Following the appointment of a new Women's Coaching Team earlier in the year, Newark Rugby Club have again furthered their ambition to drive the Women and Girls' Section forward, appointing two former elite-level players to head up the Senior Women and Girls rugby.

Former Saracens Women player and 2022 Premier League medal winner Jodie Turl has been appointed Head of Senior Women's Rugby, while former National Championship 1 player and Women's Captain Sarah Driver will lead the Girls Section.

Sarah, known as "Driver", joined Newark Women last season from West Bridgford. A former NLD Captain, she became NLD manager in 2019 and has seen trialists grow from 30 per season to upwards of 100 last season. She is determined to make Newark's the best Girls Section in the Midlands, and since her appointment in August she has already supported the Age Grade volunteers and ensured the Section has full representation at the Rugby Board.

Jodie joined Newark Women this season after ten years at the highest level: six at Saracens Women, including the 2022 Premier League title, and four at Championship 1 side Old Albanians Saints, including four North/South play-off finals at Twickenham. She has joined her dad, Shaun, Newark Women's new Head Coach, to develop the squad as both a player and a mentor to less experienced team-mates.

Both are committed to integrating the Senior Women and Girls' sections so they operate as one, creating a continuous, seamless and structured pathway from Under 12 Girls to the Senior Women. As Jodie put it, the aim is "to enable and empower every female player or volunteer at our club to realise their ambitions, big or small, and to fulfil their potential in a fun, safe, supportive, enjoyable but professional environment."

The closer ties are already paying dividends. Senior Women support the Girls at training and watch the age grades when they aren't playing, and at a recent U14s match the girls were thrilled to see several Senior Women and the Senior Women's Coach on the touchline. More recently, the Seniors supported all the age grades as over 100 girls from across the region played at Newark, from U12 up to U18.

Their "Club first" approach was perfectly demonstrated on Sunday 1 November, when the Section hosted its first Women and Girls Rugby Day. Free taster sessions ran from 12:00 to 1:30pm, tailored for girls aged 10 to 17, giving local women and girls the chance to look around the club and its facilities and try rugby for the first time. Driver said the Section hopes to see girls' age grades down to U8 and U10, who currently train in mixed groups with the boys.

The day finished with the Senior Women's league fixture against Boston Ladies, which Newark won 32-10, showing just how far the sections have progressed this season.
To realise the club's ambition of making the Women and Girls one of the best in the country, the board has appointed these dynamic, committed and experienced women to drive the vision forward, and the club is already reaping the rewards on and off the field.