Interview with OS Abbie Ward (R 09-11)

In the run up to International Women’s Day, School Archivist Katy de la Rivière had the opportunity to speak to Abbie Ward (née Scott), Robertson 2009-11, about her experiences in Sedbergh and her career as a Rugby Union player.

What provision was there for girls’ sport when you were here at Sedbergh as a pupil?

There was amazing provision for sport, and that’s one of the main things that attracted me to Sedbergh in the first place. The quality of the coaches and the sporting ethos were amazing. Girls didn’t play rugby during my time here but the programmes for girls’ hockey, girls’ netball, the tennis and the lacrosse were all very successful. Although there wasn’t girls’ rugby at Sedbergh, they really supported me in my pursuit of rugby. I was on the divisional County pathway for the under-20’s girls’ rugby and had my own programme to follow and Sedbergh staff really helped me with that. During odd sessions they’d let me join in with the boys, and for my personal strength and conditioning programme which I would have to do in the gym I was given lots of support.

When did you start playing rugby?

My first taste of rugby was playing touch rugby at my local rugby club in Keswick as a child. The rugby club was a centre point of the community and I really wanted to be involved. I’d have been around ten when I first played during summer holidays. Then around 14 I started playing more but there wasn’t much rugby for girls, just a few tournaments a year. When I went to university I started playing more, for the University mid-week and for DMP Sharks at the weekends.

I already played hockey, football, netball, tennis, athletics, everything. Rugby was just another sport to get involved with. But what I really enjoyed about rugby is how it’s so multifaceted. There’s not just one aspect of the game that you have to try and learn and master. There’s passing, tackling, set-pieces, kicking, the breakdown. I really enjoy that there is so much to learn and so much to try and master in rugby.

The move towards women’s players becoming professional has happened during your career. How has that changed the game?

100%. Contracts were introduced for a nine-month period, in the run-up to the 2017 World Cup. Then they were pulled, and then reintroduced in 2019. So it’s only been professional since 2019, with, obviously, the little stint in 2017.

Seeing that transition from amateurism to professionalism, it’s been huge. It’s been huge in terms of allowing the players to shine, allowing the players to focus. Their focus is only on performance so the game has been able to just skyrocket. When you invest in the players, you see better performances on pitch. Then you see an increase in spectators, in investment, in funding. And then it’s just like a continuous circle. From where I was, where I was paying for my own kit, I was paying to play. I was paying for food after games to where it is now. It’s night and day difference. It’s been an incredible journey. And, you know, I’m very lucky to have been involved in that, been involved as one of those players that’s also been fighting for those changes and contracts. And although I won’t see the pinnacle of professional rugby, I’m excited to see where it goes for the players that come along in the future.

Ilona Maher has joined the Bristol Bears in the last few months, with her Instagram following of nearly 5 million. How do you think social media or the presence of social media helps to promote the game?

It’s huge. The thing that I love about rugby is one to 15 – everyone has got a very different job. Everyone has to have a very different set of skills in rugby. There’s a place for everyone. And I think that’s the same with personality. Social media puts a spotlight on individuals to show, yes, we all are a team, but within that team, it’s really important that we highlight and showcase individuals.

Female rugby players must be some of the strongest women athletes around. Over the course of your career, do you think there has been a change in how femininity is defined and how strong women are celebrated?

Absolutely. There is a huge trend towards celebrating strong women. And it’s here to stay. We can acknowledge that women can be strong and, can have big personalities, and can be celebrated. Rugby is such a great sport for illustrating and highlighting that and the individuals that portray those traits. Social media has played a great role in knocking down or questioning stereotypes. And I think that has been really healthy. As a sport, there a place for absolutely everybody in rugby. That’s been key.

The trend towards actually being healthy, being fit, being strong have made these things fashionable. It’s great that young girls can look at that and can aspire to be that.

You’ve had a family and continued to play at a high level. Did you feel that you were well supported during your pregnancy, and in returning to training and playing after you had your daughter?

Yes, I was really well support. The club’s maternity policy had only just been put together. It had been in the process of being written for a couple of years, but it came to fruition with near perfect timing for when I had Hallie. I was incredibly supported where I did all my training, which was at Bristol Bears. The coaches, the strength and conditioning staff, the medical staff all went above and beyond in terms of research and making sure that they were able to accommodate me to continue to train and keep pushing myself. Because that’s what I wanted to do. They would have also been more than happy supporting me if I wanted to take a complete step back and just enjoy that time away from rugby. But I made it well known from the start that I wanted to continue training, pushing myself as much as I could throughout pregnancy with the aim of returning to the pitch as soon as possible. They worked with me to achieve that. Likewise, at England, you know, they worked in tandem with Bristol Bears to help me achieve that and to return on the international stage. I was able to bring Hallie into Six Nations and into training camps which was amazing. I want that to become the norm, athletes being able to be mothers and professional athletes at the same time.

My daughter was 17 weeks old when I played my first matches. She ran out with me at Ashton Gate, which was pretty special, that was for the opening game of the Premiership that year. Now that she’s a bit older it just gets more special because she’s got a bond with my teammates and she’ll come into the changing rooms after matches, running around and collecting all sorts of water bottles and balls and cones. She really is part of the team and it’s incredible to share those moments with her.

What do you think Sedbergh gives to its pupils in terms of creating mindsets or giving pupils skills that they can take forward?

It instilled a really solid work ethic. But with the ethos of work hard, play hard. Work really hard, but when you get time to relax or to celebrate or be with your friends, enjoy those moments. For me, that’s really important as a professional athlete because it can be so intense. When you’re in Six Nations, when you’re in World Cup camp, it can be really intense and it’s important to find that switch off in your downtime. I definitely learned that at Sedbergh.

There was a family ethos at school. I’ve literally just got back from a weekend away with the Sedbergh girls, and their partners and their kids. 14 years later. Those are friendships for life, really. It’s about how you keep showing up for each other. I was only at Sedbergh for two years. But 14 years on, we’re still showing up for each other. That’s incredibly special as well.