ground in Enfield.
- There are currently 19 women who are part of the first Cuffley Ladies team, but the club are looking to get a squad of 30.
- Team caption is Jade Mitchell.
- The team currently train on Tuesday evening at 7.15pm at Botany Bay Cricket Ground in Enfield and play friendly matches on Sundays.
- Cuffley Ladies RUFC is looking to join the RFU Ladies League for the 2016/17 season.
- Club sponsors include: EPS Real Estate, Perfect Homes, PLI, Sportin Index and McGinley Logistics
About women’s rugby
- More than 18,000 women and girls play rugby regularly in England.
- England Women won the Rugby World Cup in 2014 after beating Canada 21-9 in Paris, France..
- The victory followed a record-breaking seventh consecutive 6 Nations crown in 2012 as well as the Grand Slam. They also became the first team ever in 6 Nations history not to concede a try.
- As part of its work to grow rugby union in England, the RFU has launched a strategy to take the game to 100,000 women and girls across the country.
- England Women start their 2016 Six Nations campaign on 5 February away to Scotland at the Broadwood Stadium, Cumbernauld.
- England will be looking to build on their 2015 placing, where they finished fourth in the table, winning two of their five games.
- This tournament will again form part of the 2017 World Cup preparation process for the squad. The World Cup takes place in Ireland in August 2017.
