Women’s Sport week showcase: Gillian Mullan

To celebrate Women’s Sport Week 2016, Scottish Rugby is showcasing women who are making a difference to rugby in Scotland. Gillian Mullan was inspired to start playing rugby a year ago by her young sons who pestered her to give it a go. She hadn’t really watched rugby, let alone play it, but that didn’t stop her and she has never looked back gaining confidence, fitness and new friends along the way. Name: Gillian Mullan Age: 32Club: Greenock WanderersRole: Player   I play because … it’s a great way of keeping fit, my kids who are seven and six also play in the minis section and I joined for them so it’s something we can share as a family.How long have you been involved in rugby? One year – joined August 2015.Why did you get involved? I had taken up personal training and my trainer played rugby and through conversations with him I found out that the local club, Greenock Wanderers, had a minis section for kids, so my boys went along and loved it. They were very aware that women played for the club and they asked why I didn’t, so I decided to bite the bullet and try something new which would hopefuly help inspire my kids as well.What do you love about rugby? Keeping fit and meeting new girls from my local area and also meeting new people from different clubs.Why should women get involved in rugby? There are millions of reasons why women should get involved; it’s suitable for all shapes, sizes, ages, it helps boost confidence, self esteem and social skills, and also we aren’t stuck in the dark ages! All sports are evolving with women getting involved so it’s great to see women making their mark in rugby.How has sport made an impact on your life? It’s made me fitter and healthier and also is a great conversation starter within my worklife and around my kids as they absolutely love it. It has brought out confidence in me and is helping keep me young.What would you say to a woman or girl who is thinking about giving rugby a go? I would say it’s the best decision they will ever make, even if they don’t like it at least they’ve tried it, very cliché but you only live once. I was really unsure to start with as I hadn’t really watched rugby never mind play it, but you learn as you go.Try rugbyWomen and girls can sign up at scottishrugby.org to kick start their involvement in what is a unique game for all shapes, sizes and abilities. There are plenty of ways to get involved from coaching to refereeing and volunteering as well as playing.