Calling all future Iron Maidens! Maidenhead RFC seeks players for Women's rugby revival

Beth Candlin in action training for England

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Maidenhead have appealed for female players to take part in a try out and training session for the Iron Maidens, with the club hoping to resurrect a competitive women’s team in the coming seasons.

The appeal has been made to any female aged over 17 who fancies giving the game a try for the first team, or someone who maybe fancies returning to the sport after a period away.

The club is keen to hear from anyone whether they’re experienced, inexperienced or complete beginners, or indeed anyone who has been inspired to play by England Women’s recent World Cup triumph at Twickenham.

The Red Roses, who featured former Maidenhead Mini and Junior player Abby Dow, and former girls coach Maud Muir, triumphed over Canada in the final last month.

The try out game/training session is scheduled for this Saturday (November 15) at Braywick Park at 1pm for a 1.30pm start.

Those interested are asked to meet at the newly built and dedicated women and girls’ changing rooms at Braywick.

The session will be taken by Beth Candlin, the club’s head of women’s rugby and an England Women’s u18s international player, and Nigel Botherway, an experienced women’s and men’s RFU qualified coach.

For those interested but unable to make Saturday’s session, new players are always welcome to Iron Maidens training sessions which take place on the 4G first team pitch at Braywick Park on Thursday evenings from 7.15-8.30pm - regardless of their experience or ability.

For more information, please contact Bethan Candlin at: mrfcwomen@maidenheadrfc.co.uk

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Over the past few years Maidenhead RFC has been growing its girls and women’s section, and the club now has teams successfully competing at u12s, u14s, u16s and u18s level. The final step will be establishing and maintaining a competitive Iron Maidens women’s team and that’s the goal of Beth and Jo Randall, head of the girls’ section, over the coming seasons.

The club have installed the new changing rooms to help their female players feel more at home in what has previously been quite a daunting space.

The hope is that the new facilities at Maidenhead will encourage more players of all ages to come and try the sport and enable them to better flourish and express themselves on the pitch.

Beth recently spoke about the impact the new female changing rooms could have on the club and its players.

She said: “The girls’ changing rooms are brilliant, “They’ve been done in a way girls would like, there are mirrors for their hair and stuff that girls would want. There are proper nice lockers and cubby holes, it’s just really good. It makes them feel like they’ve got their own space, that they’re not sharing.

“They’ve got their own foot in the club. It’s daunting for a girl to walk past all the boys and the men to get to their changing rooms.

“Now they can go to an area that’s full of girls and women.

“You feel more comfortable, and they’ll feel at ease. They can make that space their own.”