Nottingham Medics Womens RUFC funding for team kit and pitch hire

The Pitch

Problem statement

We identified the lack of opportunities for Nottingham healthcare students like us to participate in women’s rugby due to the time constraints of our courses being incompatible with other rugby teams. We have created a safe space where like-minded women can play rugby in a laid-back environment, with fewer time commitments. Balancing a challenging course with sport is difficult, but we want to motivate women to persevere in order to reap the physical and mental health benefits. Women’s rugby is a rapidly expanding sport, and for many of our members this is their first experience of rugby due to the lack of accessibility of women’s rugby in schools; we are proud to be able to provide this.

Solution

Your support would allow us to purchase match shirts- we cannot afford these and asking individuals to fund personal shirts would financially exclude many. We rely on borrowing men’s tops, but these do not fit us so hinder our performance. £850 would purchase 23 women’s samurai shirts with team logos, bringing unity to our team, enhancing morale and boosting our performance. An additional £700 would go towards pitch hire to offset raising our subscription fee next year. This keeps rugby accessible for all our players during a cost of living crisis, so we continue to benefit from the exercise and the social environment of the club, and engage more women in this wholly positive experience.

Why are we best placed to deliver?

We have a strong turnout of 20-30 players per training session, and are coached by the Nottingham men’s medics team, whose first and second team won their leagues last year. We are excited to kick off our season in December, playing in the National Association of Medical Schools (NAMS) rugby competition, which includes a women’s category for the first time this year. Our members attended a NAMS festival in Birmingham for skills training and a short tournament- our playing improved significantly within the day and we are sharing our new-found knowledge with our team-mates. Although we are a new team, we have great potential, and support from your fund will boost the trajectory of our play.

Focus Areas

Delivery plan

Budget breakdown

Beneficiaries

30 people

Expected impact

The core beneficiaries of our project are the 25 women who participate in our training, and will play in our games. The money towards pitch hire will ensure training next year without increased subscription fees, which would exclude players and limit female healthcare students’ engagement in rugby, a group who already struggle to maintain a healthy work/life balance. Our 6 men’s team coaches gain coaching experience from this project- coaching men’s rugby is undoubtedly different to women’s, and the growth in their ability will transfer to the coaching of their own players. Nottingham Casuals RFC have 4 girls rugby teams, however no women's team- we hope our presence will provide role models and encourage not only their future involvement in rugby, but possibly even the founding of an adult women’s team in future. The outcomes of our project are numerous- sustainability of our team, success on the pitch, increased coaching skill, and wider impact on rugby of all ages in the community.

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