46 participants attended the Belfast Harlequins 'Give it a Try' event
Here is a recap of how two clubs, Cooke and Belfast Harlequins got on.
BELFAST HARLEQUINS RFC: 6th AUGUST
As a part of the IRFU 'Give it a Try' campaign Belfast Harlequins Women's Rugby Club in Deramore Park Belfast, hosted a joint Junior and Senior rugby open session on the 6th August.
After much Facebook and Twitter activity, word of mouth and good old fashioned 'bringing a mate', 'Quins were delighted with a ...
46 participants attended the Belfast Harlequins 'Give it a Try' event Here is a recap of how two clubs, Cooke and Belfast Harlequins got on. BELFAST HARLEQUINS RFC: 6th AUGUST As a part of the IRFU 'Give it a Try' campaign Belfast Harlequins Women's Rugby Club in Deramore Park Belfast, hosted a joint Junior and Senior rugby open session on the 6th August. After much Facebook and Twitter activity, word of mouth and good old fashioned 'bringing a mate', 'Quins were delighted with a turnout of 46 at the session, including 16 rookies, and were extremely lucky to be joined by four special guests - Irish International duo Ashleigh Baxter and Nikki Caughey, Ulster Prop Ilse Van Staden and the Women's 6 Nations Trophy. It was a fantastic evening of mixed skills and drills to give the rookies a flavour of women's rugby. Pizza afterwards was certainly well received with a great chance for the players to get to know each other and enjoy some of what 'Quins as a clubhouse has to offer. Head coach Ryan Milligan was delighted at the numbers: "Its been a great turnout for our open session this year, lets hope these players get the rugby bug and thrive as so many have before at the club." Belfast Harlequins boasts two Ireland internationals, numerous Ulster players and has attracted overseas attention with South African International Zanay Jordaan joining on a scholarship! In fact, 'Quins is very multi-cultural having had Dutch, Canadian, English, South African, American and Australian players in the past. Even if you don't speak English as your first language, there are plans in place to deal with any nationality wishing to try rugby! 'Quins are hoping to field a 2nd XV this year comprised of new players, veterans and those coming back from injury. The 'Quins 'Jesters' will compete in the Development League with other newly founded teams to give the new players a fair competition according to their skill level, so the player can grow and develop at their own pace. From a youth perspective, 'Quins has grown from strength to strength, doubling their numbers in the last year. Coaches Jen Goodall and Marty Asquith are exceptionally proud of their girls, some of whom have been training with the Ulster U19 Regional Development Squad. So if you're thinking about starting your rugby journey... why not pop down to Belfast Harlequins! Training is on Tuesday nights from 7-9pm for both junior and senior sections and run by fully qualified IRFU accredited staff! No experience is necessary, full training given literally from the ground up!
COOKE RFC: 16th AUGUST Cooke Women's Rugby held a 'Give it a Try' taster session for girls who are new to rugby on the 16th August. The girls were put through their paces by two of the Ulster Men's senior squad, practising some ball handling skills and playing fitness based kicking games. The session ended with 'Pizza on the Pitch', and a chat with the existing squad about their experiences within the team.
A range of girls attended the session, including those with no rugby experience, some who have played tag rugby and those with experience of other sports. The aim of the session was to introduce new girls to rugby and show them the positive side of playing a sport that is growing in popularity amongst women. Following the success of the women's Irish Team in securing this season's 6 Nations title, women's rugby had a higher profile in the media.
This season Cooke Women welcome their new coach John Sheppard, who has previously coached teams at Holywood and Instonians, amongst others. Their pre-season has started on a high, with a win over Blackrock in Dublin last weekend in a friendly fixture and a win over Harlequins in the Division 2 (North) league. For more info on Cooke Women's rugby, please contact Nikita on: 07753100901.
46 participants attended the Belfast Harlequins 'Give it a Try' event Here is a recap of how two clubs, Cooke and Belfast Harlequins got on. BELFAST HARLEQUINS RFC: 6th AUGUST As a part of the IRFU 'Give it a Try' campaign Belfast Harlequins Women's Rugby Club in Deramore Park Belfast, hosted a joint Junior and Senior rugby open session on the 6th August. After much Facebook and Twitter activity, word of mouth and good old fashioned 'bringing a mate', 'Quins were delighted with a turnout of 46 at the session, including 16 rookies, and were extremely lucky to be joined by four special guests - Irish International duo Ashleigh Baxter and Nikki Caughey, Ulster Prop Ilse Van Staden and the Women's 6 Nations Trophy. It was a fantastic evening of mixed skills and drills to give the rookies a flavour of women's rugby. Pizza afterwards was certainly well received with a great chance for the players to get to know each other and enjoy some of what 'Quins as a clubhouse has to offer. Head coach Ryan Milligan was delighted at the numbers: "Its been a great turnout for our open session this year, lets hope these players get the rugby bug and thrive as so many have before at the club." Belfast Harlequins boasts two Ireland internationals, numerous Ulster players and has attracted overseas attention with South African International Zanay Jordaan joining on a scholarship! In fact, 'Quins is very multi-cultural having had Dutch, Canadian, English, South African, American and Australian players in the past. Even if you don't speak English as your first language, there are plans in place to deal with any nationality wishing to try rugby! 'Quins are hoping to field a 2nd XV this year comprised of new players, veterans and those coming back from injury. The 'Quins 'Jesters' will compete in the Development League with other newly founded teams to give the new players a fair competition according to their skill level, so the player can grow and develop at their own pace. From a youth perspective, 'Quins has grown from strength to strength, doubling their numbers in the last year. Coaches Jen Goodall and Marty Asquith are exceptionally proud of their girls, some of whom have been training with the Ulster U19 Regional Development Squad. So if you're thinking about starting your rugby journey... why not pop down to Belfast Harlequins! Training is on Tuesday nights from 7-9pm for both junior and senior sections and run by fully qualified IRFU accredited staff! No experience is necessary, full training given literally from the ground up!
COOKE RFC: 16th AUGUST Cooke Women's Rugby held a 'Give it a Try' taster session for girls who are new to rugby on the 16th August. The girls were put through their paces by two of the Ulster Men's senior squad, practising some ball handling skills and playing fitness based kicking games. The session ended with 'Pizza on the Pitch', and a chat with the existing squad about their experiences within the team.
A range of girls attended the session, including those with no rugby experience, some who have played tag rugby and those with experience of other sports. The aim of the session was to introduce new girls to rugby and show them the positive side of playing a sport that is growing in popularity amongst women. Following the success of the women's Irish Team in securing this season's 6 Nations title, women's rugby had a higher profile in the media.
This season Cooke Women welcome their new coach John Sheppard, who has previously coached teams at Holywood and Instonians, amongst others. Their pre-season has started on a high, with a win over Blackrock in Dublin last weekend in a friendly fixture and a win over Harlequins in the Division 2 (North) league. For more info on Cooke Women's rugby, please contact Nikita on: 07753100901.