The Girls Rugby Club has today announced leading UK-based rugby brand Rhino as its exclusive ball and equipment sponsor in a significant boost for the rapidly expanding female rugby platform.
The three year deal will see Rhino supply bespoke Girls Rugby Club branded balls for all camps and workshops, as well as supporting grassroots activity, purpose-driven campaigns and the recently announced Girls Rugby Club XV junior ambassador programme. Rhino balls and equipment will be sold via the Girls Rugby Club online store and its members will be offered the opportunity to take part in product development aimed at better catering towards female rugby players. In just 11 months since its launch, the Girls Rugby Club founded by former England international and current Harlequins captain Rachael Burford, has grown to more than 10,000 members from all corners of the globe, whilst running regular camps throughout the UK featuring top international players as coaches and an expert-led Player Welfare campaign covering female-specific topics like menstrual health, pregnancy, concussion, nutrition, strength & conditioning, recovery, injury rehabilitation and sleep. Off-field activity has also included a number of educational panel discussions to showcase inspirational women in sport and promote investment in women’s rugby. The sponsorship is a major step forward for the Girls Rugby Club and indicative of the growing commercial appeal of women’s sport worldwide. Girls Rugby Club Founder, Rachael Burford says, “We’ve always said that one of our key missions is to reduce the barriers to entry for girls coming into the sport and we know from research and experience that equipment is one of those barriers. This partnership is not just with the Girls Rugby Club, but with women and girls around the world who we hope to support alongside Rhino by helping to provide kit where it’s needed and giving girls the opportunity to play.” Rhino Managing Director, Dave Reynish says, “We’ve always been very proud of our work in supporting grassroots rugby and being at the start of every players’ rugby journey, so in Girls Rugby Club we’ve definitely found a kindred spirit. “We believe this is an incredibly exciting time for women’s rugby, as the likes of Rachael Burford continue to inspire thousands of girls across the world. We’re very excited about working with the Girls Rugby Club to not only ensure quality balls and equipment is made available to everyone but also to look into developing new products that meet the specific needs of players everywhere.