Introducing Rugby To Girls: Why Our Partnership With Girls Inc Matters 
At Rugby Indiana, we believe every girl deserves access to sports that build confidence, leadership, resilience, and a real sense of belonging. Our partnership with Girls Inc of Greater Indianapolis is one way we are making that belief real.
This summer marks our third year introducing rugby to the girls participating in Girls Inc programs. Together, we are not just running a clinic. We open doors to a sport that teaches girls to trust their voice. They learn to support teammates and step into leadership on and off the field.
What The Research Says About Girls In Sports
The data is clear: when girls play sports, they gain far more than physical skills.
The Aspen Institute’s Project Play initiative found that roughly three-quarters of parents report improvements in their children’s mental health, physical fitness, emotional control, and social well-being when they are regularly engaged in sport. These benefits apply to boys and girls, but they are especially important at the ages when many girls begin to question whether they belong in sports at all.
At the same time, girls face unique barriers to participation and retention. National data presented through NFHS shows that girls consistently report fewer opportunities, a lack of positive role models, and environments that do not always feel welcoming or inclusive. Other research summarized by Project Play and partner organizations highlights that girls are more likely than boys to walk away from sport when they experience toxic sideline behavior or when they do not feel supported.
That means organizations that intentionally create positive, supportive spaces for girls are filling a critical gap. When we bring rugby into a Girls Inc program, we are not simply adding another activity.We build an environment that grows confidence, connection, and safety. It serves girls who have not always seen themselves in traditional sports.
Rugby As A Platform For Confidence And Leadership
Rugby offers something powerful for girls: a team environment where everyone has a role, the ball moves quickly, and decisions must be made in real time.
Research from the Women’s Sports Foundation’s “Play to Lead” work underscores that youth sports participation is a pipeline for women’s leadership, strengthening skills like teamwork, confidence, managing pressure, and learning from mistakes. These are exactly the skills that rugby demands every time a player makes a tackle, supports a teammate, or communicates under pressure.
In rugby, girls are:
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Making decisions with and for their teammates in real time
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Learning to give and receive feedback in a competitive environment
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Building physical courage in a structured, coached setting
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Feeling what it means to be relied on — and coming through for others.
Those experiences translate directly into the classroom, future careers, and leadership roles in their communities. When girls learn to lead on the field, they are more prepared to lead in every area of life.
Why Partnership With Girls Inc Matters
Girls Inc of Greater Indianapolis already does critical work to help girls grow up “strong, smart, and bold.” By partnering together, we align two missions that both center youth development and community impact.
Programs like this tackle the barriers that research has identified:
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Access – by bringing rugby directly into Girls Inc programming, we reduce transportation, cost, and awareness barriers that keep many girls from trying new sports.
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Role models – girls meet coaches and mentors who reinforce that they belong in sport and in leadership, countering the lack of visible female role models many girls report.
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Safe, positive environments – sessions are designed to be fun, inclusive, and age-appropriate, which matters because negative environments are a major reason girls walk away from sport.
When we create an environment where girls feel safe, supported, and challenged, participation is more likely to stick. Over time, that leads to stronger communities, healthier young people, and a deeper bench of future women leaders.
How Rugby Indiana Is Leading In Girls’ Rugby
As the state governing body for youth and high school rugby, Rugby Indiana is committed to making sure girls are not an afterthought in our game. We see girls’ rugby as a core part of our mission, not a side project.
Our partnership with Girls Inc is one example of how we are:
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Bringing rugby to where girls already are, instead of waiting for them to find us
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Building intentional pipelines from introductory experiences into school and club teams
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Using evidence-based insights from leading organizations like the Aspen Institute, NFHS, and the Women’s Sports Foundation to shape how we design programs and communicate with families
We want girls in Indiana to see rugby as a sport where they are welcomed, expected, and celebrated – not where they have to fight for space.
Looking Ahead
Our work with Girls Inc is still growing, but the early impact is clear. Girls are picking up a ball many have never held before, learning a new sport, and discovering that they are stronger, braver, and more capable than they realized.
As we continue to expand girls’ rugby across Indiana, we will keep partnering with organizations that share our commitment to youth development, community connection, and equitable access to sport. The research is clear: when girls play, everyone benefits – families, schools, workplaces, and communities.
Rugby Indiana is proud to stand at the intersection of research, practice, and community, helping lead the way in making rugby a place where girls can grow, belong, and lead.