Conceived and developed over 4 years by James Wright, Eccles RFC Community Rugby Coach and Women's Head Coach, and supported by our vlolunteer coaches, the Northern Girls Network is a barrier-free environment to promote and grow girls rugby.
The founding principles of the Network - Connect, Compete, Grow - was to overcome low numbers and small squads by combining club teams together to play meaningful games at NGN events and the initiative now has over 30 clubs and 600 players participating in regular fixtures.
The Cup is the first time U16 and U14 Northern Girls Network fixtures have had their scores recorded and published. Clubs have been clustered based on numbers to create a competitive format. Eccles U14s are paired with Burnley as the “Chiefs” and our Eccles U16s are grouped with Trafford MV and Broughton Park as the "Harlequins". Other clubs have done the same and the combined team names are based on the PWR franchises.
All clubs have grown their girl's squads in size as a result of their involvement in the Northern Girls Network and this season we are seeing more clubs fielding teams of 10-15 girls compared to 2020 when most had 5 or 6 players.
When asked about the next steps for the Northern Girls Network James Wright commented “The growth of the girls game over the past five years has been really exciting to be a part of. We are at the start of an incredible period for women's and girls’ rugby in the North after Salford was announced as a host city for the Women's Rugby World Cup in 2025. Opportunities like this are once in a generation and can be transformative to those who seize them. The Northern Girls Network is committed to pioneer a structure for girls rugby that scaffolds growth and development through collaboration, whilst still allowing clubs to maintain their identity. The Cup is a great first step towards an equitable competitive offer for girls in the north but we are only just getting started. When the North West hosts the world in 2025 we will be ready to put on a show.”
Girls Rugby is on the rise and Northern Rugby Matters so it’s satisfying that the Salford Community Stadium, on our doorstep, will be a host venue for RWC 2025. Eccles RFC supports the work and goals of the Northern Girls Network and wish all the U16s and U14s teams good luck in the next round of the Cup which we will be hosting at Eccles on Sunday 24 March. The Waterfall style Cup Finals will be hosted at Eccles in April.
If you have a daughter who would love to get involved, girls training at Eccles is Wednesday evening 7-8pm.
For more information contact James on 07791 227616
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