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Women's Rugby: an International Perspective"Women play rugby?" "That's a man's game!" How many times have you heard those sayings before? Be it in Scotland, England or America I have had them said to me before and I am sure that every one of you can relate to that situation! There is always going to be stereotyping (I mean women's rugby players are all gay right?!!!) and there are barriers to participation in women's sport no matter which country and which sport you play. From my experiences in the UK and in the USA I feel that women's rugby is not frowned upon as much in the USA, mainly due to the participation of women in American football. People in the USA are not as afraid to voice their opinions and stand up for what they believe in, where the Brits are so lazy that they just want a quiet life! I guess that opinions you come across all depend on the communities you live, work, and play in, as well as the social circles you move in. Women's rugby is becoming increasing more popular. No matter how big the barriers are that are placed in the way of our participation, I am sure with the brute strength we are renowned for we will break them down, because every one of us is passionate about our sport. Passion is the most common factor that I have noticed between the Scottish, English and American teams and I am sure this runs world wide! The Scots are passionate about winning and being the best that they can be individually and collectively, as well as beating the English! The English teams share the same passion as the Scots and Americans strive to be all that they can be in every sport they participate in. It is this passion which gels women's rugby players together and will ensure that the sport that we all love continues to grow and develop. Another common factor is our hospitality and kindness. While working in the USA I had the pleasure of being part of Morris Women's Rugby Club. The girls were all very welcoming and very friendly. They made me feel right at home and they were an extremely intelligent bunch of ruggers and I thoroughly enjoyed our after training rants and raves in the bar! I am sure they only understood one in every ten words that I said but they had the common courtesy to humour me! Since moving to England I have experienced the same kind of hospitality at Romford and Gidea Park Rugby Club. Having moved to England to do my Physical Education teaching I was on a hunt to find a rugby club. It appears that London is impossible to navigate round in rush hour traffic (a bit like NJ!) and Romford were the closest team to my place of study. They are currently playing the required fixtures to get into a rugby league and they share the same passion already talked about, and are so determined to be successful. On the field they lack a bit of aggression at times and I am sure at the start they thought I was a nut case but they are learning the Scottish way and will no doubt be a force to be reckoned with in the next few seasons! Off the field they too are a lovely bunch of girls and a real mix of personalities. They have made me feel very welcome and I even have a couple of adopted families to look after me! The teams in the English leagues have been very receptive to us and many of them have played fixtures against us to help us get into the league and give the team match practice. These teams include Harlequins ladies who invited us to play at the Stoop which was a great honour so our thanks go to all those clubs. As a team we are looking to extend our contacts internationally. Our coach plans to take us to the USA in the next couple of years so any club wanting to get in touch, whether you would like to come visit here or have us play you in the USA that would be great. I have suggested the Lake Saranac tournament which would be great! If your club would like to get in touch then please feel free to contact me: capstick1982@hotmail.com and I will discuss plans with the club committee. We also share the third common rugby club factor which I am sure is international: BEER!! Need I say more! On a final note, please please support www.tacklegirls.com website. It is fantastic to have a site dedicated to the beautiful game that is women's rugby, and supporting this site as everything we can do to make links and connections throughout the world will only aid the development of our game women's rugby!!! Best wishes and good luck to each and every one of you!! Amy Capstick |
