Girls Rugby Inner Warrior at Gordon League RFC, Gloucester

England legend Emily Scarratt encourages girls to give rugby a try at Gordon League RFCs, Allianz Inner Warrior Camp.

England's Red Roses currently positioned as the number one ranked side in the world, and with a home World Cup being hosted in this country this year, there is huge excitement and increased interest around women?s rugby union at present.

Gordon League Rugby Club in Hempsted, is capitalising on the momentum by running an Inner Warrior camp. Inner Warrior camps, an RFU programme, has helped introduce more than 30,000 women and girls to the game of rugby since 2017.

Emily Scarratt knows how important a time this will be to inspire more young girls to try rugby union and recommends England Rugby?s Inner Warrior camps as a fun way to introduce people to the game.

They're brilliant, they've been going for a few years now. I've been lucky enough over previous years to get down to some camps and help out," she said.

"Some of the stories you hear about people who take part are inspiring, from the young girl to the 40-year-old mum of three who had never played rugby before and everything in between."

The women's and girls' game in England has enjoyed an average year-on-year increase in participation of 12% over the past 10 years thanks to initiatives such as the Allianz Inner Warrior Camps. With England hosting Rugby World Cup 2025, the aim is to reach 100k registered female players by 2027.

Scarratt will hope to be part of the Red Roses' squad at Rugby World Cup 2025 and believes the Allianz Inner Warrior campaign could unearth new internationals, as well as being an invaluable opportunity for young girls to try rugby for the first time.

"These camps are designed to welcome girls into rugby, with no judgement and no pressure. It's a great opportunity to try something different, meet new people and get active with like minded people."

"The reactions you get from those camps and days are amazing. I haven't seen anyone who hasn't had a brilliant experience and didn't want to go back. They've made friends and had a new appreciation for rugby"

"Take a friend, just go and give it a try; you'll feel great for setting yourself a new challenge. The great thing about rugby is there are a number of ways to play. If you don't want to play full-contact rugby, you can play non-contact or get involved in volunteering."

Visit Gordonleague.co.uk for more information.