The future is looking bright at Tynedale Rugby Club, according to coach Annie Lees, after they welcomed more than 70 women and girls to their recent ‘Meet Your Inner Warrior’ event.

Developed by England Rugby, the ‘Meet Your Inner Warrior’ campaign sees clubs from around the country stage special sessions to encourage more women and girls to take up contact rugby within their communities.

Taking place last Sunday, Tynedale welcomed more than 40 adult women and 30 under-18s to their Station Road home in Corbridge, where they engaged in a whole host of fun activities geared around the sport.

And with prosecco and cream tea on the menu post-rugby, Lees admits she couldn’t have asked for a more successful day.

“Our Inner Warrior event went brilliantly, better than we could have ever expected,” she said.

“The amount of women who said they’d always wanted to give rugby a go but never had, was amazing.

“We were flabbergasted with the numbers that came along. We had expected around 50, including all the coaches, but we ended up with 70 and more.

“We wanted to include everybody in the activities and make sure they suited everyone, including the mini girls who usually play with boys.

“For the newcomers, we had RFU community coaches and they just ran around and had fun, passing, putting the ball down, learning about communication and finding space, before having a game of touch rugby.

“People who were watching commented that all they could hear was shrieks of laughter, and just people having a ball.

“Some of the girls are definitely turning up for pre-season, which starts in August, and we’d love more players to come along.”

The first round of Inner Warrior camps in January saw more than 1,500 women and girls enjoy their first taste of rugby, many of whom have continued their participation within the sport.

And for Lees, she couldn’t be more delighted to see so many people getting involved with the sport she loves.

“I think ‘Meet Your Inner Warrior’ is a great initiative, because it is welcoming and gives people a real opportunity that otherwise wouldn’t have been there,” she said.

“I can safely say that starting to play rugby when I was in freshers’ week at university was the best life decision I ever made.

“I made lifelong friends, and while we may be spread all over the country and the world, I will always have them.

“Even people who have stopped playing, they still remember the friendships, the camaraderie, the thrills and spills on the pitch and having a beer after, and that’s what women are starting to discover now.”

150 Warrior Camps are taking place in rugby clubs across England until May 21. To sign up or register your interest, head to www.englandrugby.com/innerwarrior