Alphonsi joins the Women’s Sport Trust
Retired World Cup winner Maggie Alphonsi has become a Patron of the Women’s Sport Trust as the charity looks to further raise its profile and bring parity to women’s sport across the UK
Published by Alison Donnelly, March 5th, 2015
4 minute read
Alphonsi, who will be turning her attention to shot put ahead of next year’s Olympic Games in Rio, joins Olympic gold medalist Anna Watkins, former England football captain Kelly Smith and England Hockey captain Kate Richardson-Walsh as a Patron of WST.
"I have been lucky enough to experience some amazing things as a sportswoman and will always be very grateful for that, so I am both honoured and excited to become a Patron of the Women’s Sport Trust,” explained Alphonsi.
2015 promises to be an exciting year for the charity which will be hosting its inaugural #BeAGameChanger Awards on Thursday 14 May on London’s South Bank. The Awards recognise those individuals and organisations doing the most to progress women’s sport. Scrumqueens.com is nominated in theMedia Organisation of the Yearcategory.
Alphonsi will be hoping to use her experience as an elite sportswoman to help the Women’s Sport Trust to raise the visibility and increase the impact of women’s sport.
“It is almost impossible to put into words quite how much it meant to me when we won the Rugby World Cup in 2014. We had worked so hard as a team and as individuals and we had learnt so many lessons together. Aiming for a goal for so long (I had already lost 2 World Cup Finals in 2006 and 2010) and then finally achieving it reminds you how much you can get out of sport, both in terms of amazing one-off experiences and in terms of life lessons. I know that not everybody will have the chance to run out in a World Cup Final but I do believe passionately that everybody should have the opportunity, if they want it, to take on their own sporting challenges, have their own amazing experiences, and learn the lessons that sport is so good at teaching us.
“Sport has given me so much and taught me so much that I am really passionate about helping to make sure that as many other people as possible, men and women, boys and girls get the opportunity to pursue their dreams and that is why I am so pleased to be a Patron of the Women’s Sport Trust,” added Alphonsi.
Tammy Parlour, co-founder of the Women’s Sport Trust commented, “We know that role models are absolutely vital in sending messages about who we can become and what we can achieve. Maggie is an outstanding role model both on and off the field and we are understandably thrilled that she is going to share her experience, insights and energy as a patron of the Women’s Sport Trust. With her help we are going to play our part in changing the landscape of women’s sport.”