West Swansea Hawks: Soaring to New Heights
In the heart of West Swansea, a rugby transformation is taking flight. Founded in 2016 with just 20 players, the West Swansea Hawks have grown into a formidable club of over 150 members in seven years, nurtured by National Lottery funding from Sport Wales totalling £8,790.
At Gowerton RFC, the Hawks' home ground, pitches once echoing solely with men's voices now resound with determined calls of women and girls throughout the week. The club's comprehensive training schedule spans all age groups, from U7s to U18s and the Ladies Team.
The 2024/25 season marked a major milestone: the first year that girls who started at U12s went all the way through the club's pathway into senior rugby. Over the course of last season, half a team joined the seniors as they turned 18, with most scoring tries within their first two games.
This functioning talent pipeline helped them win the league and earn promotion to the Championship for next season - a remarkable achievement for a senior team that was nearly disbanded a decade ago.
National Lottery funding has been crucial to success, including £4,780 from the Be Active Wales Fund in January 2025 for coaching courses and equipment including match balls, tackle bags, and kicking tees.
"The funding from The National Lottery has helped in so many different ways," says Keith Pritchard, Hub Leader. "I've been around rugby since the age of six and looking at what we have and the way we've set ourselves up in terms of equipment, it's comparable to Welsh Premiership sides."
The support has also enabled the club to upskill players into coaching roles. Natalie Christofferson earned her Level 1 coaching qualification last year and was able to secure a job in sport as a result.
As England hosts the Women's Rugby World Cup this summer, we're witnessing the culmination of three decades of National Lottery support that has transformed women and girls' rugby from the grassroots up. This remarkable journey exemplifies how over the last 30 years, by investing over £6 billion into more than 90,000 grassroots clubs and organisations, The National Lottery has been game-changing for women and girls' sport, demonstrating how sustained investment creates opportunities for women and girls in sport from grassroots to elite level.
