From an early age, Katherine discovered a love of ball sports. So, when a chance encounter with a Touch rugby team in need of players fell into her lap, Katherine discovered an untapped ability to pass a rugby ball with relative ease, leading to a passion for Touch Rugby ever since.
I’ve always played team sports, right the way through school and university. Hockey was my main sport, but I had to stop playing after an injury. I took up Touch Rugby totally by accident. A good friend of mine was the Bristol University women’s Rugby Union captain, and we were sitting together when we overheard someone in our department discussing their need for additional female touch rugby players for their mixed team that evening. We volunteered and it spiralled from there.
I’ve always loved ball sports, throwing and catching, and although I spent more than a decade playing hockey as my main sport, when I took up Touch Rugby in 2009, I discovered I could pass a rugby ball well without really thinking, which was a definite asset. Being fast, agile and powerful are also important, and I have had to work really hard on both my strength and footwork, because I’m tall and not naturally flexible. Touch players spend a surprising large amount of time on the floor (diving to score, diving to make touches…), so being able to land well is also a skill that I’ve transferred from other sports I’ve played such as Volleyball and Cricket.
Touch Rugby is a really inclusive sport, and one of the few sports that can be genuinely played as a mixed sport at the highest level. It’s also really family friendly, and I have friends who are able to play in the same teams as their partner/child/parent. It really is a sport for the whole family. Although I choose to represent my country in the women’s game, my husband and I are both able to play club Touch and train together in the same team, which I really enjoy – he is both my biggest supporter and my biggest critic!!
Definitely give it a go! The first time I played I had absolutely no idea what was going on. There are hours of videos on YouTube of high-quality international matches, the nationals (regional sides competing) and the England Touch club league (the National Touch Series), that you can watch to give you an idea of the rules, then find a club and say hello. The Touch scene is really friendly and welcoming – you won’t regret it!
Although Touch Rugby is growing in terms of numbers of participants, it is still a fairly small sport, so not every town or city will have a club, so you might have to travel a little to find somewhere. Saying that, new clubs are popping up all the time. In my experience, Touch clubs are extremely friendly and welcoming, and many people pick it up in their 20s or 30s after playing other sports first, just as I did. The Cambridge Touch club that I play for runs social and beginner sessions that people can turn up to without any prior experience necessary. The England Touch webpage has a list of all the Touch clubs in England and contact details, so you should be able to find somewhere nearby to try it out.
I think the hardest part of competing at this level is the impact that it has on your social life. My friends and family know that, unless they play Touch too, it will be difficult for me to find time to see them between April and September! As a relatively new mother, it has also been really hard to maintain my training program alongside parenting and a full-time job. I never have a free moment to just sit still!
It’s difficult to describe the immense sense of pride and determination I get each time I pull on my playing vest and line up alongside the rest of my teammates. Representing my country has given me the biggest highs and lows of my life. International tournament competitions are typically 4 to 6 days long and the team will compete in 2-3 matches per day. It is extremely physically and mentally demanding. There’s a tremendous amount of support given to England athletes in terms of coaching, management, medical, physiotherapy, nutrition and strength and conditioning at these events, which helps players enormously. The whole event is intense and quite emotional, and it flies by way too quickly!
Three things really keep me focussed; my character, my teammates and my desire to make my family proud of me. I’m a very competitive and stubborn person and I absolutely hate giving up or not being good enough. Every year a new squad is selected for the next international competition, and the team trains through the autumn and winter before final selections are made in the spring. Once the team is picked the group becomes very close-knit and everyone drives each other to improve themselves. Some of my closest friends are also Touch players in England squads and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to help them. But mostly, I try every day to be a fitter, stronger and better version of me to make my husband and my son proud of my achievements.
As the full-time working mother of a toddler, there is no other time outside of training, competing, working, sleeping and looking after my family. This year has been even busier than usual because my husband and I have both changed jobs, relocated for work and are now renovating our house. I’m looking forward to Christmas when this at least should be finished! I’ve always believed that a change is as good as a rest…
The CSSC support has been immensely helpful. Touch Rugby is an amateur sport, so all of the costs involved in training for, and competing in a tournament are passed on to the athletes themselves. Whilst it gives fantastic travel opportunities, this can definitely affect participation, when the destination is on the other side of the world. The last two world cups were in Malaysia and Australia, so I’m looking forward to next year’s being in Nottingham!
Within the Touch community, the CSSC is already regarded as an organisation that supports Touch Rugby. In London, until very recently when the club was renamed, there was a CSSC touch club that had three teams populated with members of the CSSC that played in the English domestic league.
I’m fortunate to receive a lot of support from my family, who understand the demands of my training and playing schedule through the summer months (when everything is particularly hectic)! As a university lecturer, fortunately, this busier time in my sport’s calendar coincides with the University’s summer recess. My previous employer was also really supportive and when a competition was in Nottingham (2018) some of them even came to watch!
Although I have had some injuries in my time, on the whole Touch Rugby has seriously improved my health and wellbeing. I love being outdoors and get extremely grumpy if I can’t exercise for any length of time. Playing sports and being active really define me personally and I couldn’t imagine what I’d do if I wasn’t training or competing. I can’t wait until my son is old enough to be introduced to Touch Rugby, so that I can coach him and we can play together as a family!
The beauty of Touch Rugby is in its simplicity. You actually need nothing to participate barring the Touch Rugby ball (slightly smaller and more elongated than a standard rugby union ball). Football boots help when the grass is slick, but absolutely anyone can play with extremely minimal upfront investment – all you really need is enthusiasm.
Of course. There will always be feelings of concern that I could be letting others down by making mistakes or performing badly, but for me, having a fantastic team of inspirational athletes around me drives me to greater achievement than I could have hoped to attain on my own in any individual sport.
The CSSC is a great organisation with so many different facets. I’ve used my membership for discounts at high street stores and I enjoy reading the regular emails with all of the things going on in my region. I think my favourite offering though is the free access to Cadw and English Heritage sites. I love visiting castles!!
If you’ve been inspired by Katherine’s story to give Touch or any form of Rugby a try, why not get in touch with your local volunteer or VTL to find out if there are any local clubs or events. Alternatively, you could check out the CSSC website and type ‘Rugby’ into the search bar.
We offer loads of opportunities to take up sport or re-spark that passion you once held, through our funding opportunities.
Why not find out how CSSC could help you stay active and healthy through your chosen sport?