Our U16s bring together girls from School Years 10 and 11, and at this stage the rugby really begins to step up. The game becomes faster, more physical and more tactical, with players developing a greater understanding of their own role and how they contribute to the team.

Whether they’ve progressed through the Unicorns, are joining us from another club or are completely new to rugby, there’s a place for them within the squad. Girls often discover rugby later than boys, so being new to the game at U16 is certainly no barrier to getting involved.

Training has a greater focus on performance and development, building on the core skills of passing, tackling, running and support play while developing position-specific skills, set pieces, attacking and defensive structures, game awareness and decision-making under pressure.

As the girls develop physically, there is also an increased emphasis on fitness, strength and conditioning and safe, effective contact, helping prepare them for the demands of the game while keeping player welfare at the heart of everything we do.

Fixtures form an important part of the season and there is naturally a stronger competitive edge at U16. We want our girls to compete, challenge themselves and want to win, but we also want them to enjoy their rugby, learn from the difficult games and be proud of how they represent themselves, their teammates and the club.

With two school years within the squad, our coaches recognise that players will develop at different rates. Everyone is encouraged to challenge themselves, play to their strengths and continue developing at a pace that is right for them[/b*.

But the Unicorns have always been about more than rugby.

At U16, the [b]friendships, camaraderie and sense of belonging within the squad become a huge part of the experience. We want our girls to work hard for each other, celebrate together, support each other when things don’t go to plan and create memories and friendships that last well beyond their time in age-grade rugby.

We also encourage our older girls to become role models for the younger Unicorns coming through behind them, showing them what it means to be part of the section and helping build the future of girls’ rugby at the club.

Everything we do is underpinned by England Rugby’s core values of Teamwork, Respect, Enjoyment, Discipline and Sportsmanship – TREDS, and at U16 we expect our players to take real ownership of those values both on and off the pitch.

Work hard, play hard, back your teammates and enjoy every minute of it. Come along and find out what being an Unicorn is all about!