Clwb Rygbi Y Bala, based in Gwynedd, has been named one of four winners of Royal London's Championing Women & Girls' Grassroots Rugby Award, receiving a £10,000 grant to support its commitment to women's rugby. The club boasts impressive numbers of female players, coaches, and referees.
Royal London's Championing Women & Girls' Rugby Award
The award, now in its third year, is run in partnership with The British & Irish Lions. Alongside Bala, the other winners are Keswick RFC (England), Fethard & District RFC (Ireland), and Caithness RFC (Scotland). Each club receives a trophy and a £10,000 grant, sharing the £40,000 fund for 2026.
The grants reflect Royal London's commitment as Founding Partner of the first Lions Women's Team to invest in grassroots rugby and support the next generation of future Lions Women's players.
Club's Delight at the Grant
Lowri Blain, Head of Girls' Rugby and a former Bala player, expressed her delight at the news. "My daughter had been playing rugby up in Preston, so we were on the way back when I got the call," she said. "It's a huge surprise and we're just over the moon because we can keep pushing on now and making sure that the club site is suitable for everyone with those changing rooms."
She added: "The club have always been really supportive and we're putting a good base in now for girls' rugby to stay in Bala for a long time."
Recognition for Trailblazing Efforts
The award goes to a club in each Home Union that has broken down barriers for women's and girls' rugby through inclusion policies, community outreach, and a desire to bring more women and girls into the game. Each of the awarded clubs has impressive programmes to grow their footprint and opportunities for women and girls to play in their local area.
Siwan Lillicrap, Rugby Ambassador for Royal London and award judge, praised Bala's efforts. "What really impressed me about Bala was the incredible number of female players, coaches and referees across the club. The growth of women's and girls' rugby in this area of Wales really stood out," she said.
She added: "I'm super excited to see how Bala use this Royal London grant to improve facilities, keep pace with that expansion and create even more opportunities for women and girls to become players, coaches, referees and committee members. The continued growth of women's rugby is hugely important, and I hope this investment will make a real difference to Bala and the surrounding communities. I can't wait to see what they achieve next."
