All smiles as Perthshire ladies continue to grow

Women’s rugby is going from strength to strength in Perth.

And excitement continues to grow that regular competitive league action is not a too distant thought at the North Inch.

Numbers at Perthshire Rugby Club’s women’s team sessions have been increasing at pace and they are now taking part in a development series.

The series is aimed at providing game-time and experience for players, with a recent event taking place at Morgan Rugby Club over the weekend.

Heather Kirkman, Perthshire’s head of women and girls’rugby, has been proud to watch the section grow in recent months.

“Our senior ladies are currently taking part in a development series aimed at up-and-coming teams,”she said. “It gets game-time and experience.

“It’s really positive that there are all of these teams out there with ladies wanting to play.

“This was the first game we’ve properly played in this season. We’ve been building numbers and started off with a regular 10.

“Now we’re up to over 20 at training every Wednesday. For me, that is just amazing.

“It’s gone from having no-one to play with to lots of ladies wanting to play and also having a fab time.

“The best thing for me on Sunday was them all coming off the pitch, some after their first ever game, with a smile.

“It’s been massive on social media

Perthshire ladies are going from strength to strength and were back out on the field of play last weekend

and every single player was putting up posts on Sunday night.”

Training sessions for girls and women have been busy on Wednesday evenings.

The sky is the limit now, with Heather adding:“The goal is to have a full women’s first 15 and a women’s sevens team.

“We’re hopefully going to play in some cup games, which will then eventually lead to being in a league.

“These are long term plans and it would mean the world to me.

“Part of my passion and drive comes from playing at primary level, then after that not having anywhere to play.

“I’ve lived most of my life in Perth and there has never really been a women’s team to play for after S1 level.

“None of the schools really did it, but that has changed so much. Hopefully they’ll have this senior team to aim for.

“Perthshire is a massive family

environment and I don’t think I’ve been involved in anything quite like it.

“The women and the girls who come down are fantastic and we have a brilliant laugh. Everyone trains hard and we love having new people down.

“It’s not just about the fun, it’s also a great way to keep fit and you also make amazing friends.”

The team now hopes to be involved in another match in the third week of December.