Advance our Wildcats section on and off the pitch!

Aim: Norwich Wildcats are a friendly, inclusive, proactive rugby team who wish to grow and promote the girls game on and off the pitch in Norfolk

ABOUT US:

Welcome to the Norwich Wildcats girls rugby section. The girls section has grown over the past 4 years within our fantastic club Norwich RFC, from single figures to almost 60 girls across 4 teams. When the pandemic hit we were only in our infancy and have been playing catch up ever since. Covid hit rugby clubs hard in that we are a contact, team sport - not best designed for social distancing! Norwich RFC lost a great deal of revenue during this period from fees, event cancellations, sponsors revenue and members leaving, and we are conscious that we do not wish to put extra pressure on already strained funds with our ambitious future plans. 

It is time for the Wildcats to reach out and seek some of their own funding. Girls rugby has unique challenges and differing needs. We are starting our journey way behind the other sections within our club and our ambitious plans require us to be able to both pay our own way but maintain our great relationship and 'one club' ethos at Norwich RFC. 

OUR AIMS: 

We plan to become one of the biggest, most inclusive, successful squads in the tri-county area. By success we mean ensuring that each and every girl reaches their own potential in the game as well as the age-grade teams success as a whole. Norwich Wildcats is, and will continue to offer girls, a safe place to get fit, build confidence, socialise and be the best version of themselves. 

We aim to continue our engagement and recruitment in the community including hosting the Norfolk Schools festivals, being instrumental in setting up an invitational tri-county conference cup, continue to offer the best coaching and support, update our venue to reflect the needs of girls and women and encourage more players, including younger girls at minis and women into the game. 

Post-covid we have put in a tremendous amount of work into our girls section and have hit the ground running this past season. We are however, in danger of becoming victims of our own success as now without extra funding we will be unable to continue to grow our game and support our players futures needs.  

The U15s after a recent 'Bring a friend to training' session. 

GROWTH:

Recruitment and retainment is key to our growth and we aim to increase our presence in local schools and community youth programmes with 4 week block sessions run by qualified, experienced coaches. Currently all of our coaches volunteer their time and pay all expenses out of their own pocket. To be able to ask more of volunteers we must be able to fund at the very least their expenses. This community outreach work forms a vital link between the club and the local community and is mutually beneficial. 

The BBC recently documented that almost half of British teenage girls do not play a sport and 1:3 girls drop out of sport during puberty. It is vital that girls are given access to a variety of sporting opportunities throughout their school life and we should not underestimate the huge mental health benefit of girls playing a team sport. In a recent post lockdown survey 46% of our players cited their reasons for playing with the Wildcats as 'Social'; the 'team spirit', 'chance to make friends', 'social experiences outside of school', etc.  

Coach Darrell taking the afternoon off work to run a Year 5 taster session.  

VISIBILITY:

The Wildcats players desperately need new match kit. It is time to look as good as we play! If we hit our target we will be able to afford 4 new specific 'women's fit' tops and shorts, plus post match polo shirts. Our girls deserve to feel confident and comfortable in a kit that fits their unique shape and to look smart after a game, similar to their male youth counterparts who wear shirts and a tie. Our current kit has been in circulation since our inception and is an amalgamation of men's, boys and women's tops, the older girls particularly do not have enough large tops and all ages own kit with a multitude of old sponsors logos that do not reflect the 'team' that we are. Should we also be able to go on tour we would love to have a 'tour kit'.  

Our U18s team at a recent festival wearing 5 different match shirts! 

DEVELOPMENT:

We would love to be able to fund more role specific coaches to plan and attend training sessions and give our more experienced girls the quality of training that they need and deserve and/or provide development coaching to new players. An element of rugby unique to girls and women's rugby is the amount of players who take up the sport with no experience later into their teenage or adult years. This is fantastic but presents a challenge to the small coaching team to deliver sessions appropriate to complete beginners through to county level girls.

