Eccles RFC is proud to have feilded a Womans team since 1997 and currently runs three girls teams (U12s, U14s, U16s). In February, fifty representative players and volunteers from our club were invited to the Salford Civic Centre for a special evening reception, hosted by Ceremonial Mayor, Cllr Tanya Burch, to celebrate the dedicated work of the club in growing the womens & girls community game in the city.
Eccles RFC presented the Ceremonial Mayor with an Eccles RFC pin badge and a limited-edition print of “Red Roses. Past, Present and Future” by award-winning artist Nneka Uzoigwe, commissioned by the Rugby Football Union.
Mellissa Caslake, CEO, Salford City Council also spoke at the event.
Former Eccles Ladies Captain and girls coach Rowanne Smalley commented "Speaking at the reception was an honour to be able to share my experience of what it means to be a member of Eccles RFC. Being able to thank and recognise the volunteers as well as celebrate the players was wonderful. The mayor took the time to speak to all of us individually throughout the evening and has made future plans to visit our club, in its full Sunday splendour."
Eccles Ladies Captain Sarah Williams added "We were honoured to be invited to celebrate women’s and girls rugby in Salford. The evening highlighted the importance of nurturing future talent and was an exciting start to the Women’s World Cup activities in 2025. We got to hear from the Ceremonial Mayor Tanya Burch, who gave a wonderful, inspiring speech about Salford and from the Womens Rugby World Cup planning committee which gave us an exciting insight into the plans for the upcoming tournament. Myself and Rowanne had the opportuninty to speak about the club, and what the amazing rugby community means to us. We’re excited to see where rugby is going and are proud to be at the forefront of the womens and girls game in Salford. We would like to extend our thanks to the Ceremonal Mayor Tanya Burch and her team for inviting us to this event, we all had a fantastic time."
The Salford Community Stadium will be a host venue for Womens Rugby World Cup with games played on 23rd and 30th August 2025.
