Toronto Nomads-Under 17 Girls

Date: Sunday, May 25th, 2008
Time: 11:00am - 2:30pm
Where: Eglinton Flats (Eglinton Ave. West & Jane Street)
Cost: $20.00/player, includes t-shirt and water
Contact for registration:

The clinic will be run by the Nomads' senior men's head coach Drew MacPherson, with assistance from our juniors coaching staff, senior players, the Nomads' national and provincial representative players and other volunteers.

Drew is a two-time winner of the Rugby Ontario Coach-of-the-Year award and works full time as Rugby Ontario's Community Development Manager, Drew has introduced rugby and flag rugby into numerous schools and community programs around the province.

The 2006 Under-17 Girls' training officially begins on Tuesday, June 19th and will run every Tuesday and Thursday evening until the end of the season from 5:30pm to 7:00pm.

Practice Location from July 3rd on: Rosedale - It is very easy to get to; by TTC take the subway to Rosedale Station, then walk or take Bus # 82.

Girls' Under 17 Division: must have been born on or after January 1st, 1990, and have reached their 14th birthday to be eligible

Before the junior seasons start, players are welcome and ecouraged to traing with the senior women as well. For more information, contact:

Vanessa Branzanti - Women's Director,
VBranzanti@foyston.com
647-436-0861

The Nomads Rugby Football Club is one of the province's oldest clubs and was instrumental in founding the Ontario Rugby Union in 1950. Back then, the Nomads only ran senior men's sides. Today, the Nomads are one of the very few clubs in Ontario to run rugby for all ages (U14, U16 and U19) and for both genders.

A brief History of Womens Rugby in Canada:
About 40,000 Canadian athletes play the game of rugby. More than 7000 of these athletes are women. In the late 1970s, pockets of women's rugby started appearing in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec and Ontario. Clubs were formed and inter-provincial competition began between the western provinces. In 1987, the first Women's National Championship was held in Edmonton, Alberta. Since those humble beginnings, Canadian women have flocked to the game. Canada now boasts over 50 rugby clubs offering rugby to women.

What Rugby Offers to Women:
One of the biggest myths surrounding women's rugby is that women are too 'weak' and 'frail' to play the physically demanding sport. However, as seen in other traditional 'male dominated' sports, women have shown that they have both the talent and the skills to play the game.

Rugby offers players physical and mental intensity during games, it increases physical endurance, strength, self-confidence and contributes to overall athleticism. If there is one thing that sets rugby apart from all the other sports you've seen or played, is the importance of team camaraderie. Rugby is a team sport and this becomes most obvious not only on the field but off as well.

Nomads Junior Girls Rugby
Our mission for the 2003 season is to encourage more high schools to have an active girls' rugby program. Historically, women's rugby in high school curriculums is very limited or non-existent. As part of our recruitment drive, the Nomads have made it our goal to encourage more young people to learn and play rugby.

In addition to recruitment, the Nomads are sending volunteers to many schools to encourage the game at an intercollegiate level. We will also be offering rugby clinics to those who are interested in learning more about the sport to a number of high school students across the Toronto Region.

The junior girls' rugby season runs primarily throughout July and August. Practices run twice a week (Tuesday and Thursday evenings) and games are usually either on Saturday or Sundays - depending on the schedule.

To be a "junior" rugby player, you must be between 15 - 19 years of age. Once you are 17 years of age, it is possible for you to play on the senior women's team.

How to Get Involved:
Throughout the months of April and May, our rugby club will be contacting high schools across the Toronto area to offer coaching assistance, and to run rugby clinics.

The juniors' outdoor training will begin in June (but all juniors are encouraged to come out and practice with the senior women).

Practices for the junior girls will run on Tuesday and Thursdays, between 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Again, the Junior Girls are encouraged to also participate in the women's outdoor training schedule as well (runs on same days at 6:30 p.m)

Games will be scheduled on either Wednesday evenings or Saturdays with the possibility of participating in a few tournaments. If you are interested in learning more about rugby or if you would like your school to get involved in promoting women's rugby or if you are interested in getting involved, please contact us: