Our Rugby Stripes Collection

 

At Mardy Bum Active Club, we’re about one thing above all else: encouraging women to move. To feel strong. To have fun with movement. To try the thing that maybe doesn’t feel like it was “made” for them and do it anyway.

And what better way to explore sport than through team sports?

That’s why our new Rugby Stripes Collection feels so personal. Rugby isn’t just a sport to us. It’s memory. It’s resilience. It’s mud and sweat and laughter. It’s proving quietly that you can do whatever they can do.

Growing Up Around Rugby in the Early 00’s

I grew up as the only girl with three brothers. Rugby wasn’t optional in our house it was just life. Every Sunday meant standing on the sidelines of a muddy pitch, dragged along whether I liked it or not.

I remember:

• The cold air.
• The shouting from the touchline.
• The club house afterwards.
• The sausage cob I never quite managed to get my hands on.

And the smell.
Rugby smells like mud and sweat.

Now, as a mum of a son who plays, I can confirm the smell hasn’t changed. 

But what has changed is what it means to be a girl around the game.

At high school, rugby had that American football energy  the “jocks” were heroes, the girls hovered at the edges. You know the scene. It felt like we weren’t quite on the same playing field.

Netball was my first love. It gave me focus. It gave me lifelong friendships. It gave me belonging. But we were never celebrated in the same way. We trained hard. We competed hard. Yet somehow, we were always slightly behind in visibility and value.

Looking back, that imbalance was obvious. At the time, we just got on with it. Some of our netball team tried rugby. Jenny Brightmore was incredible — but she was incredible at all sports Jessica Rice was fierce. Sarah Taylor? Wild in the best way. 

And me?

I think I just wanted to see if I could do what my brothers did. Of course I could. Not in a competitive way. Not in a “better than you” way. Just in a simple, honest:
Why shouldn’t I be able to?

 

What surprised me most about rugby was what felt good. And oddly it was the pain.

The unveiling of bruises in the shower.
The sting as warm water hit fresh tackles.
The feeling of washing off the mud after you’d given everything.

There was something raw about it.
It felt like you’d been to battle  together. And when you’re covered head to toe in mud, it’s impossible to take yourself too seriously. Rugby has a way of humbling you. Of bonding you. Of reminding you that sport is supposed to be joyful.

• It’s chasing.
• It’s laughing.
• It’s collapsing in a heap after a try.
• It’s resilience, teamwork, and fun all rolled into one.
• The transformation in women’s rugby since the early 00’s has been incredible.

Today we see:

• Female referees.
• Packed stadiums for women’s matches.
• Young girls with visible sporting idols.
• Real investment in the women’s game.

The growth of women’s rugby globally from grassroots clubs to international tournaments has created space that simply didn’t exist before. Girls don’t have to stand on the sidelines anymore. They can step onto the pitch.

And that matters.

Because representation changes everything. When girls see women leading, tackling, refereeing, captaining they believe it’s possible.

This collection is for:

• The girls who stood on the sidelines.
• The ones who wanted the sausage cob.
• The netballers who crossed codes.
• The mums washing muddy kits.
• The women who never thought rugby was “for them.”
• And the ones who always knew it was.

Rugby taught us that we can take a hit and get back up.That bruises fade.That teams matter. That mud washes off. And that movement especially together is powerful.

Welcome to the Rugby Stripes Collection.

Welcome to Mardy Bum Active Club.