ITV has been hearing about the launch of a brand new girls’ rugby academy at Loughborough College.
Kelli Harvey was interviewed about the academy, the first of its kind in Leicestershire, as she joined a Rugby Football Union (RFU) drive to recruit 2015 qualified coaches in the year of the Rugby World Cup.
The Loughborough College elite sport tutor said: “Our new rugby academy, commencing this September, is a really exciting opportunity for young girls to get involved in the game and hopefully progress through the ranks to an elite level.
“This is the first academy of its kind in the county. We already have lots of girls interested and there is going to be the chance to come into the College and find out a bit more about it in March.
“England won the Women’s Rugby World Cup last year and 20 of the team’s stars turned professional for England Sevens as a result. That and the victory saw the women’s game take a huge leap forward in England.
“Hopefully the men’s cup this year will continue to build general interest in the game as well as the numbers of girls and women coming into it.”