Penryn Rugby Football Club this week announced a brand new, all female, coaching team for their growing ladies section, showing their commitment to promoting and developing the female talent there is within the sport in the county. Donna Darby has been appointed as Head Coach next season and will be supported by assistant player coach Bexx O’Reilly, in the first all female senior coaching team in the Clubs history.
Donna, a former player with Penryn Ladies and previously the assistant coach for the last two seasons, takes on the ladies top coaching role at the Borough with a wealth of Cornish rugby knowledge and experience. With extensive playing experience from various clubs in the Duchy as well as county honours and coaching duties with age grade and senior sides before Penryn, Donna was the ideal candidate to take the ladies team (who this season finished 3rd in National Challenge 1, the highest position the club has ever achieved) to even greater heights.
Bexx, who only came to Penryn Ladies at the beginning of this season following her move to Cornwall, also has extensive playing and coaching experience from across the uk. Playing for clubs across Ireland, Wales and England has helped develop her knowledge of the game while in a professional capacity Bexx has honed her coaching skills in various roles in the sport and coaching sector including coaching roles with Munster Rugby, Cardiff Rugby, within the IRFU and several male and female University sides. She has recently been appointed as the new Sports Academies Coordinator at Truro College, showing the calibre of her coaching talent. All of this makes Bexx the ideal person to offer Donna and the squad all the support they need going forward.
The Club’s appointment of an all female coaching team for the ladies section is just one way in which Penryn RFC shows its commitment to women’s rugby. Donna is not the first female head coach at the club, with Tiffany Honeychurch currently heading up the new girls section. Penryn also offers equality for its ladies players across all aspects, including access to pitches and changing facilities , kit and equipment, transport to away matches, post match refreshments and dedicated quality coaches even prior to these historic female appointments. The new female head coach will sit on the main club committee, continuing the presence the ladies section has built up over the last two season and highlighting the full backing the club give the women and girls sections from the top down. Plans are also underway to erect honours boards for the women’s section in the club house, with the names of every ladies captain from its creation to present day, showing the respect female players at the Borough are given. Penryn RFC are truly driving the development of women and girls rugby forward in the county so much so that next season the club will boast the first ever women’s second team in the county, training alongside the first team to increase the opportunities for women to play rugby locally and across Cornwall.
For more information about the women and girls section at Penryn RFC or to get involved in playing for any of their teams contact penrynladies@outlook.com or message the club via Facebook or Instagram.
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