Coaching

12 Aug 2024 | 2 min |

Inner Warrior

    Running an Inner Warrior Camp is a great way to welcome new women to your club.  Over the last 6 years, Inner Warrior Camps, have introduced more than 30,000 women and girls to rugby union.

    This guidance pack (available end August 2024)will help you to plan and welcome new women to your club.  Including guidance about when you might run your camp, how to promote your camp, creating a welcoming arrival, and a helpful session plan about what your club could deliver on the day.

    For more top tips to help you run a successful camp please watch our short video.

    The Inner Warrior Series is the first step to organised regular rugby in the women's game (players must be 18+), where teams come together locally to determine the format and structure that they want to play. The Series are designed to be a great introduction to rugby for all levels of experience, from those who have never played to those who want to get back involved.

    The emphasis is on player development, applying Game On principles and encouraging the social side of rugby too. It is a perfect starting point for new players and teams, or a supportive platform for those rebuilding to get back on their feet and thrive.

    Many teams who have participated in the series have gone on to compete in National Challenge 3 and above, having developed and grown their playing numbers, experience and confidence in the Inner Warrior Series.

    The Inner Warrior Series is organised on a regional basis throughout the country. Expect to be involved in a range of formats, depending on your needs and the teams in your local group. This could be everything from T1 Rugby, to Sevens, Tens, or 15s and more besides.

    There will be regular playing opportunities whilst retaining levels of flexibility, compared to the structured league system.

    Reading this mid-season? No problem! With flexible entry points throughout the season, you may be able to join in the fun sooner than you think.

    For any enquiries, please email womenscompetitions@RFU.com.

    Constituent Bodies (CB) and clubs organise playing opportunities that are shaped to meet the needs of the girls. Format and frequency of these are important, to ensure they are developmentally appropriate for the players.  

    These activities may include:  

    • Festivals and fixtures – enjoyable competitive style playing opportunity arranged between clubs or CB.  
    • Pitch Up & Play/Train – sessions hosted by clubs through the season to bring developing teams together to provide opportunities for training and matches.  
    • Recruitment Camps – a planned recruitment session with an emphasis on welcoming new players and introducing rugby in a fun and exciting way. 

    The Age Grade Calendar provides a framework for girls’ activity throughout the season.  The  ‘Competition menu’ highlights the formats which may be played at each age group.  For guidance about the Love Rugby festivals as part of the Age Grade Calendar in September click here.  

    Click here for guidance for summer activity for age grade rugby. Contact your CB Women & Girls Lead for more information on what is planned in your CB.  

    The National Girls Cup is for U16 & U18 girls’ teams that take place from October – April. No cluster teams are eligible to enter.  For more information contact your CB.