If you are interested in sponsoring this team please contact the Director of Women's Rugby (details below)

Ladies' News

• Press Release - Monday 12 November 2007

Women’s Rugby Team finds a home

Local school teacher Emma Taylor, her sports coach sister Rachel, and twenty of their friends were looking for somewhere to play rugby. Not all of the women had played the game recently, and others were totally new to the sport. They were therefore hoping to find a club that would give them the opportunity to train and develop together as a group.

Most of the group live and work in the southern half of Milton Keynes, so they dropped an email to Bletchley Rugby Club. The response back was positive, and a meeting with club officials soon followed. Contact was made with the Rugby Football Union for Women (RFUW), and a player’s meeting at Manor Fields, Bletchley’s ground was organised. The outcome of that meeting was a plan that will see the squad start by playing TAG Rugby (a non-contact version of the game) to develop ball and positional skills while improving fitness. The other elements of the game (contact tackling, scrums, line-outs etc) will be introduced over time. The target is to get at least a couple of friendly matches in before the end of the 2007/08 season in May.

Bletchley Rugby Club is assisting the new team with their application to be affiliated to the Rugby Football Union for Women (RFUW) and, assuming approval is given, the ‘Bletchley Ladies’ (their chosen team name!) will become the third playing section at that club (joining the Adult Men and Youth sections). Following the players’ meeting, Emma said “we’re really excited. It’ll be great for the girls, and we’re really pleased with the help and support that we’ve had from the RFUW and Bletchley Rugby Club – our future second home!”

Advice and support for the process to start up the new Women’s team has been received since day 1 from Clare Cooper, the RFUW’s Rugby Development Manager for London and the South East. Buckingham and Olney rugby clubs also have adult women’s teams, and it is hoped that the addition of a third women’s club in the Milton Keynes/North Bucks area should help to generate even more interest in a sport which has huge potential for growth.

The squad is recruiting, so anyone interested in joining them should contact the Director of Ladies Rugby (as shown on the contacts page).

Please see the club calendar for training dates/times.