In an ideal world our newcomers should be developed into the main body of the team rather than thrown in at the deep end. This would aid retainment on both sides, the new players gaining confidence and the existing ones not being frustrated at having to go 'back to basics'. As with many rugby teams our volunteers are predominately parents of players but as the teams improve and we have the opportunity to progress in such tournaments as the National Cup we will need further coaching support.

Fundraising recently paid for a coaching session from 'The Rugby Trainer'.  

OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL:

 We are keen to continue with our hardship fund to remove economic barriers for all who wish to join our club and sport, be this to cover membership, fund travel to matches, trials or county representation or to help cover the cost of training attire. Travel costs in particular are presenting an increasing burden to many of our parents and carers yet are an unavoidable part of the game with many matches, particularly those which challenge our strong squads, held out of the county. 

Many of our girls now have ambitions to follow the RFU development pathway to success, others to play representative rugby at University, some wish to join sixth form college rugby programmes or have a career in sport. We wish to turn these dreams into reality. We do not have a premiership club within our tri-county region so anyone wishing to further their game at U18s level will have to be prepared to travel up to 3 hours away to train. Our girls also do not have the community outreach involvement that those nearer premiership clubs get and so we must think outside of the box and give the girls similar experiences to players in more 'rugby focused' regions. 

Help our Wildcats to achieve some of their rugby ambitions.

ROLE MODELS AND REPRESENTATION: 

Last season one of our coaches self funded a training visit from England and Saracens international Poppy Cleall and the experience left a lasting memory on the girls. Our girls need to see that there is a future in rugby and currently (maybe not for long!) top flight female players are willing to offer great support but need to be reimbursed for their time. 

Meeting England and Saracens legend Poppy Cleall. 

With the Women's Six Nations and World Cup this year there is no better time to encourage girls into our sport and to capitalise on the amazing experiences that these incredible sportswomen are offering grassroots clubs. The world of social media has had a huge negative effect on girls self esteem and body confidence, made even worse during lockdown, and we think that it is hugely powerful for girls to meet appropriate sporting role models and have the opportunity to watch International or Premiership games.

The Wildcats have gone on to form a great relationship with Poppy. 

As well as enjoying the women's game, we would also like to give the girls the opportunity to go on a tour next year, to have the experience of bonding with the team over a weekend away, come up against the different level of talent outside of our counties and meet other players and clubs who they can learn from.  

FUTURE:

To be a fully inclusive club and ensure that our U18s have a team to move up in to, we also need to be able to promote and fund a women's team next season. A Norwich Women's 1st XV team would be the final piece to complete full representation of girls and women at a grass roots level and would add a further diverse element to our club structure. To appeal to the wider female audience we must have funds available to make some cosmetic, female friendly updates within the clubhouse, toilets (we fully support #endperiodpoverty), changing facilities, and a girls and womens display area for photos, memorabilia and trophies! 

Providing free sanitary products for all in Norwich RFC toilets.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Sponsorship opportunities are available upon request . We are able to offer a number of opportunities to sponsors including your logo on our match kit or training/post match apparel, gazebos, flags, match balls, player of the month awards and much more. Please support our ambitious project to help us to grow the girls game at Norwich on and off the field. 

DONATIONS & REWARDS

We understand that these are difficult times to be asking for money so if you are able to donate but would like to make a donation we would love you to take a look at our exciting array of rewards! Our rewards range from 'money can't buy' options to items or experiences at heavily discounted prices (so essentially by donating you are actually saving money!). From a little as £5 to £600, signed shirts to luxury hotel breaks, rugby residential camps to afternoon tea - we really do have something to suit every budget and taste. If you have your eye on 2 or 3 rewards, feel free to donate multiple times. 

Many Thanks to our kind supporters who have made these incredible rewards possible. 

The Holkham Festival of Sport, The Victoria at Holkham, Northampton Saints RFC, The School of Kicking, Bsporty Magazine, Lockerstash, The Rugby Trainer, The Maids Head Hotel, Poppy Cleall & the Women's Rugby Agency.  

Please help us to put own ambitious plans into action and grow the girls game of rugby on and off the field.

If you are still unsure whether you would like to support the girls, take a look up at our brand new promotional video for inspiration!

"Go Wildcats"