DMP Sharks: Fighting for women’s rugby in the North East
England’s juggernaut team made it to within one lineout throw of winning the World Cup. The squad and many other international players return to the dreich northern hemisphere, ready to compete in the best league in the world, the Allianz Premier 15s.
Founded in 2017, the Premier 15s has already developed into a factory that attracts and fosters some of the world’s most dominant and well-known players.
Within this league exists great disparity between those challenging for titles and teams fighting to stay off the bottom of the table.
After failing to secure a win last season, Darlington Mowden Park (DMP) Sharks, can only improve. However, they have far more to overcome than just their weekly opposition.
Prior to the 2022/23 season, the DMP Sharks were forced to crowdfund £50,000 to meet the basic running costs of their club or face expulsion from the league by the RFU.
After the euphoria of the past week, a reminder that women's sport is fragile. @DMP_Sharks, a proud club with a rich history in women's rugby, have begun crowdfunding to stay in the @Premier15s pic.twitter.com/xbAtbPp17R
— Fi Tomas (@fi_tomas_) August 6, 2022
“We hit some very stormy waters realizing that we may not have a place to play and it came down to us as girls and as a team we decided we wanted to fight,” DMP co-captain, Mackenzie ‘Kenny’ Thomas-Roberts told Sports Gazette.
Thomas-Roberts added: “It was only by us speaking our words and going out to the people that were able to do that and find the support that we have. We got a lot of support from young girls from grassroots, from teams in the North East, from teams down South, from men’s teams and women’s team.”
The longevity of DMP is vital for the development of women’s rugby in England. The club is the only representation the northeast has in the Premier 15s. While bastions of the league such as Saracens and Harlequins are affiliated with Gallagher Premiership sides, DMP are not so fortunate.
DMP are more than just a side who make up the numbers in the Premier 15s. The whole team is aware of the role they play when it comes to inspiring the next generation of talent.
The club is known for producing quality players who go on to represent the Red Roses and this is something they are very proud of.
“To take away the North East from the league, you’re going to lose a massive pile of talented players. It is so important to have a place for those girls who are coming up to play and to play high level rugby,” said Dani Pham.
It is worth remembering that this team is not professional and many of them travel large distances to play their fixtures at the Northern Echo Arena. The same travel restrictions are put on fans, with the next closest stadium two hours away in Sale.
On top of the financial uncertainty, DMP were slapped with a performance notice by the RFU after losing every match and having a point-difference of -1175.
With monetary concerns, performance expectations and the looming tender process for clubs wanting to join the league’s next cycle, there is a huge amount of pressure on this shiver of sharks.
With the RFU announcing back in June that they will be investing £220 million into the women’s game over the next decade, DMP should be optimistic of financial support coming their way to help turn the whole team fully professional.
Attention now turns to the season opener where DMP Sharks will face off away to Sale.
Looking ahead to this clash, featuring the two teams from the bottom of last season’s table, Thomas-Roberts said: “If we played how we played against Harlequins [in the Allianz Cup] I think that we can have that win.”
For this resilient team, making it to the start of this season is an achievement. However, they must now implement their version of success and represent their supporters who made this season possible.
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