https://www.englandrugby.com/news/article/w…uLF2tQKnf5xQwTE
What a lovely, heartwarming story about a 14 year old girl who wouldn't take "Rugby is too rough for girls" for an answer and then she did something about it.
It's also good to see that the RFU are giving her story a showcase on their website and have advertised their details so that anybody who wants to arrange a fixture can get in touch with them. Well done, gentlemen of the RFU.
Female participation in team sports is the fastest growing sporting activity in the country with more girls taking up team sports than boys, probably for the first time ever in our history.
When I go to my gym I notice that there are invariably more women and girls working out than there are males. We want to look after ourselves better.
It isn't just about rugby. I would encourage all girls at all schools to challenge any policy that excludes them from team sports. I emphasise team sports because individual sports such as tennis, athletics or swimming are pretty much evenly encouraged and have been for a long time. There is no problem there.
But team sports have been treated differently. I played women's rugby at university (Centre Threequarter). My (then) girlfriend (now wife) played in the back row. But even in 2003 to 05, we were still regarded as oddballs. A novelty.
Happily, that is changing now and there is much more TV coverage of women's sport, which has encouraged interest and provided role models for girls to see and aspire to. "If she can do it, so can I".
I say: "Well done Chloe." Hopefully more will follow her example and we will see the women's game flourish even more.