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Free Your Inner Warrior - Thursday 6th September

Free Your Inner Warrior - Thursday 6th September

Tom Bulmer15 Aug 2018 - 13:00
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Our Inner Warrior Camp is back in Darlington on Thursday 6th September!

I wish I’d found the sport when I was younger because there’s a social aspect to it that I’ve never found with any other sport
- Vicki Greensmith

The next wave of England Rugby’s Inner Warrior campaign has launched today, after a successful series of camps in 2017 and 2018 gave a huge boost to grassroots women’s rugby participation.

The upcoming wave of Warrior Camps will run from 31 August to 16 September with over 100 rugby taster sessions taking place at clubs across the country, in a bid to inspire women to take up the game and embark on a new challenge.

Inner Warrior returns to Darlington Mowden Park on Thursday 6th September, with the girls session running from 6-7.30 and the ladies from 7.30-8.30.

“Rugby is incredibly inclusive and encourages women from all backgrounds and physical statures to come together and bond through the sport," said England international, Katy Daley-Mclean.

"One of the best aspects of rugby is the variety of people you meet through the sport; the different characters and backgrounds of different players fosters a fun and sociable atmosphere which helps to strengthen the bonds between yourself and your teammates.”

Having announced earlier this year that there are now 30,000 registered female rugby players playing regularly, the Inner Warrior campaign is encouraging new women to get active outdoors this autumn and express themselves and their inner strength through rugby.

Since its initial launch, over 15,000 women have attended Warrior Camps nationwide; and of those women, around 5,000 had never picked up a rugby ball before. The number of camps available to women has continued to grow to meet demand and the influx of players has seen a significant number of new female rugby club teams established.

“Female participation in rugby has seen unparalleled levels of growth in recent years, and is one of the fastest growing team sports for women in England,” said Steve Grainger, RFU Rugby Development Director.

“As part of the 2017-21 funding agreement with Sport England and our Women and Girls’ Action Plan, the RFU is looking to significantly expand the number of women and girls participating in grassroots rugby across England, and the Warrior Camps are instrumental in supporting this growth.”

The Inner Warrior campaign aims to encourage more women and girls to play contact rugby, teaching participant’s key introductory skills and drills for rugby within a non-committal, social and fun environment.

"I wish I’d found the sport when I was younger because there’s a social aspect to it that I’ve never found with any other sport," said 37-year-old mother of three, Vicki Greensmith, who had never played before visiting a Warrior Camp. "I’ve found loads of friends of all different shapes and sizes who will be friends for life now.”

You can find out more about Inner Warrior at Darlington Mowden Park by emailing mowdenparkgirlssection@gmail.com

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