Training that comes at the right time. Malagasy Rugby in collaboration with the Agence Française de Développement, the French rugby federation with the aim of preparing Malagasy women to play their first role in rugby in Madagascar, is currently offering training to thirty young women from June 10th to 18th in the IBIS Hotel in Ankorondrano. The training covers three categories, namely the coach, referee and federal structuring component. The 10-day training is led by Rugby Africa trainer Mohamed Sahraoui, Steeve Nardon, Samuel Le Gentil and Mathieu Codron from the French Rugby Federation. Antsoniandro Andrianorosoa, national technical director of Malagasy Rygby explained that “this training aims to prepare women to work in rugby because the objective is to let women take care of women in rugby”. The pursuit of governance reform and planning for change in women’s rugby continues to gain momentum. This rapid change is the result of a transformation of the economic model of World Rugby aimed at stimulating female participation in the discipline.
Parity
Madagascar should therefore not be lagging behind but we must follow the movement in motion. Claudia Maminiaina Rasoarimalala, player of the national sevens and fifteens rugby team is already preparing her career change when the time to stop as a player arrives. “It’s the first time I’ve taken part in such training, I’m already preparing my future as a coach. This is an opportunity for me to learn a new trade. The atmosphere is good and the training is rewarding,” says Claudia Maminiaina Rasoarimalala. Women and girls are at the heart of this project and represent a significant opportunity to increase the reach and relevance of sport. World Rugby’s head of women’s rugby, Sally Horrox, said on March 8 during the Women’s Day celebration that “we are delighted to join the global movement -Embrace Equity- and to reconfirm our commitment to fostering equality in rugby at all levels, on and off the pitch. Not only do we provide opportunities for women to succeed in leadership through the Capgemini Women in Rugby Leadership Programme, and inspiring stories through the Young Unstoppable Mastercard, but we are also delivering new competitions and high performance pathways with the launch of the WXV next October, which will reset the landscape of women’s international rugby.”