No reason to stop playing, Mama!

England's?˜attracted some extra post-match publicity after the World Cup Final?˜because her daughter was there among the World Cup winners and their photographs

Despite showing that (if anything)?˜women's sporting performance improves post-parenthood, she was the only mother among the two finalists. This is obviously very different to the men's game. We?˜do not yet know how many fathers will play in the men's World Cup Final later this year, but we can be sure there will be significantly more than just one.

Mothers playing top level rugby are remarkably few with many players giving up the sport after starting a family - indeed it was reported that that was the original intention of France's Elodie Guiglion, the only other mother in the top four teams at the World Cup alongside Ireland's Tania Rosser.

However, it is a problem that has now?˜inspired the creation of an international club team that is now competing very successfully?˜against national selections in sevens and fifteens tournaments across Europe - including at the Athens Cup Sevens at the end of March,?˜where they were fourth, last weekend's Ghent XVs (where they were only beaten by the Dutch national team), Roma 7s in June, and Stockholm 10s in August.

We asked

The Mamas Rugby Club, properly established 2014, consists of mothers still actively involved in rugby as players and officials. Our members come from a wide variety of countries and cultures. We participate in tournaments internationally, not only to meet other mums and have fun playing rugby together, but also to act as role models and illustrate that motherhood and competitive sports can be successfully combined. Everybody who supports this notion is welcome to join the family. We have two teams; The Mamas and Boob Support ?˜(more about this below)?˜and players from all levels of play are welcome!?˜

Our values are anchored within rugby and in the foundation of us consider ourselves to be more than a sports club. Our vision is an equal society, where conditions and opportunities for women's participation in sports are promoted and supported, where girls and women are being empowered through their sporting experience! Our mission extends far beyond the sporting results.

We work in two distinct areas here:

First of all, combining sports and parenthood should be as easy for mums as for Dads (ever heard of a dad who is asked who is minding his kids while he is at training?)

Secondly, we work to promote sport for girls and women, not just as role models, but also by directly sharing experience and knowledge. However, foremost we promote sports by collecting and forwarding used and new sports bras through our initiative Boob Support. Did you know that most girls and women in developing countries don??t own a sports bra? This lack of the most basic equipment acts as a specific barrier to women ?? how can you participate if you can??t run comfortably and with confidence?

As a part of the International Day of Sports for Development and Peace, we collect sports bras and anyone can start their own collection and forward them to our contacts in Uganda. We can assure that they get all the way to the grassroots and gives girls the chance to enjoy and grow within rugby, which?˜gives them qualities far beyond the knowledge of a sport.

And come and find us on facebook!?˜