Canterbury has today revealed the first in a six-part series of mini-films that share moving stories of trailblazing women in rugby.

The films highlight the stories of players, officials and coaching staff, who discuss the barriers they faced and how they overcame them to be a part of the growing sport.

New research by Women In Sport reveals more than one million girls in the UK lose interest in physical activity as a teenager each year. Canterbury hopes to use these stories to inspire and encourage the next generation of players to take up and continue to play rugby.

To support women who wish to take up the game, throughout March Canterbury is offering up to £10,000 worth of kit and equipment, through their social media channels, to would-be players.

Launching on International Women’s Day, the first story focuses on filmmaker and activist Victoria Rush. Rush speaks out about how young girls are not offered the opportunity to play rugby at school, whilst fighting back against stereotypes about how women ‘should’ look and exercise.

Speaking in the video, Rush says: “Rugby is available to boys at a very young age but very rarely available to girls before they are at university. Most people I know didn’t start playing until a PE teacher introduced it to them – usually as a one-off session at school.”

The remaining films will be published individually, on YouTube and Canterbury’s social media platforms, throughout the month of March as excitement builds ahead of this year’s TikTok Women’s Six Nations.

Speaking about the campaign Jack Richardson Vice President, Canterbury, said: “Many female players face a multitude of barriers to getting into the sport and we wanted to tackle these head-on and try to break down as many as possible. Everybody has their own personal story about getting into rugby, whether you’re just starting your journey or have played all your life, and it is these which can so often be the catalyst a young girl needs to pick up a ball.”

Canterbury has been a keen supporter of grassroots and development level rugby for many years and currently supplies playing apparel to clubs, schools and institutions globally. Through its Give It A Try initiative with the IRFU, Canterbury has helped 4,000 young girls in Ireland to take part in introductory rugby lessons.

The brand also supports up-and-coming female athletes with funding and kit through its charity partnership with SportsAid.

See Victoria’s story here.