YOUNG rugby players from Denbighshire are dreaming of starring for Wales with a bit of help from a top trailer maker.
Ifor Williams Trailers, who have factories in Denbighshire and Deeside, are sponsoring the under-18 girls' team at RGC (Rugby Gogledd Cymru) which was set up to fast-track the region’s brightest rugby talents.
The club is based at Stadiwm CSM at Parc Eirias in Colwyn Bay which also successfully hosts Wales under-20s international matches.
The RGC academy attracts players from across North Wales and Mid Wales, from as far afield as Newtown.
The aim is for RGC players to make it all the way to the top, representing Wales in the senior game.
The kits of the male and female under-18 sides, along with the under-16 team, are emblazoned with the IWT’s distinctive logo.
Among those proud to wear the shirt is full back Neisha Roberts, 18, from Ruthin.
She said: “RGC is really good to be fair. I enjoy the training and the games.
“My dream is to play for Wales and the set up here provides a pathway to achieve that, especially with the development coaches coming to watch.”
Meanwhile, winger Hannah Lane, 16, from St Asaph, said: “I’ve been playing for about two years.
"I started in PE in school and then went on to play for local team in Abergele and really enjoyed it. I now play in Chester.
“I really enjoy it at RGC, there’s a nice friendly environment.
"I get along with everybody and there are some really good coaches.
“I want to hopefully play for Wales in the future and maybe go into rugby sevens as well as the 15-a-side game.
"What I’d really like to do is to play the game professionally.”
According to RGC general manager Alun Pritchard, the investment is paying off with the under-18 girls playing at an elite level and proving a match for their counterparts in the South Walian regions.
He said: “We’re extremely grateful to Ifor Williams Trailers. They have supported the boys under-16 and under-18 pathway and are now supporting the girls under-18s pathway as well.
“It’s a great help because we have girls from across the region who have the opportunity to develop their game and hopefully go on and push for Wales caps.
“That’s the ultimate goal. Last year we had four girls who made it into the Wales under-18s squad and we’d like to get even more this year.
“The women’s game is expanding rapidly at the moment and this is about empowering these girls to reach for their dreams."
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Ifor Williams Trailers managing director John Williams said: “We feel it’s very important to empower young women to reach for their dreams and enjoy a level playing field in sport.
“It is so important that women have the same opportunities as men so we were particularly pleased to be able to support RGC’s girls under-18 team."
Paul Davies, an account manager with Ifor Williams Trailers, is particularly pleased the firm is sponsoring the under-18 girls team because his daughter Kate, 19, came through the ranks at RGC and is now knocking on the door of the Wales squad.
He said: “Kate is having trials with Wales and goes to the Vale Resort for intense training sessions once a month.
“She lives and breathes rugby and we go and see her play every opportunity we have.
“As somebody who works for Ifor Williams Trailers, I’m incredibly proud that we’re supporting women’s rugby in this way. It means a lot to me.”
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