England and Saracens Fly-Half Zoe Harrison Spent the Day Inspiring Students at Roundwood Primary School
Bronze Rugby Programme with Zoe Harrison at Roundwood Primary School – October 2021
What a brilliant day at Roundwood Primary School with our fantastic Ambassador Zoe Harrison!
Zoe, who plays professional rugby for both England and Saracens – spent the day inspiring students at Roundwood Primary School and for many, introducing them to rugby for the first time.
To begin the day, Zoe talked to the pupils about her career progression, having started playing rugby at the age of five and combating injuries with a resilient and positive growth mindset, in order to reach the professional level of play she is at now.
For Zoe, it is important to challenge the perceptions around female sport and the stereotypes in rugby, which is why she was so passionate about promoting rugby as a sport for anyone, during our visit, and encouraging greater female participation in the sport. This went hand in hand with instilling greater confidence in the girls taking part in the session and instilling some confidence in them to compete in the game outside of school.
After the morning’s inspiring presentation, Zoe led several tag rugby coaching sessions with the students, who were able to put their speed and agility to the test through fun games and even getting to challenge their teachers at the same time!
It was lovely to see all of the students so engaged and enjoying the activities; many of them who had never played rugby before expressed an interest in exploring local rugby and other sporting clubs after their session with Zoe.
Students got the chance to write down their thoughts and questions to Zoe, some of which stood out in particular:
How many Six Nations tournaments have you won? What did it feel like to win?
How long did it take for you to recover from your thumb injury?
How did you first become involved in rugby?
Who is your favourite rugby player?
Did you have any interest in sports other than rugby when you were younger?
What is your favourite match that you have played in?
We saw incredible enthusiasm from the staff and students throughout Zoe’s coaching sessions, and it was fantastic to see so many excited and happy faces throughout the day. We look forward to hopefully visiting them again soon in the future with another of our Ambassadors!
If you are interested in joining a rugby club in Harpenden, you can follow the link below to find more details.
If you are interested in a virtual or physical Programme with Zoe Harrison or any of our other inspirational Ambassadors, then please get in touch via the Mintridge website at www.mintridgefoundation.org.uk or with Katie at katie@mintridge.org.uk.
Team Mintridge
The Mintridge Foundation is a registered charity dedicated to enhancing life skills in young people through sport. We provide a support network for young people by harnessing the power of positive sporting role models. The Mintridge Foundation assists young people of all ages, abilities, and physical capabilities to develop confidence and resilience, and creates awareness of the importance of mental and physical wellbeing through sport.
Our team of Ambassadors - Olympians, Paralympians and other professional sports stars from over 20 sports, both team and individual - work with young people in schools, clubs and academies across the UK. Starting with visits including assemblies, coaching clinics and classroom sessions tailored to each organisation’s requirements, our ambassadors can then provide one- on- one remote mentoring in a safeguarded environment, delivered via technology such as FitSwarm and Playwaze to build a lasting legacy for individuals.
The Mintridge Foundation’s successes demonstrate the incredible power of sport; from a mentee’s selection to represent Great Britain in their chosen field to enabling disabled children to find confidence and happiness just through participation. Understanding life after sport, we also support our Ambassadors in their transition from active sport to the next stage of their careers.
To find out more about the Mintridge Foundation, please contact Alex Wallace.
