The British Army Rugby League Women's team have got their new season off to a flying start.
Not only have they finished off second in a major tournament, playing against much more experienced teams, including the top two teams in the Premiership - but they are now also being supported by Kinesio Taping.
The team, which includes three players selected for the GB squad, including their Captain Amy Robinson, now has a new medical team headed up by a doctor and two fully qualified physiotherapists.
"The supply of Kinesio Tape for the full season means the slightest twinge, muscle cramp or ache - pre, post or during a match - can be helped straight away - with no restriction on movement," says Team Manager, Lieutenant Rachel Farnham.
"Individual team members are permanently posted all over the country, so unlike most rugby teams who train together two or three times per week, we can only get together for team training three days before every match", says Rachel. "This means these training sessions can be very intense and injuries can and do happen. Having Kinesio Tape on tap now for our physios and doctor to apply is fantastic as it reduces swelling and alleviates pain straight away. It stays on for days at a time and it's fully waterproof so the girls can shower and bathe whilst wearing it. Because Kinesio Tape supports muscles and joints whilst allowing a full range of movement, our players often feel a lot more confident playing whilst wearing it.
Rachel works as a Joint Team Manager for the British Army Rugby League Women's Team along with Captain Val Richards. Both Rachel and Val are passionate about player development and about offering the girls additional opportunities to grow their skills and responsibilities. Four of the team players have already embarked on a Level 2 coaching course and the Team Managers are hoping to develop more Women's Rugby teams within the army to create competition. In order to further develop their skills, this summer players will be hosted by the Warrington Wolves Foundation and will become qualified tag-rugby instructors, courtesy of the SKY TRY program. Tag Rugby is a minimal contact version of mixed, men's and ladies' rugby, played around the country - often informally - in a 7 a side format. All Army players have also been given the opportunity to undertake the Pitch-Side First Aid course and also to book on to a referee course.
Currently the British Army Rugby League Women's Team has three coaches: Head Coach Major Brett Bader and Assistant Coaches Corporal Matty Pritchard and Lieutenant Ollie Rowley.
A key match this season will be on 12 September 2015 against the RAF Rugby League Women - to which the Kinesio Team are delighted to have been invited and will be cheering them on!
The British Army Rugby League Women's Team was crowned Army Sports of the Year in 2014 and has never been defeated by the RAF or the Navy in seven years. A sixth of the England squad are now made up of Army players.
Let's hope with the additional support of Kinesio Tape, they go on to an even more dazzling future!
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