Latest news with #ShaunaghBrown
South Wales Argus
24-06-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Patrick-Heselton believes Para Lions can achieve home glory
The former Queens Park Rangers player, who represented Team GB at London 2012, thinks the home support could be the missing piece to take England's Cerebral Palsy team one step better than their second-placed finish last time out. The Para Lions will be gunning for gold in Loughborough, having lost 3-0 to Ukraine in the IFCPF European final in Sardinia in 2023. But with the tournament returning to England for the first time in 10 years, Patrick-Heselton is backing England to deliver the goods. 'Personally, I do think [the home crowd] might just be that extra bit that they need, and it will get them there,' he said. 'It always adds an extra pressure but it's a good pressure and I'm sure it's a pressure they love to have. 'Having competed at London 2012, having the home fans behind you is always massive. You feel like you've got that extra player. 'One thing is you're always loved and celebrated which is great. Having the Euros here, they'll have the whole country behind them, and they know that.' Patrick-Heselton was inducted into the National Football Hall of Fame in 2017 after playing in the seven-a-side cerebral palsy team for Team GB. The side reached the 2012 BT Paralympic World Cup final where he scored to lead a comeback attempt in an honourable 4-2 defeat to Brazil. Now Patrick-Heselton believes that the growing profile of the Para Lions and Para Lionesses teams will only be enhanced by a home tournament and possible title come August. 'We talk about inspiring a generation, but we can't be inspired by what we don't know and can't see,' he said. 'So having it here, I really think is the next step to trying to promote and inspire the next generation because they can really see it. 'To understand you often need to visually see it to understand and know what it could actually mean in their own lives so that is massive.' The striker, who played professionally for QPR and Stockport County prior to suffering severe head trauma during a car accident in 2006, was speaking at Torriano Primary School as part of the Youth Sport Trust's National School Sports Week. There he was providing crucial representation alongside England rugby international Shaunagh Brown and Olympic sprinter and bobsledder Montell Douglas. It was in the school environment that the Paralympian was first inspired to dream of his potential as he asserted the importance of activity as a child. 'National School Sports Week 2025 is about keeping young people active. Research shows us that not enough kids are active for an hour a day, that is what we're trying to change,' he explained. 'That is a minimum, if you want to do more go for it. You can just see the smiles that it produces. It should be celebrated everywhere every day. 'For me as a sportsperson and an elite athlete it was very much the school environment that helped me to believe that I could go on to do more. 'Every child should be given that opportunity to dream and believe that they can go on to do that, even if they don't go down that path.' Throughout the day pupils at the Camden primary school got to experience a range of activities from archery to gymnastics and participate alongside their sporting heroes, testing themselves on the football pitch alongside Patrick-Heselton. Pupils even dressed up as their sporting heroes for the final day of National School Sports Week known as Sports Star Friday, providing an inspiring experience for the Paralympian himself. 'We've just seen the gymnastics and wow! I don't think I could have done what they were doing,' he said. 'It was superb. While the children were going through it, they were setting out everything they needed, they were in-charge, and they were so in tune with each other. 'That is always a big part of what we do as sportspeople which is the goal setting and planning, and they already had it down.' National School Sports Week is an annual campaign by the Youth Sport Trust, dedicated to celebrating the power of PE, sport, and play to build brighter futures. This year, powered by Sports Direct x Under Armour, marks the 30th anniversary of the Youth Sport Trust, who is a UK leading children's charity for improving young people's wellbeing through sport and play. Visit
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
World Cup finalist Shaunagh Brown even more excited by home event
By Laura Howard, Sportsbeat While Shaunagh Brown represented England in the 2021 Rugby World Cup final, she insists she is even more excited for this summer with England set for a home World Cup. The former Red Rose and Harlequins player amassed 30 international caps and featured in England's agonising 34-31 defeat to New Zealand in the World Cup final in Auckland in 2021. Advertisement But though she will not be donning the white shirt this time out, the prospect of sell-out stadiums and a boom in visibility means Brown is more excited than ever for the summer ahead. 'I am looking forward to this World Cup more than I did the one I actually played in because it's at home,' said the prop. 'I've been part of the build-up, I've been on the trophy tour, I've been to the volunteer kick-off events and the buzz is unreal. 'The ticket sales just keep going up and up and the number of conversations I have with people telling me that they can't get tickets. That's incredible news because you're making them hot property if you can't get something, you want it even more. Advertisement 'I'm really excited to see how England perform.' Though New Zealand got the better of the Red Roses on their territory four years ago, Brown believes that hosting the tournament English soil can help them over the line to produce a moment akin to the Lionesses victory at Euro 2022. More importantly, though, she wants to see sporting bodies and authorities ensure momentum from the tournament is captured to keep shifting attitudes towards women's rugby. 'I still move in circles where people don't really know what rugby is and think it is just a sport that posh white boys do,' Brown explained. 'I hope we will get a Lionesses' moment, and I really hope England win the World Cup but it's all about the build-up, the tournament doing it right and local authorities getting involved. Advertisement 'It'll be people seeing, hearing, and realising that most people can play rugby and you don't have to be from a certain school or certain background or look a particular way. 