We are delighted to announce that we are partnering with Burgess Hill Rugby Club to expand rugby opportunities for girls at our school and within the wider community.
Two of our youngest players, Lana and Daisy, show just how powerful early engagement in rugby can be. Lana first joined the club when she was only five, and Daisy started at seven. Now they both train every Wednesday as part of the thriving girls’ team, developing their skills, teamwork and love of the game (as well as their love of bacon sandwiches).
This partnership comes at an exciting time for women’s rugby. The 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, hosted here in England with matches played in Brighton, attracted more than 300,000 spectators across 28 games. Almost half of all women’s rugby fans worldwide have discovered the sport in just the past two years, showing how quickly it is growing. At grassroots level, England Rugby’s Impact ’25 programme has already inspired more than twenty thousand girls to play.
It is also a significant moment for Burgess Hill Rugby Club. Their women’s side is returning to NC3 for the first time in five years, and the girls’ section is set to expand into two teams next season. The appointment of Shelley McComiskey as the club’s first Director of Women and Girls Rugby marks a real step forward. As Shelley explained: “I am passionate about creating a pathway for girls to progress in rugby, from their first experience of the sport through to competitive league play. Working with Burgess Hill Girls will help us reach more young players who will join some of the girls who are already members of the club, and I can’t wait to see this partnership flourish.”
Head of Burgess Hill Girls, Heather Cavanagh, added: “We are thrilled to partner with Burgess Hill Rugby Club at such an exciting moment in their development. Rugby is a fantastic sport for building resilience, teamwork, and determination, and we are committed to giving our girls every opportunity to experience and enjoy it.”
For Lana and Daisy, Wednesday training is already the highlight of their week. Thanks to this new partnership, many more Burgess Hill Girls pupils will now have the chance to follow their example — and perhaps even emulate former club players like Grace Clifford and Katie Shillaker, who are now making their mark at the very highest levels of women’s rugby.
To find out more about Burgess Hill Rugby Football Club visit their website.
Burgess Hill RFC Under 12 Girls
