INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY - I'm thrilled to be an ambassador for West Swansea Hawks!

I'm thrilled to have been invited to be an Ambassador for West Swansea Hawks for 2021!

To mark International Women's Day 2021, here's more about the West Swansea Hawks, and why this new role is so important to me.

West Swansea Hawks are a WRU girls rugby hub, based at Gowerton RFC. The hub was established in 2016, with around 20 members, and now has over 100 girls involved. The Hawks are part of a WRU initiative to encourage more girls to play the game. The club’s primary aim is to foster, grow and support a sustainable pathway for girls’ rugby in the area.
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I’m thrilled to be an ambassador for West Swansea Hawks. As a former rugby player, I’m passionate about getting more women and girls involved in this great sport. We all know how important grassroots rugby is in developing future players, so it’s great to see such a strong framework for girls.

I’ve been to see the training sessions and they have a fantastic set up. It’s wonderful that they have so many young women and girls taking part.

This International Women’s Day 2021, I want to encourage women and girls to get involved with sport, rugby or otherwise. Sport has great physical and mental health benefits.

There are a number of barriers to women's participation in sport. There are practical barriers, like a lack of time or lack of childcare, lack of money and a lack of funding for women's sport. There are also personal barriers, like lack of confidence. That's why hubs like West Swansea Hawks are so important - having such a strong framework, which starts at Under 8's, is significant in developing confidence in girls. 

The more work that can be done to break down any barriers to female participation, the better. From providing creche facilities where women go to do sport, to flexible payment options, to setting up mentoring schemes for younger girls. 

On International Women's Day, let's champion women and girls in sport!

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• If you're interested in West Swansea Hawks, find them on Facebook here
• If you're interested in trying a sport, BBC Get Inspired have a comprehensive list of club and session finders for a host of different sports here