Womens Team

[Lis113]

So we have a Leicester Tigers wheelchair team - which is awesome - but do we have a women's team?

So many other top teams do and I think it's a crying shame that we don't seem to have invested into one...unless of course I'm blind or the club just choose not to advertise the fact...

So, anyone know why we don't have one and who we have to berate to get one?

[jgriffin]

Mrs G is with you there. We agreed that we would stop after, or arrive before, a match to see a ladies match.
We also could not see why Tigers, of all clubs, did not take a lead on a women's league.

[Rykard]

me and the OH thought that a few weeks ago when the Rugby Tonight(BT) did quite a big piece and the women's game.

Surprised Tigers don't have a womens team.

[Farmboy]

Believe this has been discussed before with the opinion being that Tigers didn't want to upset the several local Clubs who ran Ladies teams

[gedwards633]

If it is correct that the Tigers wouldn't want to step on any local teams toes, it doesn't have to be that way. It could be organised in such a way as to be beneficial for all teams. A strong local team in the Premiership would attract new players to the game which would help the other local clubs. If the tigers would also help out those teams with coaching, fitness and use of the facilities occasionally, then it would improve everyone. So rather than stepping on toes, if done correctly, this would be a massive help to the local teams.

As I understand it there are 4 tiers of competition in the womens game. Loughborough are top of the third tier and Coalville and Lutterworth are in the fourth. If Tigers had set up a team earlier they would probably have all the best players from these teams and who knows where they would be now. I think it is time to set up a team, in partnership with the local teams, so we can get a Leicestershire based team in the premiership.

I know there will be some stick in the muds that don't want it to happen but it should and the sooner we start the quicker we get to the top.

The only question from my point of view is the name. Does Leicester Tigresses sound good?

[h's dad]

I know some members of this forum think they run the club but they don’t teally. Have you tried asking the club Lis? Do you play yourself?

Farmboy has a good point. If Tigers were to suck in all the good local players it could devastate the precarious balance of several local clubs.

The ladies premiership table is currently:

Saracens Ladies
Richmond Ladies
Bristol Ladies
Worcester Ladies
Darlington Mowden Park Ladies
Wasps Ladies
Lichfield Ladies
Aylesford Bulls Ladies

I don’t know if any of the other AP sides run ladies teams.

We watched Lichfield v Saracens a couple of seasons back, handling, pace and commitment was outstanding. H’s sister’s team is slightly less impressive but they are unbeaten in their league this season (there’s the kiss of death)..

[Farmboy]

IIRC it was felt that the local teams were only just getting enough players to make their teams up. If Tigers set up a team they could get the better players leaving the other clubs with less able so less interest, effectively ending those teams.

[Farmboy]

Also is there the interest from the players as the higher up the leagues you go there tends to be an increase in the amount of time that needs to be committed

[tjs10]

I think it might also come down to money?

If running a ladies team is going to cost the club money (including wages for players and coaches but also other costs of operating a team) but not offer any financial return then the club will probably be against the idea.

With the wheelchair rugby, the club appear to have simply piggybacked on an existing (successful) team & rebranded them...which will have been relatively cheap to do, in a small league.

As the women's game is more established than that of murderball, a similar idea wouldn't be anywhere near as easy.

L'Boro Ladies would seem like the obvious team to partner, but I doubt they would be interested as L'Boro already have their own established setup.
Starting an entirely new side would be costly, especially if you wanted to start anywhere other than the very bottom of the ladder and didn't want to take a decade to climb towards the top.

Few people would pay to see a Tigers Women's game, though I quite a few would go if it was free, just like the Extras or the Academy. But free games don't make financial sense for the club. At least the Academy/Extras are giving game time to potential 1st XV players. The same couldn't be said for a women's team.


Unfortunately I think the harsh reality of the professaional game & the current business/financial focus of the club would kill the opportunity for a strong women's team at Tigers before it even got off the ground.

[h's dad]

I think it might also come down to money?

If running a ladies team is going to cost the club money (including wages for players and coaches but also other costs of operating a team) but not offer any financial return then the club will probably be against the idea.

With the wheelchair rugby, the club appear to have simply piggybacked on an existing (successful) team & rebranded them...which will have been relatively cheap to do, in a small league.

As the women's game is more established than that of murderball, a similar idea wouldn't be anywhere near as easy.

L'Boro Ladies would seem like the obvious team to partner, but I doubt they would be interested as L'Boro already have their own established setup.
Starting an entirely new side would be costly, especially if you wanted to start anywhere other than the very bottom of the ladder and didn't want to take a decade to climb towards the top.

Few people would pay to see a Tigers Women's game, though I quite a few would go if it was free, just like the Extras or the Academy. But free games don't make financial sense for the club. At least the Academy/Extras are giving game time to potential 1st XV players. The same couldn't be said for a women's team.


Unfortunately I think the harsh reality of the professaional game & the current business/financial focus of the club would kill the opportunity for a strong women's team at Tigers before it even got off the ground.

I don’t think wages would be of great significance, I expect remuneration is nearly all just expenses based even at the top of the tree and coaching and support could be worked in through existing infrastructure including the community team. I also think clubs with ladies teams also get extra RFU support including financial incentives.

When new ladies teams register they have to say what level they think they’re at and are slotted in accordingly so it needn’t take a decade to get a good squad (and presumably Tigers would be able to cherry pick a lot of local quality – as previously noted, a problem in itself) to the top.

Perhaps the decision makers at the club take the Yorkie position?

[APJones]

I like the look of the Oxford university ladies rugby team - nice calendar

[Lis113]

The main reason I ask is because I am Leicester born and bred, currently living in Bath I play for the uni team and we train with Bath ladies team once a week - bath ladies (there are a good 30 of them) aren't paid to do it, in fact they pay a sum of money at the beginning of the season to cover kit costs and the coaches (who are linked with the mens team). So with this in mind, if the excuse from Tigers is money then to me that's not plausible.

If the reason is indeed they don't want to upset the local rivals then I can see that point, though I do think in the long run maybe they would benefit from it, I just think it's a shame that we're are one of the few prem clubs that don't have a woman's team!!

[TigerAlex]

If the reason is indeed they don't want to upset the local rivals then I can see that point, though I do think in the long run maybe they would benefit from it, I just think it's a shame that we're are one of the few prem clubs that don't have a woman's team!!

Maybe it would be beneficial in the long term, maybe it wouldn't. If I have it right, Loughborough Ladies used to be in a higher league and used to have two teams. Then players, particularly the students, started going to Lichfield because it's a Premiership club and Loughborough could no longer field a second team and barely had enough players for the first team. It's difficult to see at the moment how it would be helpful, even in the long run, for Tigers to set up their own team. I agree it's a bit of a shame though.