It’s hard to believe that it’s now 25 years since a group of us decided to start a proper girls’ section at Welwyn RFC. It came about when mixed rugby finished at Under 12s, leaving the girls in my squad with nowhere to play.

As so often happens, the idea was born on a Sunday afternoon at the bar — where all important decisions seem to get made. June White, Lorraine Lane and I cornered Lesley Brooks and asked if she would coach a girls’ team. Wonderfully, she agreed.

That first group included Emily Matuszczyk, Melanie Harcourt, Megan Williams, Danielle Topham and Hannah Marques, to name just a few, alongside Charlie White and Jess Lane (now Ginty). The section quickly took off as more girls joined and the enthusiasm grew.
Before long, others were keen to get involved. Luke Williams came on board as a coach, and Dave Marques made a huge contribution through marketing and fundraising.

Over the years, many more people have played an important role in developing the section — Bob Dawson, Pete McCulloch, Greg Maxwell and Nigel Parker, among many others. Now into their 13th and 11th seasons respectively, Jonathan Cirkel and Vince Staniforth supported by the excellent group of coaches remain driving forces behind the girls’ game at the club.

Our International Honours Board is now filled with the names of 10 players who came through the Welwyn girls’ section, including recent World Cup winners Hannah Botterman, Helena Rowland and Zoe Harrison. Many more have gone on to represent professional clubs, excel at county level, represent Welwyn in the women’s side or simply enjoy their junior club rugby.

This season, as we celebrate the 25th year of girls’ rugby at Welwyn RFC, we are marking the occasion with a commemorative lunch at the club. The lunch will take place ahead of the U16 Girls’ and Women’s fixtures — a fitting way to celebrate the past, present and future of the women’s and girls’ game at Welwyn. We will be joined at the lunch by special guests, including Lotte Sharp (née Clapp).

We hope you will be able to join us for what promises to be a wonderful day. Booking details can be found on the event flyer.

We look forward to the next 25 years.

Yours in Rugby,
Mick Hills
President
Welwyn RFC