TEN SMB College Group X Leicester Tigers programme students have been selected for the first ever Girls Barbarians X Rugby School Invitational, which is taking place this Saturday, 9th December!
Olivia Ward, Brooke Saunders, Bibi Gorden and Isy Davies will play for the Barbarians XV, with Libby Mcloed, Eloise Steward, Claudia Clemons, Elizabeth Pap, Summer Hartshorn and Grace Collins playing on the opposing side for Rugby School.
The girls, who all study at SMB College Group’s Brooksby Campus, were hand selected from over 500 applicants, demonstrating how well the students stood out for their high levels of professionalism and rugby skills.
Vicky Macqueen, Head of Women’s Rugby at Leicester Tigers said ‘To play in the first ever girls Barbarians fixture is a huge honour for the girls, and to be playing at Rugby School (the home of Rugby) makes it even more special. This is an incredibly prestigious event and all of the girls who’ve been selected should be so proud.
Vicky, an ex-international Rugby player with 34 caps for England, added ‘On a wider scale, I am so excited that Leicester Tigers now have a female team, and that we’re able to expand our youth offering for girls with the programme that we offer alongside SMB College Group. Not only does this enable more girls to go down the elite rugby pathway, but allows them to get an education behind them through Level 3 courses and apprenticeships with the college.
‘The college experience has allowed us to facilitate a really professional environment for the students, weaving in not only elite rugby training and excellent education, but also strength and conditioning, performance analysis, mindset coaching, and more. I am so excited for the future of the programme, and hope to see it broaden and develop over the next few years so that we can inspire even more girls to enter the world of high-level rugby.’
The Leicester Tigers Girls Rugby programme, established in 2022, comes on the back of highly successful ACE and Development programmes that the club has run alongside the college for a number of years; successful graduates of the boys programme have included the likes of George Martin, Sam Edwards, Archie Vanes, Tim Hoyt, Lewis Chessum, Joseph Woodward, Morgan Meredith and more.
Facilities at the college’s 850-acre Brooksby Campus include three full-size rugby pitches, a full-size sports hall, a strength and conditioning gym, and sports science facilities with a range of performance analysis equipment. Students can study a full-time Level 3 programme alongside their elite rugby training, gaining A-Level equivalent qualifications to set them in good stead for their future careers.
Accommodation is also available on-site at the Brooksby Campus, in addition to a range of college bus routes and public transport links across the county.
Find out more at https://www.smbcollegegroup.ac.uk/courses/sports-academies or attend a college open day to see the Brooksby Campus facilities and grounds for yourself.