Four Grassroots Clubs Awarded £10,000 to Grow Women’s and Girls’ Rugby

Four grassroots rugby clubs across the UK and Ireland have each been awarded £10,000 to support the growth of women’s and girls’ rugby through Royal London’s 2026 Championing Women & Girls’ Rugby Award.

Now in its third year, the award recognises one club from each of the four Home Unions for their work breaking down barriers, creating opportunities and building sustainable pathways for women and girls within the game.

This year’s winners are:

• Keswick RFC – England
• Fethard & District RFC – Ireland
• Caithness RFC – Scotland
• Clwb Rygbi Y Bala – Wales

Each club will receive a trophy alongside a £10,000 grant to invest directly into its women’s and girls’ rugby programmes.

Since launching, the award has now provided £120,000 of funding to grassroots rugby across the UK and Ireland.

Keswick RFC – England

Cumbria’s Keswick RFC plans to use its funding to create a new indoor Performance and Development Hub, converting an underused squash court into a dedicated year-round facility.

The hub will give women and girls from Keswick and the surrounding area somewhere to develop their rugby skills, strength and fitness throughout the year.

Plans include specialist sports flooring and training equipment alongside audio-visual technology for performance reviews.

The facility will also enable the club to run indoor winter skills sessions, strength and conditioning training, female health and nutrition workshops and development opportunities for coaches and referees.

Fethard & District RFC – Ireland

For Fethard & District RFC in Tipperary, the funding will help the club take an important next step – establishing its first-ever senior women’s team.

Since forming its first girls’ team in 2011, the club’s female playing section has grown from just 20 players to more than 120.

The next challenge is ensuring those players have somewhere to continue playing once they move beyond U18 rugby.

The grant will support the creation of a clearer pathway from youth to adult rugby, while also helping the club develop young female coaches and referees and strengthen its approach to player welfare and development.

Caithness RFC – Scotland

Despite its rural location in Thurso, Caithness RFC has already established a developing pathway taking girls from their first involvement in rugby through towards the senior game.

The club will use its £10,000 award to strengthen the crucial transition between junior and senior rugby, helping improve player retention and create a sustainable pathway for female players in the region.

Caithness is also looking beyond playing numbers, with ambitions to increase the involvement of women in coaching, refereeing and leadership positions throughout the club.

Clwb Rygbi Y Bala – Wales

Clwb Rygbi Y Bala has experienced significant growth in its women’s and girls’ section – to the point where the club now has more registered female players than male players.

Its funding will be invested in facilities capable of supporting that growing membership and ensuring the club can continue delivering high-quality rugby experiences.

The award will also help Bala expand its coaching and refereeing capacity while identifying and mentoring women and girls interested in developing their skills and progressing into coaching, refereeing, committee and operational roles.

Supporting the next generation of women’s rugby

The Championing Women & Girls’ Rugby Award forms part of Royal London’s partnership with The British & Irish Lions as Founding Partner of the first Lions Women’s Team.

The initiative specifically recognises grassroots clubs that are removing barriers to participation through inclusion, community outreach and programmes designed to bring more women and girls into rugby.

Interest in the award continues to grow, with Royal London reporting a 56% increase in entries for the 2026 programme.

Susie Logan, Group Chief Marketing Officer at Royal London, said the response highlighted the work taking place throughout the grassroots game.

“The popularity of the award this year was phenomenal with a 56% increase in entries. The time, effort and passion being invested across women’s and girls’ rugby clubs by coaches, players, parents and a raft of volunteers is clear to see.”

She added:

“Congratulations to the winners who will now have an opportunity to do even more great work in their local communities and further develop the grassroots experience for their players.”

Alongside its grassroots programme, Royal London is investing a further £3 million into elite women’s rugby across the four Home Unions through its Levelling the Playing Field Grant.

That funding is designed to support long-term development across women’s player and coaching pathways.

For the four grassroots clubs receiving this year’s awards, however, the £10,000 grants provide an opportunity to turn existing momentum into something even bigger – whether that means better facilities, a new senior team, stronger player pathways or more women taking on roles throughout their club.

And with participation in the women’s and girls’ game continuing to grow, investment directly into the clubs creating those opportunities could make a lasting difference to the future of grassroots rugby.

Find out more about the awards here: https://www.royallondon.com/about-us/our-purpose/partnerships/women-and-girls-grassroots-rugby/