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The Maa Maas
I wear a lot of hats at my local club. Probably one of the biggest hats I wear is helping to co-found the Mums Who Play Rugby community with two friends.
We’re a network and rugby team who try to encourage more mums to stay in the game after giving birth and encourage mums to try rugby for the first time.
The group was a Facebook messaging chat before we moved across to WhatsApp. We discussed that it would be great if we could create a Barbarian style team but for Mums. We decided to call it Maa Maas, which is a play on Baa Baas.
We realised that since becoming mums there’s just so many barriers to getting back into sport. It’s difficult to carve out that time for yourself. Alot of mums step away from the game. Whether they’re biological mums, step mums, adoptive mums,non-carrier mums, time is precious. Motherhood is not a one-size-fits-all approach.
I’m really well supported as a mother but I know lots of mum’s struggle with childcare and finding time for themselves. That can be difficult when trying to return to play.
Motherhood is a huge spectrum and Maa Maas is about trying to give people opportunities to have a community and play some rugby.
When you step onto the pitch, there’s often a voice in the back of your head that worries about the what ifs. What if something happens to me today? What if I break my arm and can’t do the school run?
Yet by stepping onto a pitch we are demonstrating to our children how powerful we are. My biggest achievement since having children is getting back on the pitch and showing them that mum is passionate about something. They see me doing something I love.
When the Maa Maas have played it’s been amazing. Often the players haven’t met each other in person before matchday. People bring their children and it has a nice community feel.
We want to take this team around the country. We have over 1,000 members in our Facebook group. We want to bring the team to everyone and give people that opportunity.
I love the community that we’re building. That community is really evident in the Maa Maas’ matches. Players turn up and they bring their children, and that is welcomed. The children are a part of the matchday.
I think we have to do everything we can to encourage women to stay in sport. No one ever challenges a father when they return to sport. Yet I’ve had lots of raised eyebrows when I wanted to return to rugby when I was a mum. People asked me whether I was worried I’d get hurt. I want to play rugby and I want to show my children that I can do it.
What can clubs do to support families?
There is alot clubs can do to support families. Sometimes it can be as simple as having a dedicated changing area for your child or a high chair in the clubhouse.
When I became a mum my rugby club didn’t have any high chairs. I noticed that everytime I played. After matches, I had nowhere to put my son.
A few friends and I went on Facebook Marketplace and found a few high chairs, and they’re still in the clubhouse today.
Clubs having a dedicated baby changing unit is very welcoming to families. Clubs can also create a private space for mums to go and breastfeed.
Every mum who has given birth, whether they’ve had a vaginal birth or a C-section needs to be seen by a women’s health physio. There can be health issues that happen when returning to physical activity and a women’s health physio can help.
There has been some guidance released recently from both World Rugby and the RFU about returning to play postpartum. It’s important that clubs, coaches and players understand that guidance and how they can support Mums.
A lot of club physios are muscular and skeletal physios. They’re not women’s health physios. It’s important to trust the player but ensure they are checks to make sure they’re safe.
When I had my son five years ago, there was no real guidance available. That’s why I started my Instagram. I had a C-section and had no idea when I’d be able to start running, go back to the gym or go back to contact.
For grassroots clubs, I would love governing bodies to have a £1000 grant per club. That would be a pot just to use for postpartum players
Going to see a women’s health physio can cost about £100 each time. That funding to support the players and get them back onto the pitch safely
Mums are a huge demographic of our game in rugby. If we lost all the rugby playing mums today, we would lose so many players, especially in grassroots.
Rugby clubs can be made more accessible to families. That includes their facilities and processes.
Alot of clubs have started getting maternity policies. That shows the players who are pregnant and postpartum have a place within the club.
I read alot of messages from players who feel a little bit excluded when they’re pregnant because they can’t join in full training sessions. However players can still join in. I am not a qualified medical expert or personal trainer, but I do have lived experience.
There’s no reason why a player, if they were feeling fit and well and absolutely healthy enough to join in, could do some running or handling. I am a really big advocate of like keeping active during pregnancy. It definitely stopped me from going crazy through both my pregnancies.
There’s also other roles women could have that enables them to feel included if physical activity is not an option. They could help out with social media or game day management.
It’s really important not to isolate players who ultimately need that community more than ever when they become a mum.
Did you know there’s now coach memberships? There’s 3 tiers for coaches (or anyone who wants to support the work and wants support), there’s also a special tier for clubs and W&Gs sections. There’s a coaching hotline, access to webinar recordings, and monthly mentoring. Memberships start from £5 a month.