In our series, Behind the Player in association with Deloitte, Ulster’s Women players share a little bit about themselves, as well as recommendations for coping during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This week, Ulster Rugby spoke to Cooke and Ulster back row, and City of Derry RFC women’s coach, Beth Cregan.
Tell us a little about your rugby pathway to date.
I started playing rugby when I was in P3, when my older brother went to secondary school and got into playing rugby. Our family was the type of family who all did a particular sport together; if one did it, we all did it. My primary school at the time was running tag rugby as an after-school activity. I kept up with tag rugby until I was in P5, before starting contact rugby in P6 and P7. During that time, my brother Colm started at the local rugby club too. I went with him and joined the mini section. I was the only girl there and joined in with the boys. A lot of my friends from school had joined so it made it easy for me to play. I stayed there until I broke my elbow that year and needed surgery.
I had to step away from rugby as well for a while because there was no youth section at City of Derry RFC. I played other sports like football but when I was 15, I got fed up and went back to the rugby club. There was still no youth section but I just joined in with the ladies training; they let me tag along and I was only allowed to do passing drills with them.
When I was 17, one of the City of Derry girls brought me to an Ulster open training session. I managed to get involved with the Ulster senior ladies, but they realised I wasn’t 18 and not able to play senior rugby. They told me that I should play in the U18s – I didn’t think that was a thing. I thought the pathway was that you started again as an adult! They sent me to the Ulster U18 squad to try out there and got selected that year when I played in their blitzes (before they introduced Inter-Pro games). When I reached senior level, I moved to Cooke in 2014, before transitioning into the Ulster senior squad.
[caption id="attachment_35647" align="alignnone" width="716"]
Beth played for Ulster U18 before moving into the senior squad[/caption]
Through Cooke, there was a grant to try and help our youth recruitment. Cooke put me through my coaching badge and sent me into schools to recruit, which I really enjoyed. I’m a qualified teacher, so getting into the school environment was brilliant. I wanted to stay with it but I live in Derry so it was hard for me to keep as actively involved with Cooke. I ended up going to City of Derry to help in any way I could, whether it was holding tackle bags or setting up the pitch. Last year, I ended up moving into the Head Coach role for the women’s team at City of Derry. It’s going to be interesting when Cooke play City of Derry and having to coach and play at the same time! I have a lot of fun coaching.
Who have been your main influences in your rugby career?
From an early age, it would have been my family. We wouldn’t have played rugby as our main sport; it would have traditionally been football. My mum would have always watched the Six Nations and my brother helped me start out; we got into rugby together and were both successful in our teams. My mum is a huge influence. Before she got sick in 2014, she drove me everywhere. If I needed to go to Armagh, she finished work, picked me up and we went to Armagh. She probably didn’t eat until 11pm that night to make sure I got to training. She still kept up all of her day-to-day work too. If we had a match in Dublin, she would get up at 4am to make sure we got there in time. She was very much the driving force for me when I was younger.
In my senior career, the women I’ve played alongside have been influences as well. The likes of Grace Davitt who has been there, done that and got the t-shirt. When you’ve played with someone who beat the Black Ferns, of course they’re going to be a big influence. My club mates make me want to push myself and be better for them. A lot of my best friends are girls who I’d put a jersey on with. I know if I play with them, I’ll always push harder if I’m playing for them too.
What barriers have you had to overcome to reach this point?
Most women’s barriers are the same. There are a lot of us who have to travel long distances for training, but I wouldn’t say it’s a barrier; it’s just a challenge you have to accept and take that on, or not. For me, travelling is just the norm and not really a barrier. At the start of my career, I’ve seen a transition in the support the women’s sections in clubs get. It would have been a barrier before, but now not so much. A lot of clubs are recognising their women’s teams and the good work that needs to be put in to benefit the club as a whole. There aren’t as many barriers now as there were a few years ago. Coming through my rugby career, my barrier was having no youth setup at City of Derry. During those years from 11-15, I had to go elsewhere to be physically active. I had to try and self-teach and tried to get involved in rugby when I could, but I had 4 or 5 years when I wasn’t able to develop as much as I could. Now there are youth teams at City of Derry and other clubs in Ulster. There are some thriving youth teams and that barrier has been removed for a lot of girls. Hopefully we can keep that going to help improve access to the game for girls.
