When Yeovil Rugby Club hosted an historic double-header fixture of a men’s and women’s mixed ability rugby matches recently we had already broken barriers as the first rugby club to create both a men’s and a women’s mixed ability team.
Victoria Ousey, Women’s Player and Club Social Media creator, says about Mixed Ability Rugby at Yeovil Rugby Club: “It was set up in December 2019. We have lots of volunteers helping and our club captain Brandon Brown is great, he’s involved in training sessions and encourages the men. There’s a combination of players who don’t want to play full contact rugby, or who have been injured or have retired from playing, and players with autism, Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, mental health problems and learning difficulties, a really great mixed bunch.”
Yeovil Mixed Ability Women’s player Ella Sky explains: “Because of my autism, dyslexia and dyspraxia, in team sport I’m usually left very confused as to what is going on and what I am meant to do, which makes me very stressed, In the mixed ability team everything is explained more slowly and everything is done at your own pace and ability. Everyone on the team and at the club are very friendly, its one big family.”
On Saturday 22nd May 2021 Yeovil Rugby Club hosted our first Mixed Ability matches. For the double-header we hosted Walcott Warriors Men and Bath Ladies Trojans to create what we believe to be a first in the rugby world. The event, in partnership with Bath Rugby Foundation, brought together rugby players with different disabilities or mixed abilities from across the South West. Showcasing the true spirit of rugby, the emphasis was on what the players can do, not what they can’t, as they enjoyed the games alongside players from the club’s men’s and women’s team.
Local company Air Aesthetics and Wellness, inspired by the way these teams overcome so many barriers to play the sport, have sponsored kit for both the men’s and women’s team. Yeovil Rugby Club, in partnership with Bath Rugby Foundation, is passionate about growing the teams because when sport is inclusive, everyone is a winner.
For more of this exclusive post by the RFU please go to the following link:
The mixed ability rugby pioneers (englandrugby.com)
We run training every other Friday night at 7pm with the next one on 11th June 2021.
Our next matches are return games against Bath Ladies Trojans and Walcott Warriors up in Bath on Saturday 19th June 2021.
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