Women hit rugby pitch
Kowie United launches team with 24 eager players involved so far, and first event set for Saturday
Kowie United Rugby Football Club (RFC) recently formed a women’s rugby team which will soon be tested in a game against a Makhanda (Grahamstown) women’s team on May 8.
The Kowie United RFC Ladies’ Rugby Team is made up of players from age 16 and above and trains from Monday to Thursday, from 6 to 7.30pm at the Station Hill rugby field.
Coach Abe Hendricks said the team had 24 players so far, and was growing every day.
Sharing how the idea of starting a women’s rugby team had come about, Hendricks said: “SARU and EPRU have pleaded with clubs and unions to have woman’s rugby on board for the past few years.
“The club’s new executive made it clear this year that we will be for the communities and woman’s rugby and netball, and schools will be part of this.”
The team is working tirelessly to raise funds for the equipment it requires.
One of the players in charge of marketing, Mercedes Biller, said: “We have an upcoming event on the May 8, which is a chicken braai fundraiser to assist the club and the teams get things such as equipment, kit and so forth.
“We are currently selling tickets for the event at R60 each, which gets you a chicken leg quarter, roll and salad.”
Biller’s said she and Charlize Schmidt were planning for future fundraising efforts to promote the team and for games, recruitment and sponsorships.
They team would also get involved in community-based projects.
“We have an amazing group of ladies so far who are all so different and unique and we are so fortunate to get along as well as we do, we already feel like a family and we can’t wait to have others join and are all so excited to see where this goes,” she said.
Biller’s excitement was echoed by Hendricks.
“I love to work with this current group because they are very eager to learn,” Hendricks said.