In August this year the Wicklow Rugby under 18 girls and ladies will make history by being the first Irish female rugby team to tour outside of Europe.
54 people including players, coaches and supporters will set forth on a momentous trip to Canada. They will fly to Toronto and tour for 12 days. During their trip they will play three Canadian club teams and sample the friendship, camaraderie and hospitality that these clubs have to offer.
The trip has come about due to a strong link between Wicklow Rugby Club and the Canadian Rugby Union. Wicklow ladies & U18 have had the honour of hosting Canadian visitors for the last 3 years. In 2012 we had the visit of Doyle’s Town followed by Walnut Grove in 2013 and Regiopolis Notre Dame in 2014. These trips have been very successful and strong links have been established making coaches consider undertaking a return trip. “We thought to ourselves the distance from Wicklow to Canada is the same as Canada to Wicklow so why not try!” said Ronan Griffey – U18 Coach, when asked how the trip came about.
Of course a lot of hard work is going into fund raising for the trip. To date the girls have organised fun days, discos, an end of summer ball, table quizzes, car boot sales, selling canvas shopping bags, clothes recycling collections, Christmas tree collection and the famous sponsored splash in Wicklow harbour on New Years Day.
The latest fundraiser was The Mid Term Ball held in the Grand Hotel on February 13th which was a great success. The next fundraiser is a coffee morning and bake sale in Phil Healys on Friday morning the 19th February 10 to 12.
With many more events planned for the future, it is sure to be very busy right up to departure!
The girls would like to sincerely thank everyone for all their support in this adventure, Wicklow Rugby club for their continued encouragement and assistance in fund raising and people in the local community for their support and encouragement for this groundbreaking tour.
The girls dream is beginning to become a reality! They would like to most sincerely thank those who continue to support them as they make their way to Canada. Sponsors are welcome to come on board; a great marketing opportunity awaits them. If you are interested in getting involved please get in touch via Wicklow RFC.