What have you been up to in the last few months?
I’ve just been trying to keep busy. Whenever lockdown started, I live with a vulnerable parent so we were put in shutdown very early on. Things changed for us quite dramatically. My two brothers who lived outside of the house moved back home to help out and go to do the shopping. I had to completely isolate myself to look after mum. I only went out for an hour of exercise each day and even then, I had to avoid people. It has been really nice though having my brothers home. It gave us time to make a home gym and train together which we haven’t done in years! We were able to play games with the family and cook together. It brought us together like when we were young. Now places are opening up, it’s been really nice to re-connect with people. During lockdown, you reflect on your relationships with people and how much time and effort it takes to connect with someone when you can’t see them face-to-face. You appreciate the time you spend with people more.
[caption id="attachment_35649" align="alignnone" width="750"] Photo taken from one of Beth's walks during lockdown[/caption]
How do you stay motivated?
Motivation comes in waves. If anybody who has been 100% motivated throughout these last few months, fair play – I wasn’t one of those people! At the start, I did all the viral challenges, 5K runs... I did everything going! My motivation was really high to begin with but as the weeks go on, it’s natural for motivation to drop. As sportspeople, for a long time, we didn’t see light at the end of the tunnel or know what we were training for. I would train to compete and I’m not one of those people who loves the gym. At times, it was hard for me and that was ok; it took me a while to sit back and realise if I needed a week off, I could take it, but I had to get back into it. Having the motivation to get back into training came from my friend group. Talking to people who I play with at club level and Ulster, some girls were conditioning or doing rehab, and some were doing gym sessions at home. Having those conversations gave me the motivation to get training. My brother is someone who loves fitness, and him moving into our house has given me the boost I needed too. He never pushed me too hard but never took any lame excuses!
What about any healthy eating advice? What’s the best meal you’ve made at home?
Anyone who knows me would know that ice cream is my Achilles’ Heel! I’ve never been known to tell someone what to eat and what not to eat. I’d say that as long as what you’re eating is in moderation, that’s the important thing. If you eat something big, make sure you don’t eat constantly. Make sure you aren’t eating junk food throughout the day, every day. If you want treats, have them and don’t limit yourself to counting calories or weighing out food. If I feel like eating what I want, I will in moderation. I try to get the right balance of proteins and carbohydrates. I wouldn’t be one to tell people what they can and can’t eat though!
What have you been doing to stay calm and enjoy yourself while at home?
I’m a very relaxed person and I don’t get stressed very much. If I am stressed, I like to just talk to people. I’m very known for ringing my friends out of the blue or sending them messages to keep that connection. The good thing about lockdown has been people being more open to video calls. My sister lives in Australia, so any time she’s awake, I would ring her. I have a brilliant friend group that I can contact as well. My family is in the house and I’m really close to them. Any time I can, I would talk to my mum no matter what issue I’m having. She has been there and done that and knows exactly what I need to hear. Being around people helps me unwind.
What are you looking forward to the most about a return to rugby?
What has been the best advice you’ve received?
When I was growing up, I learned that it’s not good enough to just show up. Just getting on the field isn’t enough. You have to be fully involved and give your best when you’re there.
Through coaches I’ve had and through coaching myself, the advice we would give is that it just doesn’t stop at training. From a young age, for me that was lifting cones after training. I didn’t just leave, I helped tidy up and talked to my team-mates. When I came through to senior level, I went away to self-teach. If I didn’t understand something in training, I would try and learn it myself, or work on fitness. Don’t assume everything will be covered in training, which only takes up a couple of hours a week, getting that time with your coach. You need to put some extra time into learning or bettering yourself, like throwing a ball around or going for a run if you want to go further.
What have been your proudest moments in rugby?
