Meet Chris and JJ

Meet Chris & his daughter J-J

Chris and his daughter J-J have found a rugby family at Amesbury Rugby Club. J-J thrives in the supportive environment, she trains every Sunday with all the other children and loves helping out at rugby matches and dreaming of captaining the women's team one day. Chris, now a volunteer coach, has seen first-hand the power of rugby to bring people together. But as he puts it: “Being part of the club has been life-changing for us. It’s amazing to see so many people including J-J benefit, but we are desperately short of space. I can only imagine how much more we could do if we had the room to take on more kids and host our own festivals.”

Tell us more Chris…

On a sunny Sunday afternoon, young J-J excitedly runs onto the pitch with the kicking tee, helping out at the women’s game—just another day at Amesbury Rugby Club, where she and her dad, Chris, have found a second home.

For J-J, who has ADHD and Autism, rugby has provided a space where she truly belongs. "She loves it so much, even on her birthday she wanted to spend the day at training and cheering on the women’s team," Chris shares proudly.

Chris, a lifelong rugby fan, never expected his daughter's spontaneous decision to try rugby would lead them both to become such a big part of the club. Since joining in 2021, J-J has flourished, making friends and gaining confidence, while Chris has taken on volunteer roles, from facilities manager to coaching.

Chris tells us "This club has given me and J-J a real sense of belonging, and as a volunteer coach, I love seeing so many children grow in confidence through rugby. Imagine what we could achieve if we had more space and facilities. It would provide more opportunities—for the kids, for the teams, and for the future of healthy young people in our town."

He strongly encourages any parent to get their children involved in sport, especially rugby. Children with additional needs can excel at rugby where they can let off steam in a controlled environment. Rugby is one of the only sports where people of all shapes, sizes, and ages (from 6 to 96) are encouraged to pick up a rugby ball and enjoy themselves in all forms of the game. Rugby certainly has the best social aspect of any sport, when everyone can get together and enjoy each other’s company.

In the meantime we all dream of expanding our rugby family and welcoming even more children like J-J if we can fulfil our ambition of a bigger long term home for the club.