As the 2023 TikTok Women’s Six Nations continues, ALDI Play Rugby is doing its part to encourage girls to participate in sports and break down barriers to entry. The initiative has undertaken research into female participation in sport and the results are interesting.
According to the survey,nearly two thirds of women (64%) say they wish they had played more sport as a child. Additionally, it found that over half of female respondents (52%) have never played a team sport compared to just 25% of male respondents. Moreover, it found evience that a lack of participation in sport in childhood carries through to adulthood with men more than twice as likely as women to be active in a team sport (33% vs. 15%).
These findings highlight the need for more opportunities and support for girls to get involved in sports from an early age. One of the sports that is growing in popularity among women is rugby, thanks to the efforts of the Irish Rugby Football Union and its partners.
As an Aldi Ambassador promoting the initiative, we caught up with Irish Rugby Player Linda Djougang who has spoken to us after her team’s defeat to Wales. Despite the setback, Djougang remains hopeful and focused on the next game, emphasizing the importance of learning from past mistakes and moving forward.
“We are still learning and growing as a team. We have a lot of young players who are getting their first caps and they are doing amazing. We just need to keep working hard and trust each other,” she said. "We have nothing to lose. We just have to go out there and play our game. We have a lot of potential and talent in this team and we are not going to give up easily. We are not out of the competition."
‘ᴡᴇ’ʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴇᴛɪᴛɪᴏɴ.’ 💪🏼
It’s GAME DAY.
Ireland 🇮🇪 vs France 🇫🇷
🏉
Ireland’s Linda Djougang says Ireland wont give up.
Watch the full show on our YouTube.
Brought to you in association with @OpelIreland #DriveOn #IrishRugby pic.twitter.com/2tNDlpugsE— Her Sport (@HerSportDotIE) April 1, 2023
Djougang also spoke about the honor of playing for her country and the pride she and her teammates feel when wearing the green Irish jersey. It’s this fighting spirit that embodies the ALDI Play Rugby initiative, and the company is doing its part to help schools across the country get involved in sports and promote female participation.
“I love rugby so much because when I am out there I can just be me,” she said.
The Irish prop is looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead in their remaining Six Nations campaign.
ALDI shoppers can collect stickers to earn their primary schools a chance to win sports equipment worth up to €50,000 in the Play Rugby Sticker Competition. The competition has already received almost 4,000 completed posters, showing the huge appetite from schools for funding for sports equipment. The closing date for entries is April 27th, 2023, so get collecting those stickers!
