Darlington RFC 'proud' to support growth of girls playing rugby
The club say interest in the sport is due to the success of the Red Roses
A Darlington rugby union club say they're proud to support the growth of girls' rugby following the success of England's Red Roses.
A festival that took place over the weekend in the town saw more girls teams register to play than last year.
Renee Kendall is from Darlington RFC and she said: "With the success of the Red Roses, girls’ rugby has gone from strength to strength. As a club we are proud to support this growth.
"We've got really strong girls sections with some brilliant coaches, but I think the Red Rose is doing so well in getting the publicity and that need is absolutely a showcase. We've done a lot of events to try and get some more girls down, and we do a lot of stuff with the Darlington schools in the area as well, so I think it's a combination of all factors."
Over the weekend the club hosted the 50th annual regional Minis and Juniors Rugby Festival which welcomed additional girls' teams.
Renee added: "In 2025, 22 girls teams took part. This year 32 girls’ teams registered."
Chris Anderson, head coach for the women and girls teams at Darlington RFC, said: "We've had a senior women's team at Darlington Rugby Club for 26 years now, but it's only since the last five years where we've had a junior girl set up, the under 13s, and I guess from that point on, the growth has been phenomenal. You know, we've got so many players on the books now, it's great, and combined with that success of the Roses, we just keep on growing."