For some time I have been following Kelso Ladies rugby team, a mega inspiring group of Borders women from different walks of life who train at Poynder Park. Before Covid struck, Michael and I had become superfans and followed them to games at Annan, Kirkcaldy, Liberton, Grangemouth and other rugby grounds around the country. Not being a sporty kid growing up, this was new to me, and I was awed by the strength, resilience, team spirit and humour of Kelso Ladies, as well as their community activities.
I’ve had the privilege of going along to training, learning loads, writing sports news, and experiencing the drama of rugby as a spectator. It has been fantastic to meet the team and their dedicated coaches, Kelly Mitchell and Bruce Riddell, as well as fellow supporters. Theatre director Fiona Mackinnon, a rugby player herself, and I also met international professional referee Hollie Davidson, and heard her inspiring stories about becoming a career referee in the sport. Scotland international Jade Konkel, under 18s international Kelly Mitchell and the Kelso women’s team also gave fascinating insights into the game behind the scenes.
It’s an interesting time for the women’s sport as the amateur game develops towards professionalism, with different levels of support in the different nations. In the Scottish Borders, rugby is a community game which is part of the DNA. The clubs bring on an unusually high number of national players and several Borders women are in the Scottish national squad for the Six Nations.
Thanks to professional development support from Playwrights’ Studio Scotland, I’ve been able to gather materials, testimonies and impressions to work into a play. Brutiful Game has now been commissioned by the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, and it’s time to crouch, bind, set! Here’s a taster of research images and sounds gathered while out and about. Kelso Ladies are playing in National League 1 this season, and it has been great to go back to enjoying matches!