When a Plan Comes Together for the Girls
All the proverbial parts have been coming together to make sure that girls in Bury get to play rugby both at school and at their local club, Bury RUFC.
There’s a committed RFU Community Rugby Coach who has both played for and coached one of the RFU’s aspirational teams, the successful All Schools programme, the QBE Coaching Club and NatWest Rugbyforce and no small amount of enthusiasm from Bury Council.
With the club determined to get a girls’ section up and running, Bury Council helping with funding and CRC Paul Arnold eager to make the plan come to fruition, all they needed was the girls.
Bury Church School, on the club’s neighbouring site, were immediately keen to get more opportunities for their girls, having already embraced the All Schools programme. They were joined by Woodhey School, with another All School, Broad Oak signed up for September.
An initial stumbling block was finding the right volunteers to lead the programme. But fortunately Paul Arnold has not only played for England Counties, coached England Counties U20s and stepped in to coach the Counties senior team when they were stuck, he is also Fylde first team coach.That meant he was able to recruit 22-year-old Liam Launders, now signed for the National One club and a former Bury player. Then 18-year-old Joe Kelly, son of Bury first team coach Sam, and a former Bury Colt, enthused by gaining his Level 2 qualification thanks to the QBE Coaching Club, came on board.
Paul Arnold has helped them get up and running and also went into the schools to get youngsters involved in coaching sessions. He says, “We are in a fantastic position now and should have a team of U13s girls and potentially even an U15s team running at the club for September.”

Adding to the girls’ enthusiasm was a very successful year 7 and 8 tag rugby festival at the Bury club, when more than 80 girls competed, the club awarding medals and publicising their new girls’ set up. This event also acted as a qualifier for the Greater Manchester School Games.
After the festival came the first ever club training session. “We had 17 girls turn up and were very happy with that,” says Paul. “The Bury RFC Tag Festival will also now become an annual event as it was such a fantastic success with parents teachers and, of course, the girls having a great evening.
And what will the girls find after the NatWest Rugbyforce weekend, Bury having been awarded an Ultimate Club Experience? A changing room with their name on it thanks to the efforts of club volunteers and none other than former England and Sale Sharks flying winger, Mark Cueto.
At Bury Church School, they are already convinced of the value of rugby. Now in year three of the All Schools programme and with a gate installed in the fence separating them from the Bury club they can use the club’s facilities. The girls meet at clubhouse and can cut through to the school fields to train.
Sarah Leng PE teacher at Bury Church School has been fundamental in promoting rugby and the club and was delighted when her school won the tag festival. She explains, “The influence of an experienced and knowledgeable RFU coach in both curriculum time and our extra-curricular programme has fostered a love for rugby in the girls, inspiring many with the desire to pursue an involvement in rugby beyond school. We are especially pleased that the RFU and Bury RUFC has enabled this desire to become a reality."
And a happy Bury Chairman, Gary Chesters, says "We were determined to get a thriving girls section going at the club and can’t thank the RFU and our CRC Arnie enough for all the hard work. We also hugely appreciate Bury Council’s support of the club and the sport, evident also on the M66 with the rugby posts and floral World Cup display. Volunteers Phil Kay and Paul Kylie have also been outstanding in helping us in getting the girls’ team up and running .
“With our two enthusiastic young coaches Liam and Joe on board and the NatWest Rugbyforce weekend work with Mark Cueto getting stuck in, I think our girls’ section will soon be a force in itself.”
Any girls who want to get stuck in and enjoy their rugby will be very welcome at training on Mondays from 6:30 till 7:30