Four years ago, Sue Douglas thought that she was too old to play rugby.
Now, the 50-year-old is not only a member of Havering’s women’s rugby team, the Romford Ravens, but was named as Sportswoman of the Year at the annual award ceremony of the Romford and Gidea Park Rugby Club.
“It was a fantastic feeling to get the award, said Sue. I was very honoured because there are a lot of good sportswomen in the club, I was touched that they gave it to me, but it might be because they think I am not going to be around for the next 50 years,” she joked.
The mother-of-one signed up to the team in 2010. She admits that she had always enjoyed watching rugby, but had never thought about playing it, until then. “I just thought I was too old and too unfit. I didn’t even know how to hold a rugby ball.”
Surprisingly the biggest challenge she faced was not getting on the pitch, but persuading her mum that she would be safe.
“My mum was like a lot of people, she was worried because of my age and she thought I would get hurt.
“My son was the opposite, she said. “He is used to me doing mad things, so he didn’t blink an eye lid when I told him that I wanted to play rugby.”
Sue, who works as a community development officer for the London Fire Brigade remembers her first meeting.
“At first it was a bit daunting because I wasn’t sure if I was doing it right.
“But they were all really passionate and they taught me how to hold the ball and you don’t get thrown in to do a tackle, they train you up first.”
“I think that it is probably the friendliest club in Havering.”
Sue has now joined forces with the rest of her team to try to encourage more women to take up the sport. The team is also trying to attract sponsorship from individuals and businesses.
The team will be showcasing their skills at Romford Market on Saturday, July 13.
“A lot of people think that you have to be big to play rugby, but we get women of all shapes and sizes,” she said.
“We have girlie girls, professional people, teachers, police officers, it is just a wide range.”
She added: “You do not even need to be fit, there is a position for everyone. If you’re a fast runner you can go at the front and everyone can play, it is about real camaraderie.”
The team started out from humble beginnings in 2003. A group of mums, who were sick of turning up every week and watching their kids play, decided to take things in their own hands and start their own women only team.
Fran Mills, the manager of the rugby team, said: “It was a real team of waifs and strays.
“It was just anyone they could get together to join, they had a 16-year-old who used to drop her brother off to play rugby and there were lots of women that just wanted to get active.”
The team started out doing friendlies, but joined the league a year later.
Fran, 46 signed up to the team in 2004 after a dare, but she says that “it is the best thing that she ever did”.
“It really is,” she admits. “It is basically an excuse to meet up with 20 of your best friends.”
The team’s hard work paid off last season when they won the RSU National cup challenge in Ladies’ Rugby.
Fran said: “It is a real rags to riches story, but a dream come true.
“The problem now is that we really need some fresh blood.
“Anyone can join the team, at the moment we have got people aged 19 to 50 and from seven-and-a-half stone to 18 stone.”
She added: “Anyone can do it, they just have to really want it.”
To join the team, call 07946873130
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