Growing women’s rugby at The Howe

Howe of Fife are playing a huge role in the growth and development of women’s rugby by introducing a female side at the club.Howe are already a major club within Scottish rugby, with a number of youth and senior sides, but until the formation of The Howe Harlequins six months ago, they didn’t have a women’s team, meaning young girls would be cut loose from the club once they had out-grown the mini section.The Quins began in August 2014 as a rugby fitness class aiming to encourage more of the parents of their youth teams to learn about the sport, but they have quickly developed into a competitive full team that train together twice a week and aim to become a formidable force in the women’s game. They have secured a sponsorship, have got a new, official Harlequins team strip and have been awarded a Sportsmatch grant, which is funding provided by the Scottish Government through sportscotland.Duffus Park hosted the women’s National Development League on 8 February where teams and players from across the country met for a day of coaching and development matches run by Scottish Rugby.Among the eight initial members were captain and vice-captain Clare Fox and Katie Williams, Jen MacGregor and Nicola Howat, who is now with Scotland Women under-20.Katie and Nicola were both from the successful Bell Baxter youth setup so had played rugby before, but Clare and Jen were completely new to the game.Scotland’s newest ladies team are gaining more members each week, and are looking to keep the momentum going by inviting any women that are interested, regardless of their ability, to join.Craig Manson, Harlequins’ Coach, said: “We are an inclusive women’s team who encourage and nurture all of our team members, whether you are new to the game or returning to the game. “We work hard, push each others limits, but most of all everyone invests themselves into their team.” Follow the women on Twitter @HoweHarlequins