Scotland Women take rugby into community with school and club visit

The three-match series at Hive Stadium will see Scotland Women take on Canada on 12 September, New Zealand on 19 September and Australia on 26 September.

The three home fixtures form part of a five-Test contest in the WXV Global Series presented by Mitsubishi Electric, with Scotland Women travelling to Australia in October to face the Wallaroos in a double-header in Sydney and Canberra.

Evie Gallagher, Anne Young, Elis Martin, Alex Stewart, Hollie Cunningham, Rachel Philipps, Demi Swann, Holland Bogan and Aicha Sutcliffe swapped the international stage for the school and club environment, spending time with young players and sharing their experiences of playing rugby at the highest level.

The players engaged in rugby sessions across several age groups at both Balfron High School and Lenzie RFC, offering advice and encouragement as promising young players took to the pitch.

They also took part in Q&A sessions, giving pupils and club players the opportunity to ask questions and hear first-hand about life as a Scotland Women international.

By visiting schools and clubs directly, the tour aimed to inspire more young people to get involved in rugby, while strengthening the connection between Scotland Women and the grassroots game.

The visits also provided an opportunity for the players to share their enthusiasm for the upcoming campaign and encourage the next generation to follow the Scotland Women team.

In a direct effort to make international rugby more accessible, Scottish Rugby is introducing a simple flat-pricing structure for the women’s season, with individual match tickets and season packages available here. A groups and schools offer is also available, with further details here.

Scotland Women international, Elis Martin, said: “I really hope that everyone who was part of the community visit are getting someone to look up to.

“I hope I see them at the game watching, but more importantly I hope I see them actually playing for Scotland one day. Building a legacy is one of the most important reasons for why we do what we do, so to see it in action is really exciting and I hope it pays off and we see them at the games and playing in the jersey.”

Scotland Women international, Alex Stewart, added: “We got to dip in and out the training sessions, interact with the girls and just see how excited they are about playing rugby.

“It reminds you of your inner child, like when Lisa Thomson came to my high school, it got me really excited about rugby.

“My mum and her brothers went to Balfron High School so its a blast from the past seeing where she grew up and where she came from.”

Principal Teacher of PE at Balfron High School, Neil Macquarrie, said: “Over the past five or six years the girls rugby has really exploded here, to the stage where we’ve got P1 and up all the way through linked with Strathendrick RFC and the school.

“The players that have been here have been so enthusiastic. It hopefully sets the bar for our pupils.

“We’ve got a number of pupils over the last few years who have gone on and represented Scotland, so it hopefully inspires all those younger players to go on and make that next step, and when they are in that position they know what an impact you can have as a professional player and as a role model.

Lenzie RFC Development Officer, David McCrae, added: “We’ve got about 40 to 50 girls here just playing rugby. Some were already here [at the club] and we’ve welcomed some new girls in.

“They’re just doing stations – we’ve got tackling, assault course, fun and games. They’re just here to have some fun and also to get to know the [Scotland Women] players which has been really really good.”