The Welsh Rugby Union has announced that from the 2023/24 season, Welsh girls will no longer be able to play mixed rugby with boys under 11 and the age groups for girls will be changed.

At the end of the current season, the maximum age for mixed rugby has been lowered from U13 following a women’s community review, which launched in Spring 2022 and included a consultation process involving over 1,700 players, coaches, parents and stakeholders, as well as contributions. of “experts in various fields, including medicine, physiological development of sport and other sectors”.

The WRU Community Rugby Division has recommended that the maximum age at which mixed rugby can be played be lowered by the end of the Under-11 season. The recommendation has since been unanimously accepted by the WRU Community Gaming Board, with the governing body saying the community department will work with clubs across Wales to “ensure a smooth transition for players to the WRU Women’s Centre. Local WRU”. There are 37 in Wales.

The age groups for women will also change to Under-8, Under-10, Under-12, Under-14, Under-16 and Under-18 and the season structure will also change based on age. Under-8s and Under-10s will play from March to July: mixed rugby will be open to all players in this age group during the traditional season and players can register twice with the Ladies’ Center and the Mixed Rugby Team. U12 and U14 will play in September-July with a winter break in December-February. Under-16, 18 and adult rugby will continue the traditional season in September and May.

Welsh rugby bosses want 10,000 women and girls to take part in regular rugby by 2026. There are plans to expand skills centers across Wales to support the women’s centers and the WRU says a key target of 104 center staff working in schools is: Welsh colleges and universities to create more opportunities for women in rugby and support women’s centers in Wales. .

The WRU said the review also looked at “a number of areas for further development of the women’s game in Wales”, including season and competition structure, game formats and “measures that can be taken to help Welsh rugby structures”. . “. adapt to enhance the player journey and support player development.”

As of Spring 2022, the WRU claims attendance has increased by over 40% since covid-related restrictions were relaxed.

The WRU said issues considered during a further consultation period in April-September 2022 included: “the exclusion of girls from co-ed rugby after secondary school, together with changing attitudes towards co-ed rugby for both boys and girls” . issues due to a variety of factors, including biological differences after puberty and attitudes towards women in the game at this level’, as well as the increasing number of women in WRU Women’s Centers in the Under-12 and Under-14 age groups.

Recommendations for the review, also unanimously endorsed by the WRU Community Gaming Board, include:

  • Review and make changes to the direction of current women’s football to “ensure that it clearly evolves in line with the desire of the women’s community to develop the 15-a-side game”.
  • The WRU continues to develop player pathways and competition structures in conjunction with women’s centers in the community.
  • The WRU community is looking at additional opportunities for alternative game formats such as Sevens and Touch Rugby to attract and recruit new players.
  • A review of the competition structure and effectiveness of the Premier League and Championship, together with an agreement to maintain the highest level of domestic women’s rugby union in Wales while other levels of productive play are developed.
  • A “Regional Women’s Advisory Group” is formed in each region, made up of representatives from women’s centers, seniors’ clubs, educational institutions and external members, leading to the formation of a “National Women’s Advisory Group”, which will report to the subcommittees . of the Community Gaming Council.

Source: Wales Online