Liskeard-Looe Rugby Club girls are set to be a force to be reckoned with after receiving support from the police.

The girls section, which has members aged between 11 and 17, has raised over £7,490 through a community crowdfunding project, with Devon and Cornwall Police among the latest supporters.

The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly (CIOS) police team provided £750 through the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) after they shared their aim to give more young people in Cornwall an opportunity to be more active. 

The purpose of the Proceeds of Crime Act is to deprive a convicted criminal of any financial benefit that they may have made through their crimes. Funds are reinvested in local community projects.

Cornwall Council provided the girls with £1,100 through its Community Chest fund and Sport England gave £2,500 through its Active Together fund. The fundraising has also been supported by local businesses and others in the community.

The girls section has grown steadily since it was first set up a few years ago with just four participants.

Head coach  Zoe Alee said: “Thanks to the police and our supporters, we will be buying equipment including tackle pads and doughnuts for training, balls and new rugby kit strips. 

“To make our training and club as inclusive as possible, we provide players with a kit each.

“The fundraising total, which has been smashed on more than one occasion, now means we can get on with organising our summer outreach. 

“We aim to double the number of girls training in the club. 

“We will visit schools to set up taster sessions to give them a flavour of what being in the club is like. 

“There are currently no girls rugby teams in Bodmin and Saltash, we also have girls coming from Wadebridge, and girls can join mixed training with Liskeard-Looe Lions from age seven so we’re excited about how the club can grow.

“To keep stretching and training our current members, specialist training sessions will be arranged for areas like kicking conversions, paid for from the fundraising, and we’ll be building their fitness and team connections throughout the summer through activities and training sessions. 

“We welcome new players and are also looking for new coaches to join the club, so please get in touch if this is of interest.”

Anyone interested in joining can visit the Liskeard-Looe Girls Rugby Facebook page or email llrfcgirlscrowd [email protected]