Why would a dance-loving girl who likes creature comforts want to be out in the cold, in the dirt playing a tough contact sport? What are the benefits of Asian girls playing rugby?
There’s mud, cold, frostbite, and more mud. This is what our Sunday mornings are made of. I’m a rugby mum. Both of my children play rugby, so it’s double the dirt and twice the amount of pitch-side cheering. Sounds mad, but being a rugby family is one of the best decisions we’ve made.
We’re not a sporty family, nor have we ever paid any attention to rugby (apart from cheering a bit when England won the World Cup in 2003). But with steady belief in rugby being a ‘gentlemen’s game’, I encouraged my son to play rugby for local club, Syston RFC when he was just five. My daughter repeatedly said she would like to get involved but I didn’t think she was serious. After all, she was only nine, very petite, and was more likely to be seen dancing or acting on stage than tackling kids twice her size.
But she proved me wrong. As part of an outreach program, Leicester Tigers started an after-school club at my daughter’s school, Krishna Avanti, which is predominantly Asian. We received a letter saying that as part of Project Rugby, Tigers community team were actively encouraging more Asians to enjoy and play the game and were setting up a rugby team called Leicester Tigers Swifts. This was it. There was absolutely no stopping my 9-year-old daughter.
While surprised, I was pleased. Having been involved in rugby, I had seen the value that the game and its culture had provided for my son, who by now had been playing for Syston for six years. We enjoyed watching Tigers games at their Welford Road stadium and was impressed by the facilities and opportunities for families and children. The atmosphere is fun, friendly and value-driven.
Evidently, there is a distinct lack of Asians involved in and who play rugby, particularly at professional level. In the years my son has been playing rugby, I have seen very few Asians at the club or at an away game. Project Rugby, which is a joint initiative between Premiership Rugby and England Rugby, is working to increase participation in the game by people from traditionally underrepresented groups including Asians. One of its aims is to challenge existing perceptions of the game and position rugby as a sport for anyone, regardless of background, ability or gender.
I have seen first-hand the massive benefits of rugby for all children, including girls. There are no barriers to playing the sport. It really doesn’t matter of your shape, size or background. Anyone can contribute to the game, as long as they get stuck in. My daughter is first and foremost a dancer, but has gained a wide variety of skills and values while playing rugby, particularly the solidarity that comes from working in a team. Being coached by the Leicester Tigers community team, The Swifts has helped her to gain masses of confidence, enabling her to play competitive rugby at school, against other clubs, and sometimes even at the Leicester Tigers Welford Road Stadium.
Playing rugby has built up her resilience. Girls can play alongside boys up to a certain age and I can see how it has helped her to develop and tap into her own strengths. She’s small – one of the shortest girls in the class, yet she can play and contribute positively alongside the tallest boys of the year. She was once selected to play a girl’s match against another school. Only when she got there did she realise she was one of the smallest and youngest players on the pitch, playing against girls who were a year older than her. While they didn’t win that match, she views the experience with a sense of pride and recognition of her own strength.
For me as a parent, rugby offers uncomplicated, but clever, and rather messy play that helps my children to develop not only physical but mental strength. As a sport, rugby demands that players imbibe the value of teamwork, solidarity and cooperation. It is a game with great emphasis on respect and absolutely no tolerance for bad attitude. For my daughter, and others who play rugby, it doesn’t matter if she wins or loses, it’s about battling it out on the pitch, and having good, clean fun.
