Women’s rugby to take centre stage at The Clash

Female rugby will take centre stage at Twickenham next week as Bath Rugby celebrates the growth of the female game.

Bath Rugby Foundation and Bath Rugby’s Community team have teamed up to showcase female rugby at half time in the Clash.

More than 50,000 tickets have already been sold for The Clash when Bath Rugby face their West Country rivals Bristol Bears in one of the biggest games of the Gallagher Premiership season.

And at half time the huge crowd at the home of England Rugby will be treated to a taste of one of the fastest growing sports in the country as youngsters from St Gregory’s School and Royal High School in Bath and Clarendon in Trowbridge take to the field.

The half time matches have been arranged by Bath Rugby Foundation and the Bath Rugby Community team.

The rate of change in women’s sports is one of the most exciting trends in the sports industry, with participation rates in rugby growing each year. Bath Rugby deliver coaching sessions to girls across a number of different programmes within Primary and Secondary Schools around the local catchment area. It’s clear to see the growth in participation and enjoyment across all ages, as previous barriers have now been removed.

This academic year, Royal High School have begun working with Bath Rugby coaches during their curriculum Physical Education lessons. The girls have all demonstrated Rugby’s core values (Teamwork, Respect, Enjoyment, Discipline, Sportsmanship) and are being awarded for their fantastic work and willingness to learn.

Bath Rugby Foundation is the charitable arm of Bath Rugby. Coaches from the Foundation have worked with the girls from St Gregory’s and Clarendon this season on Premiership Rugby’s Project Rugby programme.

Project Rugby is run by Premiership Rugby in collaboration with England Rugby designed to increase participation in the game by people from traditionally underrepresented groups: Black Asian & Minority Ethnic People; people from Lower Socio-Economic backgrounds (top 30% IMD); and Disabled People.

The programme – which is run in partnership with Gallagher – has seen Bath Rugby Foundation coaches deliver more than 440 Project Rugby sessions this season, which includes introductions to rugby to 826 girls.

Bath Rugby Foundation’s Inclusion Manager, Dan Hine, said: “The chance to play at Twickenham is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and it is great to give that opportunity to the girls from Clarendon School and St Gregory’s School.

“They have enjoyed the experience of being introduced to a new sport – so much so that more than half of the 24 girls playing at Twickenham have already joined local rugby clubs to continue their rugby journeys.

“Project Rugby has been a great success for Bath Rugby Foundation and seeing these youngsters run out on such a big stage will be an incredibly proud moment for the Foundation.”

Bath Rugby Community team are committed to using the power of rugby and the brand of Bath Rugby Club to deliver high-quality, accessible opportunities that inspire the next generation of rugby players, as well as fans.

Bath Rugby’s Community Engagement Manager, Tom Giles said “This is such a special day in the calendar for us, as we’re able to provide unique and exclusive opportunities at the Home of Rugby to over 1000 local children throughout the day.

“In particular, we’re delighted to offer the girls from Royal High School the opportunity to play on the pitch at half-time. Some of these girls have only started playing rugby this term and now have the chance to play in front of more than 50,000 people at Twickenham, which is pretty remarkable.

“We hope that opportunities like this will help inspire these incredibly lucky girls to get involved at a club level and progress within the game”

The Clash returns on Saturday, April 6, KO 14:00, when Bath Rugby host West Country rivals Bristol Bears in a derby day showdown on the biggest stage of them all.

More than 50,000 tickets have already been sold for The Clash. You can purchase your tickets for The Clash by clicking here, or ringing the Ticket Office on 0844 448 1865.