Greenock Wanderers Rugby Football Club is thrilled to announce that it has been named the Scottish winner of the prestigious Championing Women & Girls’ Rugby Award, presented by Royal London and The British & Irish Lions. The award recognises the club’s commitment to growing women’s and girls’ rugby, fostering community spirit, and creating opportunities for players and coaches at every level.
The club’s girls’ rugby programme launched two and a half years ago, to build a strong pipeline of female rugby talent. Girls as young as seven and women into their late forties now play for Greenock Wanderers, with mothers and daughters sharing the pitch and players travelling from across the region to be part of the club’s rugby family.
Committed to ensuring that the physical and financial barriers to joining the club are as low as possible, Greenock Wanderers provides a Scholarship Programme which waives membership fees and buys kit for those who need it to participate. The club also encourages new mums to stay in the sport for longer through its Maternity Policy for players. This policy pauses their subscription payments while they are pregnant or on maternity leave, provides increased help from physios and coaches to return to playing safely, and provides a safe breastfeeding space at the club for both players and supporters.
Beverley Addison, Vice President of Rugby and Director of Women and Girls Rugby at Greenock Wanderers, said: “Winning the Championing Women and Girls’ Rugby Award is not just an honour — it’s an opportunity. Women’s and girls’ rugby has become a cornerstone of Greenock Wanderers, and this award is testament to the dedication of our players, coaches, volunteers, and supporters. The £10,000 grant will help us upskill our junior and senior players and coaches, enhance our facilities, and continue to provide a welcoming, supportive
environment for all. Most importantly, it shows our girls that their dreams are supported not just by our club, but by the wider rugby community.
“From our humble beginnings 12 years ago, our Women’s Section has grown rapidly, now fielding both a 1XV and a 2XV team — the only club outside a major Scottish city to do so. Our ambition is to reach the Premiership within the next five years, and this recognition brings us a step closer to that goal. Our young girls now dream of being Lions, and it is just amazing to think that one day one of them might just get there. We could not be more thankful for this amazing award.”
Susie Logan, Group Chief Marketing Officer at Royal London comments: “As Founding Partner of The British & Irish Lions Women’s Team, we’re proud to continue to work with the Lions on our Championing Women and Girls’ Rugby Award.
“The decision of which club to award in each of the unions is getting more difficult as there are so many amazing applications. The amount of work, time and effort being put in across women’s and girls’ rugby clubs by coaches, players, parents and club volunteers is phenomenal. We are committed to playing our part in shaping the future of women’s rugby, and I can’t wait to see what the winning clubs will do with the funds to make a difference to their players and their communities.”
The Championing Women & Girls’ Rugby Award is a flagship element of Royal London’s sponsorship as Founding Partner of the first ever British & Irish Lions Women’s Team. One winning club in each home union receives a trophy and a £10,000 grant to invest in their women’s and girls’ rugby programmes. Alongside the grassroots award, the sponsorship includes a ‘Levelling the Playing Field’ investment of £3 million, which is designed to inspire more women and girls to participate in rugby and to foster equality and opportunity at every level of the game.
