2018 has so far been a year of unprecedented growth on the local rugby union scene, with specific focus on the expansion of the sport to encourage more involvement by women and juniors.
The inaugural year of the women’s sevens competition, as well as the kick off of a primary school rugby union skills and participation program have been positive steps towards achieving the goal of total inclusion of all groups in the sport.
This unprecedented growth has required Waratah’s Mid North Coast development officer, Tom Davidson to bring on more staff to cover the demand, and who better to help carry the load than local rugby enthusiast, Kirsty Schumacher for the role of assistant development officer?
Former Forster Primary and Forster High School student, Kirsty jumped at the opportunity when approached by coach, Lee Sullivan.
Kirsty has always enjoyed and participated in a variety of sports, and, coming from a sporting family, it was an alignment of the universe.
Kirsty’s interest in rugby kicked off watching from the sidelines as her brother played, and when the opportunity came for women to play the game locally, Kirsty was one of the first to jump on board.
She is now a regular at both training and game day for the women’s sevens squad of the Wallamba Bulls, based at Nabiac.
Kirsty has already begun to have an impact in her new role as she networks with locals schools, promoting participation in skill camps for both girls and boys.
She will also be strongly involved in the junior rugby competition that has moved into stage one.
This is a great achievement for women in sport and an even greater achievement for the Mid North Coast, with Kirsty leading the way for the promotion of juniors and women in rugby.
