International Women’s Day: Dundee Valkyries

Before Covid-19 hit, the team was set to join Scottish Rugby’s Tennent’s (Women’s) East League. Despite the setbacks posed by the pandemic, like their namesake, the Valkyries have remained a strong force.

Valkyries Captain Stephanie Craig said: “Covid has been a bit of a god-send for us in some ways. We’ve recruited new players from sports like roller-derby because they couldn’t train under the government’s guidelines, along with other players who’ve never picked up a rugby ball before.

“Another bonus was that because we couldn’t do contact as normal, we could just go back to basics and focus on areas of the game you might not otherwise get to. It’s allowed us to be really inclusive.

“Unfortunately, training has been put on hold for now because of lockdown but we took part in Doddie Aid in January, and in February we took part in a mileage challenge to raise money for Dundee Rugby and Togs for Tots, and everyone seemed to enjoy that.”

But ultimately we’re really looking forward to the return to rugby, training together again and getting some game time under our belts.
Stephanie Craig

Scottish Rugby’s Regional Director for the Caledonia Midlands region, Steve Turnbull said: “I commend the efforts of Dundee Rugby who are supporting the re-establishment of a women’s team in the club game in Dundee.

“Covid-19 has placed many barriers on grassroots rugby, so to see a team like the Valkyries rise above the challenges is really encouraging. I’m looking forward to watching the team make their first competitive appearance when it is safe to do so.”