Volunteer wins prestigious national award

A rugby volunteer from King’s Lynn has won a prestigious national award for her trailblazing work expanding her club’s girls’ section and outreach.Ellen Collison is the youth girls’ head coach at West Norfolk Rugby Club and claimed the Game For All prize at the Honda Volunteer of the Year awards.The Honda Volunteer of the Year awards are part of the Honda Volunteer Recognition Programme which provides a platform to recognise the volunteers who make up such an integral part of the game and who have made a great contribution to their club and community – no matter what their role.Collison, a lifelong rugby fan, has been recognised for the huge role she has played in developing the Youth Girls section of the club.The mum-of-two, who coaches U10s and is moving into U11 coaching in September, single-handedly increased player numbers by 250 per cent in the Youth Girls’ section through 2023.She hosts the club’s successful ‘Pitch up and Play’ events and taster sessions for girls in local schools and has opened the club up to girls who have never tried the sport before, as well as running fundraising efforts to provide kits and equipment for the players.Under Collison, the club’s coaching staff has also expanded from just her to four coaches, while three of her players have been selected for the Norfolk County U18 squad. Collison, who was crowned winner at an awards ceremony hosted by RFU president Rob Udwin and presented by Alex Payne said: “It’s crazy. It’s lovely, I didn’t expect it. You don’t volunteer for that, but it’s nice to be recognised by other people. My heart’s full of love. “I’m really proud of the growth that I’ve managed to achieve in the girls’ section. I want equality for the girls: it’s always been about the senior men’s team, but I want it to be about the whole community, for the girls to be seen and represented.”Plus, she added: “It was my first time at Allianz Stadium on Friday – I don’t think I’m ever going to beat that!”The awards recognise the local heroes who have had a major impact on their clubs and communities and demonstrated their commitment to the game over the past 12 months. It brings the opportunity to thank those who have gone above and beyond this year for teams, clubs, referees’ societies, and educational establishments.More than 2,000 volunteers were nominated, with nominees being recognised at the local level, before winners from these events were put forward as national finalists, with 46 nominees recognised at an awards ceremony at Allianz Stadium last week. Coaching has long run in the family: her dad set up the youth girls’ football side she played for, and further back, her great-grandfather coached her grandma. There was no girls’ rugby team when Collison was growing up in King’s Lynn, but the sport has come a long way since then.Collison said she got “dragged into” girls’ coaching to avoid “standing out in the cold” watching her daughter Isabell, who now plays for the U14s. Sport is a family affair: son William plays for the U11s, who Ellen also coaches, and she plays for the women’s side as well when she can.She is keen not to rest on her laurels and there’s plenty more work to do.She said: “We’re on our centenary year at our rugby club, and I want that photo that’s taken from the balcony to have 50 per cent girls, 50 per cent boys, and to just get as many people as possible down to the club, whether that’s to have a pint, or for the sport.“I want our club to feel so inclusive and for everyone to feel the way I do about the rugby family. “In my under 10s group some players have a level of autism who have been excluded from other sports and seeing them come over to me and thrive is so beautiful, and the parents are so appreciative. It’s about giving them an outlet.”Volunteers are the backbone of grassroots rugby in England.If you’d like to get involved and make a difference at your community club, visit: www.englandrugby.com/run/club-management/volunteers