CASE STUDY! Successful girls rugby project engages 400 pupils
We delivered a girls rugby programmes across six secondary schools, read below to hear more about it!
The project aimed to increase the awareness and participation in the sport, targeting local secondary schools where girls rugby was limited. We celebrated the project with an event held at Bedford Athletic Rugby Club, where all girls involved in the programme put what they have learned into game scenarios. Coaches and players from Bedford Junior Blues and Bedford Women’s team also attended the event, promoting pathways into girls rugby.
There is a huge opportunity for women and girls rugby in Bedfordshire, however engagement with the sport is still low. Blues Foundation are tackling this challenge head on thanks to funding from England Rugby to increase exposure to female rugby and highlight opportunities in the grassroots game. Bedford Blues has a proud rugby heritage, alongside this the formation of Bedford Blues Women has presented us with an exciting pathway to promote and increase participation at grassroots level. With the women’s rugby world cup around the corner in 2025, we are now laying the foundations to build momentum and creating a lasting legacy for women and girls rugby.
Working alongside six secondary schools across Bedford from November to March, we were able to create and deliver 4-6 week sessions for all year 8 classes. This ensured that each girl in a Year 8 class was reached and could experience the sport. Across the delivery, each group was given an introduction to rugby, the fundamental skills needed and a step by step guide to contact rugby in a safe and controlled environment. We worked closely with teachers to ensure each pupil progressed at a comfortable rate to ensure safe practice, and to build confidence within the sessions.
The coaches were initially faced with uncertainty by the pupils, as perceptions of rugby were largely negative. Understanding this hurdle throughout all delivery was imperative to reach our goal. Ensuring each session was different and exciting was key to building the pupil’s trust and interest in the sport. Breaking the barriers of the preconceived idea that the girls held was difficult, although with trust came enjoyment and understanding of the game.
"This has been my first experience of rugby and I enjoy it. I am going to try and start doing it outside of school"
We were faced with an external barrier of schools and parents/guardians unable to supply players with mouthguards, leading us to the decision to change the day to a touch festival, this ensured all girls were engaged, excited and having fun.
To close off the year, each school was invited to attend a celebration festival at Bedford Athletic Rugby Club. Creating awareness and accessibility to girls was the forefront of the project, ensuring player safety was the most important. Each class progressed at different confidence and playing levels.
On the final day, we had all six schools attend the festival on 27th March. Bedford Women players were there to help with game understanding and to create a sense of support, allowing the girls to feel inspired and comfortable.
“I have made lot's of new friends from other schools and I managed to score 4 tries which is something I couldn't do before"
In total we had 60 girls attend the festival, see below the overall project statistics:
Participants – 406
Age – 12 to 13 (Year 8)
Disability – 16.01%
Ethnic Minority – 54.43%
Deprived Ward – 44.33
Throughput - 1334
Concluding the project, each school had expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to introduce their year 8’s into rugby. There are limited resources to teach women’s rugby at secondary schools and most teachers do not have an RFU coaching award and they also lack confidence to deliver the sport. Following on from the touch festival, a number of girls have been in contact with Bedford Junior Blues and attended some training sessions. Additional to this, schools have inquired to see if we would be able to offer the same programme again next year due to it's success. Overall the project has instilled confidence, developed social skills and increased physical activity for the girls who were given the opportunity.
"I hope to continue playing rugby now and want to find out more about a club to join. The coaches were really good and helped me go outside my comfort zone!"