Girls Can

Rugby

Rugby isn’t just a sport
—it’s an opportunity to grow, lead, and have fun.

For school aged girls from 4-18, rugby offers a pathway to personal development, teamwork, and even college scholarships. It’s an experience that builds character on and off the field.

Unlike many sports, rugby welcomes players of all body types and skill sets. Whether you’re fast, strong, or strategic, there’s a position on the field for you. At BBRFC Celtic, we believe in building confidence and camaraderie in a supportive environment. Rugby teaches life skills like respect, integrity, and commitment, all while ensuring the game stays fun for everyone.

This age range is traditionally dominated by male players and we aim to readdress this balance and encourage more girls to give rugby a try!

Why Rugby is Great for Girls

  • Promotes Equality

    Rugby is built on respect, teamwork, and inclusion, where girls and boys play as equals up until U14. Every player has a voice, every role matters, and every contribution counts. On and off the field, we listen, support, and uplift each other—because in rugby, everyone belongs.

    And when the time comes to move up, join our Ladies team and play alongside a group of incredible women  who bring passion, strength, and unity to the game.

  • Make Friends for Life

    Rugby brings people together like no other sport. Whether on the field or off, it creates strong bonds through teamwork, trust, and shared challenges. From the first tackle to the last try, you learn to support and rely on each other, forming friendships that last a lifetime. No matter where you come from, once you step onto the pitch, you’re part of the team—and part of the family.

  • Boosts Self Esteem

    Rugby can teach a girl just how powerful her own unique body can be, with positions requiring size and strength equally as important as those which test speed and agility. This is an all-welcoming sport. There are positions for everyone, small or tall, regardless of physique.

  • Rugby is Affordable

    Rugby is in an inexpensive sport compared to other sports like football, tennis and hockey.

  • Encourages Resilience

    As with all sports, being knocked down and getting right back up again builds resilience in young rugby players. This particular sport, however, once had a reputation for being quite rough–and maybe too rough for girls.

  • Empowering

    All this adds up to a sport that's empowering for young women of all ages. Rugby offers girls the chance to boost self-esteem, build resilience and form a support system--and that's not all.

Smiling child in rugby uniform on grass field

Elizabeth U12s
🇺🇸 / 🇧🇪

Person with short hair in a black Under Armour jacket smiling outdoors.

Arachine U16s
🇳🇴

Young women standing on a sports field, wearing athletic clothing and gear, with a forested background.

Magda U16s
🇲🇨

Person wearing a multi-colored sports jersey in an outdoor setting

Amy U14s
🇿🇦 / 🇬🇧

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Katie Jane 'our olympian'

Group of kids in rugby uniforms with coach on a grass field
Person wearing a pink and black rugby jersey with text overlay "Katie Jane Wickham dirige Dendermonde 3 - Hamme."

U14 Katie Jane with U10 in 2017

Katie Jane Belgium Rugby Referee in 2021

“Not a girl!”  Big mistake!

To the Luxembourg team who was short of players, we offered the all boy team one of our own to help them out, Katie Jane.  She went on to help them win the match, scoring try after try!  They couldn’t believe their luck! A congratulatory back slap from her could knock a forward off his feet Sara Pillar told Jo de Graaff, as she recounted tales of her favourite girl player of all time from BBRFC Celtic. Her Callum is not easy to knock over!

Katie Jane Ironside Wickham grew up with BBRFC Celtic before heading off to university in Dublin, her amazing mum Sarah Ironside is still in Brussels and active with the ‘Darkness Into Light’ charity in Belgium for people who have lost a loved one to suicide.

Katie Jane whilst still in Belgium and a member of BBRFC Celtic was selected in 2017 for the the National Belgium 7's u16-u18 squad before joining the BelSevens national junior team in 2019.  In 2021 another 4 more BBRFC Celtic girls went on to join the U18 team*: Izzy Daly, Rea Breivik-Mavin and Eowyn Edwards.* Also that year Katie Jane was among six players between the ages of 17 and 22 selected to participate in the "Be Gold" federation project, to prepare for the 2024 Paris and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics!

In 2022 now a regular in the Sportkipik news, she became a referee, when BBRFC Celtic was the club executing the second highest number of refereed matches in Belgium Rugby. Today in 2024, age 21, she is enjoying studying and playing rugby at Trinity College Dublin, getting to know her other 'home country' of Ireland. Belgian-European-Irish Katie Jane recently gave an interview to the organisqation 'BXL-Irish Unity', a non-partisan civic group of Irish diaspora based in Brussels: https://bxl-irishunity.com/news-%26-discussion/f/diaspora-voices-katie-jane-ironside-wickham

 

See you on the pitch!