Warwick Women’s Rugby triumphs at England Rugby Universities awards

The University of Warwick’s Women’s Rugby Club (WWRFC) has been awarded a prestigious prize at England Rugby Universities Awards.

The Warwick club won Outstanding Club of the Year at the ceremony held by the official home of the students’ Rugby Football Union.

This recognition comes after the team’s undefeated season and “simply pushes [the team] to do even better next year”, according to current WWRFC president Imogen Andrews.

Its 140% increase in membership has allowed for the club’s first ever second team.

“A few years ago, we would sometimes struggle to field a team of 15 and to now have the need for a 2s team is a testament to how women’s rugby is growing”, Andrews told The Boar. 

To even be nominated for a national award was a huge honour

Imogen Andrews, WWRFC President

This growth can not only be put down to the growth in the women’s game across the UK, but also to the effort that the club has made to get new students involved in the sport.

Its executive committee has continued to deliver Rock Up and Play sessions and offered introduction to rugby pathways.

As well as growing internally, the club has built partnerships with external organisations.

It has developed a relationship with the local Kenilworth Rugby Football Club and continued to work with Her Game Too, raising £1000 for them over the course of the year.

Despite this work, the club’s members were surprised to have been given a national award.

“To even be nominated for a national award was a huge honour,” Andrews stated.

It is particularly impressive that WWRFC took the win as it was nominated “alongside huge sport universities like Loughborough and Nottingham”.

For Andrews, the victory, which highlights “Warwick’s emerging reputation in the sporting community”, can be put down to “the hard work” of all involved in the club.