Ellingham & Ringwood RFC seal landmark deal for the women's side
The partnership with IT firm Vissensa sees the women's side kitted out from top to toe for the first time in a joint effort to improve the future for women.
It is the largest investment the club has had and together, aim to push the boundaries of women in rugby and IT, fields which have in the past been synonymous with male dominance.
Steve Groom, chief executive at Vissensa said, “When Mark Johnson [director at Ellingham & Ringwood] started speaking about the women’s first team he said some of them turn up with supermarket carrier bags with their kit in. And from that, I immediately said we want to make a difference.”
“So instead of just doing a standard team shirt, we went all in. We want tops, bags, the entire kit, and training kit so that when the team turn up people think they’re serious about the sport they’re playing.”
Johnson added, “It’s the first women’s sponsorship of this level. We had a local bakery as a front of shirt sponsor before, but I’ve never seen an investment of this size in all my time at the club, including for the men’s sides.”
While endeavouring to grow the women's game and offer the same opportunities as men, Vissensa similarly want to mirror this in the IT space.
Groom said, “We really struggle to find women in IT. 20 per cent of my company are women but they’re not in technical roles, they are held by men and there is no logical reason for that other than that education does not place an emphasis on what women can do in this area.”
“We want to promote we are doing this in women’s rugby so that people who have any interest in technical jobs have the confidence to have a conversation with us because they can see we have an affinity in that space.”
Lucy Parkinson, women’s manager at Ellingham & Ringwood said, “I’ve never seen support like this solely for a female investment. It’s a great partnership, not just for what we can do at the club and on the pitch, but we can make a real difference in people’s lives individually, personally and within the community.”
In classic rugby style, the women had a kit unveiling and wore it for the first time at the end of last year for the club’s triple header. It was a memorable day for the women running out in new kit in front of a large crowd, but also because they ended the day at the top of the National Challenge South West Division 1 table.
Parkinson said “The women felt great in the kit and having everyone in the same uniform really helped the team cohesion. The support from the men was great, and I even think they had a little jealousy which was an unusual twist!”
The sponsorship not only supports the women's senior team, but provides a pathway for younger girls to aspire and look up to.
Johnson added, “Seeing the senior women kitted out is aspirational for the youngsters, they tell their friends which is great for the club and participation.”