[caption id="attachment_35648" align="alignnone" width="686"] Beth with her family after getting her first Ulster cap.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_35646" align="alignnone" width="750"] Beth captained Cooke to win the Women's All-Ireland Shield in 2019[/caption]
What are your rugby aspirations?
It will always be to be the best player I can be for the team I’m playing in. At my club, I want to be the best for my team. That doesn’t mean I’m going out to play the way I want to; I need to play within our game plan. I want to make sure I have my basics right and know my role. I just want to be the best I can in any situation.
I just want to be there for my team-mates, and for them to know they can trust me on or off the pitch. If that leads to me being selected for matches or being pushed on, to keep playing for Ulster or further, that’s fine with me. In the long-run, most players will always say they want to play for their country. Playing at international level is the top prize but for me, that comes from making sure I’m there for my club or province and team-mates.
Beth played for Ulster U18 before moving into the senior squad[/caption]
Through Cooke, there was a grant to try and help our youth recruitment. Cooke put me through my coaching badge and sent me into schools to recruit, which I really enjoyed. I’m a qualified teacher, so getting into the school environment was brilliant. I wanted to stay with it but I live in Derry so it was hard for me to keep as actively involved with Cooke. I ended up going to City of Derry to help in any way I could, whether it was holding tackle bags or setting up the pitch. Last year, I ended up moving into the Head Coach role for the women’s team at City of Derry. It’s going to be interesting when Cooke play City of Derry and having to coach and play at the same time! I have a lot of fun coaching.
Who have been your main influences in your rugby career?
From an early age, it would have been my family. We wouldn’t have played rugby as our main sport; it would have traditionally been football. My mum would have always watched the Six Nations and my brother helped me start out; we got into rugby together and were both successful in our teams. My mum is a huge influence. Before she got sick in 2014, she drove me everywhere. If I needed to go to Armagh, she finished work, picked me up and we went to Armagh. She probably didn’t eat until 11pm that night to make sure I got to training. She still kept up all of her day-to-day work too. If we had a match in Dublin, she would get up at 4am to make sure we got there in time. She was very much the driving force for me when I was younger.
In my senior career, the women I’ve played alongside have been influences as well. The likes of Grace Davitt who has been there, done that and got the t-shirt. When you’ve played with someone who beat the Black Ferns, of course they’re going to be a big influence. My club mates make me want to push myself and be better for them. A lot of my best friends are girls who I’d put a jersey on with. I know if I play with them, I’ll always push harder if I’m playing for them too.
What barriers have you had to overcome to reach this point?
Most women’s barriers are the same. There are a lot of us who have to travel long distances for training, but I wouldn’t say it’s a barrier; it’s just a challenge you have to accept and take that on, or not. For me, travelling is just the norm and not really a barrier. At the start of my career, I’ve seen a transition in the support the women’s sections in clubs get. It would have been a barrier before, but now not so much. A lot of clubs are recognising their women’s teams and the good work that needs to be put in to benefit the club as a whole. There aren’t as many barriers now as there were a few years ago. Coming through my rugby career, my barrier was having no youth setup at City of Derry. During those years from 11-15, I had to go elsewhere to be physically active. I had to try and self-teach and tried to get involved in rugby when I could, but I had 4 or 5 years when I wasn’t able to develop as much as I could. Now there are youth teams at City of Derry and other clubs in Ulster. There are some thriving youth teams and that barrier has been removed for a lot of girls. Hopefully we can keep that going to help improve access to the game for girls.
What have you been up to in the last few months?
I’ve just been trying to keep busy. Whenever lockdown started, I live with a vulnerable parent so we were put in shutdown very early on. Things changed for us quite dramatically. My two brothers who lived outside of the house moved back home to help out and go to do the shopping. I had to completely isolate myself to look after mum. I only went out for an hour of exercise each day and even then, I had to avoid people. It has been really nice though having my brothers home. It gave us time to make a home gym and train together which we haven’t done in years! We were able to play games with the family and cook together. It brought us together like when we were young. Now places are opening up, it’s been really nice to re-connect with people. During lockdown, you reflect on your relationships with people and how much time and effort it takes to connect with someone when you can’t see them face-to-face. You appreciate the time you spend with people more.
