Harlequin Ladies Football Club

Rugby team
teamname = Harlequin Ladies
fullname = Harlequin Ladies Football Club
nickname = Quins Ladies
location = London, England
founded = 1995
url = www.harlequinladies.co.uk
pattern_la1=_blackshoulders| pattern_b1=_quinshome| pattern_ra1=_blackshoulders| leftarm1=008000| body1=| rightarm1=008000| shorts1=000000| pattern_so1=_quins

Harlequin Ladies Football Club (Harlequin Ladies or Quins Ladies for short) is a London based English rugby union club. Their official home is the Twickenham Stoop, home of the Guinness Premiership team Harlequins.

Harlequin Ladies are an amateur club, and are completely independent of the professional Harlequins team. However strong links are maintained with their famous counterparts. They share the same name, wear the famous Harlequin colours and club crest and the Ladies use the Harlequins training ground in Roehampton Vale, West London, as their training and playing venue

History

Harlequin Ladies Football Club was established in September 1995 when rugby playing Quins fan, Vanessa Matthews, bumped into a former Oxford University team-mate Kirstie Heslop, and the two decided that it would be a good idea to try to establish a Ladies side at Harlequins. With the help of the then Director of Rugby at Harlequins, Dick Best, and Harlequin Committee Member, the late Pat Currie, the idea soon grew into a team that was to win the league and go unbeaten in their first season.

Since then, the Harlequin Ladies have gone from strength to strength, establishing a highly successful youth side and forming strong links with the main club and the local community. Within just five seasons, Harlequin Ladies had reached the dizzying heights of Division 1. There have been many changes to the squad over the years, but with a number of new recruits and former youth team ‘graduates’ joining the senior side, the team has strengthened its position in this league. In 2007/08 the Rugby Football Union for Women (RFUW) restructured its league structure, positioning Harlequin Ladies in the Championship 2: South East League.

In August 2007, Harlequin Ladies became the first ladies side to become full members of the Rugby Football Union. Section 1 status was conferred on the club, meaning that they received full voting rights within the union.

Sponsorship and fundraising

At the heart of every Amateur sport is the need for adequate funding. For the 2006/07 season Bitter and "Twisted", the award winning beer from the Scottish microbrewery, Harviestoun, teamed up with Harlequin Ladies to become the senior team’s official sponsor. Harviestoun provided much needed funding to the club, they also provided the ladies with a source of quality imbibement after each match. The ladies also enjoyed sporting the eye-catching Bitter and "Twisted" sponsor’s logo.

However, despite the welcome sponsorship, Harlequin Ladies need to continue with relentless fundraising to support club activities. An annual raffle is a major fundraiser, where local business and individuals donate fabulous prizes, and the Ladies have also produced a number of fundraising calendars.

Harlequin Ladies are seeking sponsorship for the 2008/09 season as sponsorship with Harvistoun has now expired.

Publicity

For an amateur female rugby club, Harlequin Ladies have a particularly high media profile. Not only do the local press and rugby websites carry regular weekly features (through the Newsquest Series, Guardian Series and Rugby Times; websites such as Harlequin Ladies, NEC Harlequins, Come All Within, RFUW, Scrum.com and RFTG) but they have also received national exposure through programmes such as: Women with Balls (ITV), You Bet (ITV), Noel Edmunds House Party (BBC), Strip-Search (Living TV), Blue Peter (BBC), Rugby Special (BBC), Question of Sport (BBC), Daily Mail Magazine, Rugby World (IPC Media), What Car, Blue Peter 2004 Annual, The Sunday Times, Daily Star, and Nuts (IPC Media), Princess Nikki (E4), Celebrity Scissorhands (BBC), Holly and Fearne Go Dating (ITV), Ready Steady Cook (BBC).

The Youth Academy

The youth team was originally set up in 1998, with the late Sue Moloney taking on the role of Team Secretary, and other senior members playing key roles in the setting up and training the squad. With the support of local schools, the team attracted over 30 players aged 11-17 and soon proved itself a force to be reckoned with in the junior game., winning the inaugural Saracens Junior Girls Rugby Festival and the annual Camberley 10s tournament.

As well as proving themselves invaluable members of the senior squad, many youth team ‘graduates’ have gone on to achieve major success at County, Regional and International level.

After a 3-year hiatus, the youth side was re-launched in September 2006 as the Harlequin Ladies Youth Academy. In its first year, the U14 squad finished 2nd in the Thames Valley league, with many members also gaining county and regional representative honours. In the 2007/08 season the RFUW restructured the age bands in the youth game. The youth academy therefore runs both U15 and U18 squads.

In 2008 season the Youth Academy, after a lot of hard work and great commitment from the squad the academy, clustered with Northolt and Saracens RFC climbed to second place in the League to enable a great start to the 08/09 season.

The Devlopment Team (Alex Leigh/Nick Dexter-Tissington) strive to make every training session a fun and fulfilling experience for all squad members, ensuring that their development as a player and an individual is at the top of our agenda.

Harlequin Ladies Youth Academy caters for younger players (12-18). Training is held on Wednesday evenings 6.00-7.30pm at St Mary's College, Twickenham. We welcome all new players regardless of experience - so whether you're an old hand, or fancy trying rugby for the first time.

Tours

Over the years Harlequin Ladies have worked hard to develop a strong social aspect to their game. In addition to a busy social calendar, each season is rounded off with tours for both the senior and youth team squads, and they have been known to return with silverware on several occasions. The end of season tours have provided Harlequin Ladies with the opportunity to meet and play against many new teams, as well as to forge strong intra-squad bonds.

Honours board

As an amateur club, Harlequin Ladies relies on its members to oversee the ongoing organisation of the club.

External links

* [http://www.harlequinladies.co.uk Harlequin Ladies official website]
* [http://www.quins.co.uk Harlequins official site]
* [http://www.quinsams.co.uk Harlequin Amateurs Rugby Football Club]
* [http://www.comeallwithin.co.uk Come All Within (unofficial fan-site)]