From names to Big Games – what Harlequins Women want for their shirts
Harlequins Women will face Bristol Bears in this year’s Big Game 14 fixture at Twickenham Stadium.
Bears have recently introduced players’ names on shirts, and they are the first team in the Allianz Premier 15s to do so.
Harlequins players have expressed a desire to have the same at both club and country levels.
England forwards Shaunagh Brown and Amy Cokayne, alongside Scotland number eight Jade Konkel-Roberts, have voiced their thoughts on the matter.
“Amy [Turner] did you hear that? We want our names on shirts!” Brown joked to the head coach over Zoom.
“Why not, it helps people, especially us as a women’s group, we want people to watch our game, but we want new people to watch our game, as well as existing rugby fans.
“You do want people to identify who you are because it says on your shirt, not because they’re thinking ‘who’s that number three let me look her up in the programme, oh now I’m looking for number six but I didn’t quite find number three etc.’
“It’s just an easy growth for me,” she added.
At international level, Konkel-Roberts would like to see the overall quality of Scottish shirts match those of the men’s team.
“I’d have liked to have my shirt embroidered, let alone have my name on it!” she said.
“It’s the memories as well. If it’s got your name on it, hopefully at the end of the season you get to keep it, it’s memories as well,
“It’s not just doing it because another nation or club is doing it, it would be really special to have something like that. I say this about my international shirts all the time, if it was embroidered I could look back at that shirt and be like oh that’s the shirt from when I played against them, that’s the shirt I wore to the World Cup.
“Little things like that, not necessarily because other teams have it I just think it would be a really special thing.
“You never know how long your rugby career is going to last and not everyone gets the opportunity to play for their country, and it’s one of the most incredible things ever.
“When you’re done you’ll step back and reflect on how special it was, so you want as many memories as you can within that.
“That’s not always things, that’s moments as well, but having the shirts and everything to remind you is a huge part which I think would be really cool,” she emphasised.
Teammate Brown added: “And how cool would it be to see a kid running around with Konkel-Roberts on their back, wanting to be like you!”
Cokayne also supported the initiative to have names on shirts and suggested an alternative if this was not possible.
“I have been saying for years that I want it. It all comes down to money and things like that,” she said.
“Fair play to Bristol they’re leading the way on that and hopefully, that does mean that other clubs follow suit because it is super special. The video of Lucy Burgess crying when she saw a fan wearing her name is so cute and so huge.
“I suggested that if the issue was there weren’t enough shirts then we just get given a shirt number kind of like for the sevens now and you could choose your own number.
“You could market yourself as ‘I’m number 72’ or whatever, and kids could go and buy a 72 shirt. Hopefully, in the future, it’s something we’ll see in the future for more and more clubs.
While this is not yet something that has been implemented by Harlequins, Cokayne is hopeful that by the time the Six Nations begins in March, the Red Roses will have their names on their shirts.
She said: “We were out in New Zealand when it [England men’s names on shirts] was announced and I think it said that it would be for both teams. Hopefully, by the Six Nations, we might have it. It would be super cool.
“For most of us, family is huge and you’re proud to represent your family so that’s quite nice a way to do it.”
Discussions around shirts at the Big Game fixture are not unfamiliar territory for Harlequins Women.
Last year they played in the annual fixture that the club host at Twickenham for the first time. Rightly or wrongly, one of the most significant talking points from the game was not the rugby, but the shirts the players were wearing.
Many spectators took to social media to share their views, and question why the women’s team were wearing oversized shirts.
The club produce one-off shirts for their Big Game fixture each year, but it became apparent that the club and Adidas, the kit supplier at the time, had not factored in the women’s kit.
The kit provided a stark contrast to that of their opponents on the day, Wasps, who were wearing correctly fitting kit.
Fi Tomas from The Telegraph went on to confirm that the kit was made in ‘one fit’ for both teams.
Despite a record-breaking crowd at the time and a win for Quins, it was felt by many that the occasion was overshadowed by a lack of consideration for the women’s team.
Update on shirt-gate. Harlequins have confirmed the official Big Game jersey was only made in “one fit, for both men’s and women’s teams by Adidas.” Which is a roundabout way of saying ‘men’s kit’ because I can’t see Joe Marler fitting into Vickii Cornborough’s shirt, IMO (1/5)
— Fi Tomas (@fi_tomas_) December 27, 2021
While many of the players on the day did not seem to mind and were happy to be playing at Twickenham, questions arose about whether the narrative around female sports people just being grateful for being able to play needs to shift.
Nearly a year on, Harlequins women are set to play in their second Big Game and the players have confirmed that this year their kit has been specifically produced for them.
“We tried them on yesterday. They’re even a different fit to our normal home and away kits so we have physically tried on the Big Game shirts. We’ve put in our sizes, so if we look funny it’s our own fault, or our own choice actually,” Brown said with a chuckle.
It’s positive to see clubs learning from mistakes and putting changes into action at the very least, and hopefully, this year rugby can be the focus of the conversation.