[caption id="attachment_35649" align="alignnone" width="750"] Photo taken from one of Beth's walks during lockdown[/caption]
How do you stay motivated?
Motivation comes in waves. If anybody who has been 100% motivated throughout these last few months, fair play – I wasn’t one of those people! At the start, I did all the viral challenges, 5K runs... I did everything going! My motivation was really high to begin with but as the weeks go on, it’s natural for motivation to drop. As sportspeople, for a long time, we didn’t see light at the end of the tunnel or know what we were training for. I would train to compete and I’m not one of those people who loves the gym. At times, it was hard for me and that was ok; it took me a while to sit back and realise if I needed a week off, I could take it, but I had to get back into it. Having the motivation to get back into training came from my friend group. Talking to people who I play with at club level and Ulster, some girls were conditioning or doing rehab, and some were doing gym sessions at home. Having those conversations gave me the motivation to get training. My brother is someone who loves fitness, and him moving into our house has given me the boost I needed too. He never pushed me too hard but never took any lame excuses!
What about any healthy eating advice? What’s the best meal you’ve made at home?
Anyone who knows me would know that ice cream is my Achilles’ Heel! I’ve never been known to tell someone what to eat and what not to eat. I’d say that as long as what you’re eating is in moderation, that’s the important thing. If you eat something big, make sure you don’t eat constantly. Make sure you aren’t eating junk food throughout the day, every day. If you want treats, have them and don’t limit yourself to counting calories or weighing out food. If I feel like eating what I want, I will in moderation. I try to get the right balance of proteins and carbohydrates. I wouldn’t be one to tell people what they can and can’t eat though!
What have you been doing to stay calm and enjoy yourself while at home?
I’m a very relaxed person and I don’t get stressed very much. If I am stressed, I like to just talk to people. I’m very known for ringing my friends out of the blue or sending them messages to keep that connection. The good thing about lockdown has been people being more open to video calls. My sister lives in Australia, so any time she’s awake, I would ring her. I have a brilliant friend group that I can contact as well. My family is in the house and I’m really close to them. Any time I can, I would talk to my mum no matter what issue I’m having. She has been there and done that and knows exactly what I need to hear. Being around people helps me unwind.
What are you looking forward to the most about a return to rugby?
What has been the best advice you’ve received?
When I was growing up, I learned that it’s not good enough to just show up. Just getting on the field isn’t enough. You have to be fully involved and give your best when you’re there.
Through coaches I’ve had and through coaching myself, the advice we would give is that it just doesn’t stop at training. From a young age, for me that was lifting cones after training. I didn’t just leave, I helped tidy up and talked to my team-mates. When I came through to senior level, I went away to self-teach. If I didn’t understand something in training, I would try and learn it myself, or work on fitness. Don’t assume everything will be covered in training, which only takes up a couple of hours a week, getting that time with your coach. You need to put some extra time into learning or bettering yourself, like throwing a ball around or going for a run if you want to go further.
What have been your proudest moments in rugby?
[caption id="attachment_35648" align="alignnone" width="686"] Beth with her family after getting her first Ulster cap.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_35646" align="alignnone" width="750"] Beth captained Cooke to win the Women's All-Ireland Shield in 2019[/caption]
What are your rugby aspirations?
It will always be to be the best player I can be for the team I’m playing in. At my club, I want to be the best for my team. That doesn’t mean I’m going out to play the way I want to; I need to play within our game plan. I want to make sure I have my basics right and know my role. I just want to be the best I can in any situation.
I just want to be there for my team-mates, and for them to know they can trust me on or off the pitch. If that leads to me being selected for matches or being pushed on, to keep playing for Ulster or further, that’s fine with me. In the long-run, most players will always say they want to play for their country. Playing at international level is the top prize but for me, that comes from making sure I’m there for my club or province and team-mates.