Darlington Rugby Club is urging girls to take up rugby in the wake of England Women’s World Cup victory.
The club has launched girls-only rugby sessions for eight to 11-year-olds, motivated by the Red Roses’ success and to create a space where girls can develop their skills and learn the game.
The sessions are held every Tuesday from 6pm to 7pm.
Bill Deakin, under-16s girls coach at Darlington Rugby Club, said: "I have experienced girls leaving rugby at under 10s and 11s because they didn’t like the mixed rugby with the boys.
"I started coaching when I brought my middle daughter to play at under 6s, my youngest daughter joined the year after.
"I hope it introduces the girls into an environment where they feel more confident.
"We are hoping that the girls-only sessions will encourage others to give it a go as well."
He said rugby offers more than just time on the pitch.
Mr Deakin said: "We say that in rugby there is a third half – in the club house with some food, sitting around the table and giving out some awards.
"It is a great opportunity for the girls to interact with each other socially."
Daisy Anderson, who plays for both the mixed under-11s and the girls’ under-12s teams, said: "I can have more fun with the girls, as the boys talk about boy stuff and I get left out.
"I’ve made good friends that I wouldn’t normally have.
"We have built friendships through rugby and now we hang out together outside of rugby."
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is backing the growth of the female game.
Laura Lines, RFU club developer, said: "The girls tell us that this is what they want.
"We want the girls’ game to emulate the boys’ game.
"We need a strong player pathway that feeds into our current girls’ system.
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"Our clubs have done a fantastic job of creating a girls’ programme for under 12s, under 14s, under 16s."
Chris Anderson, director of rugby at Darlington RFC, said: "The aim is to involve girls in rugby as early as we can with a hope that the girls-only training will support them in staying in the game.
"Ultimately, the aim is to keep growing girls’ rugby at Darlington Rugby Club."
More information can be found at https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/darlingtonrfc.
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