Prince George women's rugby team looking for players

The PG Vixens women’s rugby club is looking for new recruits and is asking anyone interested to come try it.

There’s a tournament on Saturday at PGSS that sees teams from Terrace, Kitimat and Williams Lake come to play the 10-member team.

Devyn Vaughn, a 15-year veteran player, started her game play in Grade 9 when a friend encouraged her to give it a try.

“So I grabbed my best friend’s hand and we went to practice and I’ve been playing ever since,” Vaughn laughed. She just moved to Prince George in November. “It’s such an amazing sport. I could preach about rugby forever.”

The team has been around for about five years and is organized by Katie Gordon, a local firefighter. Since the pandemic shut everything down for the last couple of years, the team is trying to make a strong resurgence.

“The Vixens are building from the ground up,” Vaughn said. “We’re trying to gather people for the team, we’re trying to get vets back out and we’re trying to get new players to come and play rugby because it’s so inclusive for every body – all body types, all ages, and it’s such an amazing sport for that reason.”

The Vixens are looking to have some fun festivals as this year is a building year, she added.

There are teams that play sevens, where seven players are on the field for each team, and then there are 10s and 15s and when the team has grown to those numbers they are eligible for league play and can play teams from around the province, Vaughn explained.

“There are so many opportunities once it gets going,” Vaughn said.

So a viable team is 15 girls.

“But 20 would be amazing,” Vaughn said.

“We’re really looking for anybody – we’re looking for any age and size – there’s a position for everybody as long as they want to play, there’s a position here for you,” Vaughn said. “It is a full contact sport, there is a lot of tackling involved, there’s a lot of running and passing involved. But there’s a spot on the team for everyone – even if you don’t want to run around there’s a spot on the team, and those who want to run around really fast there’s a spot on the team for them too. So many people are worried about the Covid weight they’ve put on and this is a great place to come and get rid of it and it’s so inclusive and everybody is so accepting. You’re going to love it.”

The PG Gnats men’s rugby team are supporting the women’s team with gear and the opportunity to play during Saturday’s tournament. They even help the team by offering practice times.

“We don’t even have jerseys so the Gnats are letting us use their practice jerseys to play on Saturday,” Vaughn said. “They’ve been so awesome and so amazing – I can’t thank them enough but we’re looking for sponsors so we can get our own jerseys.”

Vaughn loves her rugby family.

“Rugby families are the best and they’re everywhere,” Vaughn said. “I have played hockey, basketball and swam competitively and I have never met a team like a rugby team. You push each other down and then you help each other back up.”

The Vixens practice Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. at Duchess Park Secondary School.

For more information visit PG Vixens Women's Rugby Club.