I was 18 when I was diagnosed with Leukaemia. It turned my life upside down. I had to quit college, work, and playing rugby, which I found really hard. I’ve played at the club since I was nine years old and it is a
major part of my life, so it was devastating not to be able to continue doing the thing that I loved.

After an exhausting period of chemotherapy in hospital, and several months
off, I got the all clear from the doctors to play again. It was the best news. When I started back I could only play for ten minutes, as I was so tired and my muscles were just not there at all. I’d lost quite a bit of weight and it took me a while to get back to full strength again, but I did, with much support from my family and friends at the Club.

Everyone at the Club supported me throughout my illness and did
everything they could to get me back to strength again. They even raised
over £1,200 for Leukaemia Care. Whenever I had a bad day, someone at the Club was always around to pick me back up again. The club means a lot to me and I don’t think I’d be the person I am now without it.

I have made so many great friends on and off the pitch. Playing rugby
makes me really happy and I feel privileged to be a part of the Men’s First
Team. I received the Coaches’ Award Trophy last year, which is given to the
player they consider has trained and played the most consistently.

I am also supporting with the coaching of the juniors and minis’ teams and
I really enjoy watching the younger players develop in confidence. I believe rugby is a great sport for young people to get involved with, not
least because it brings them into a supporting community. I have learnt lots of skills playing and coaching and I hope that having a permanent
clubhouse will enable us to reach more young people in and around Chesham.

Alex Barton

Championing young girls

I joined the club when I was 20. I used to play tag when I was kid but only did it for about a year; my dad was one of the coaches and played for Chesham for many years so just took me along with him. Later on, I worked with one of the senior women’s players and she convinced me to go along
and give it a try. I’ve been there ever since.

Building self-confidence

Sport is fantastic for self-confidence in young girls. I help coach the
Chesham Stags Girls’ Youth Team and seeing them become more confident
each week is really rewarding. It's great to see the girls making new friends and working together. Hopefully these friendships will last for the rest of their lives. I struggled a lot at school academically and sport was a haven for me. I had fun, made new friends and learnt a lot of skills which have been invaluable to me. Encouraging young girls to participate in sport is really important. As well as boosting their confidence, it provides them with useful skills they can use outside of sport. Chesham Stags Rugby Club is one of a few clubs to introduce a girls youth squad, which enables young girls to participate at an early age.

Personal development

I have gained many skills from playing rugby; confidence, emotional control, effective team work and general social skills. It’s these social skills that have helped me the most. Becoming confident in talking to people you don't know and being able to play alongside them is crucial, and this has helped me at work where I deal with lots of different people every day. I am a Fitness Instructor and so I need to be able to confidently communicate with, and lead groups and individuals.

County trials

I have been very lucky with the opportunities I have been given at Chesham
Stags. In my second year of playing I got into the county squad, which is run by our coaches, England Women’s Rugby World Cup Winners, Rocky Clark
and Kat Merchant. At the start of my third year I also went for trials for
South West England and got in. It was a major achievement and I wouldn't
have even thought about it if it wasn't for Rocky and Kat putting me forward. Here I trained with specialist coaches, played alongside England players, played against regions, and gained a huge amount of
experience, as well as developing my skills.

I also attended the England Kabaddi trials and got in to the team; Kabaddi
is an Indian wrestling sport which relies heavily on good rugby skills. If it wasn't for rugby, I doubt I would have got a place on the team.

Someone like you

My advice to anyone considering joining the Club would be to just do it.
You'll never know until you try. There will always be new people just like
you, who will be just as nervous as you. The more experienced players will
know exactly how you feel, as they felt like this on their first day. I would recommend always giving it a good few weeks to try a new sport. Never
give up on a first session, as week by week you will grow in confidence and
your feelings will change. My only regret is not taking up rugby earlier. I
have loved every minute and all the friends I have made at Chesham Stags.

Nicky Gross

Standing out from the crowd

I started playing rugby when I was six. My dad and brother were already at the club and I wanted to get involved with a sport. There weren’t many team sports for girls my age at the time and the rugby club seemed the friendliest, so I decided to give it a go.

I’ve made lots of friends at the Club and had the opportunity to play with
boys and girls, which has been fun. It’s hard at first when you come together with people you are not at school with and don’t know as well but you start to build friendships and become a really good team.

One of the best things about the Club is that everyone is welcome and
encouraged to take part. Everyone gets a chance to play, even if you aren’t
the best. I have built up a lot of confidence playing at the Club and it has enabled me to channel my energy into something positive.

I think letting girls play at such a young age helps them to feel more
confident about themselves and helps them to stand out. I feel by playing
rugby, I have something different to talk about and feel comfortable with
who I am.

Playing has also helped me physically. I have built my strength and my fitness and this helps me in other sports, as well as with my well-being.
I now play with the Chesham Girls’ team and have the opportunity to try out
for county rugby, which I am going to do.

I would encourage other young people to come and give it a try and not to
worry that they might not be able to do it. I think people have a erception
about playing rugby that isn’t true when you come to play and are surprised
by how much fun it really is. It’s a great team sport and everyone should give
it a go.