'If you look at a lineup of a rugby team there's such a variation in shape, size, skin colour and hair type and you think, 'Oh maybe rugby is for me. Maybe I can do that. She looks like me, she sounds like me, maybe I can give it a go.'' The importance of role models was brought home to Brown as she spoke on the final day of the Youth Sport Trust's National School Sports Week at Torriano Primary School in Camden. Alongside Olympic sprinter Montell Douglas and Paralympic footballer Alistair Patrick-Heselton, Brown got involved in a carousel of different activities led by the pupils as they celebrated the importance of being active. Advertisement Torriano encourages activity everyday with pupils wearing active footwear and no uniform so that they are able to hit their recommended 60 minutes of activity each day. Brown and her sporting peers also participated in a Q&A to inspire the Torriano pupils, who were dressed up as their sporting heroes for Sports Star Friday. 'We want people to participate, we want people to enjoy winning but as a mass group of children and in a whole generation we just want to encourage movement,' explained Brown. 'I'm very passionate about the active uniform principle. It's about not making it a big thing that you have to get changed into your PE kit before you can run. Advertisement 'Actually, just make activity a normal part of their everyday with no barriers. They're in the playground because they've got trainers on so they can just run around.' National School Sports Week is an annual campaign by the Youth Sport Trust, dedicated to celebrating the power of PE, sport, and play to build brighter futures. This year, powered by Sports Direct x Under Armour, marks the 30th anniversary of the Youth Sport Trust, who is a UK leading children's charity for improving young people's wellbeing through sport and play. Visit
BBC News
17-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Women's Rugby World Cup trophy comes to Brighton
The Women's Rugby World Cup trophy has arrived in Brighton as part of an England-wide tour of all eight host cities ahead of the tournament, which kicks off in is on display at Brighton i360, the second leg of the tour, until stop "gives fans communities and grassroots rugby clubs the chance to join the celebrations and share in the excitement and build-up to the biggest Women's Rugby World Cup ever", a competition spokesperson said. Former England player Shaunagh Brown, speaking at Saturday's event, said: "Bringing rugby to the people is a huge part of what we're doing." The trophy's tour lasts three weeks in May and June and takes in London, Brighton, Exeter, Bristol, Northampton, Manchester, York and who played in the last final for England four years ago, said: "We were very disappointed not to have won, but didn't realise until we got home the impact we had and how big women's rugby actually was."This world cup is going to be so special being at home in England."All of the players will be so immersed in it." Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 managing director, Sarah Massey, said: "It promises to be a landmark tournament for the sport and the trophy tour to our host locations provides a brilliant opportunity to ignite excitement across England."We look forward to celebrating with fans and encouraging even more people to be a part of this unforgettable tournament."The tournament takes place from 22 August to 27 September. Two matches take place at Falmer Stadium near Brighton - England v Australia on 6 September and New Zealand v Ireland on 7 September.
Telegraph
30-01-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Leader of the pack: Shaunagh Brown on her grassroots rugby journey
There can be fewer more inspiring stories in sport than that of Shaunagh Brown. She's an international athlete who represented England at the Commonwealth Games in the hammer throw and then went on to enjoy a second career as an elite rugby player who was the mainstay of the England pack for several years and reached a World Cup final with the Red Roses. Throw in the fact that she is one of the few women ever to toss a full-sized caber at the Highland Games, as well as training as a commercial diver and a firefighter, and you can get a sense of what this woman is about. Grabbing life in every way she can. All that is impressive in itself, but what Brown has achieved, with the help of a motivating support network, is all the more remarkable because she has done it against considerable odds. And what is even more incredible are her plans for the future, not least in terms of inspiring others to believe in themselves, to appreciate that it is possible to be different and thrive, and that they, too, can have dreams which can be realised. Brown has made it her mission to empower others and be their voice Credit : Gemma Porter Learning to throw 'People have always had my back. Now it's time for me to have someone else's,' says Brown, 34, who currently works for British Gas in marketing – and she says she cannot credit enough their flexibility in previously allowing her to pursue her sporting career. 'I like to be the voice of people who haven't got a voice,' she says. 'My purpose statement is 'empowering others'. That's why I exist now.' Brown grew up in a council house in Peckham, south London, with her mum and two older siblings. She attended a state school and grew up an unashamed tomboy. 'I still am one, really,' she laughs. 'I was usually the only girl among boy cousins, so being the only girl among boys was normal for me. I truly believe that has positively affected my life.' Her PE teachers instilled in her a love of sport and she was a standout player in her school football team before getting into athletics, joining Blackheath & Bromley Harriers athletics club. She started running, got bored and switched to the 'throws' – shot-put, discus and eventually the hammer. Making an impression By the age of 19 she had been to a World Youth Championships, the European Juniors, the World Juniors and the Commonwealth Youth Games. Although she missed out on the Olympics, in 2014 she made the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She was unhappy with her performances and pledged to retire to become a 'normal person'. That resolve lasted two weeks. 'I got bored,' she laughs and in 2015, at the age of 25, she contacted her local rugby club in Medway. She had tried the sport in the sixth form and loved the fact that girls were encouraged to smash into the boys with a tackle bag as hard as possible. 'As young girls we were normally told to calm down, take it easy, don't do so much. But here I was being encouraged to be physically dominant.' Rugby has given Brown opportunities she never could have imagined as a young girl Credit : Gemma Porter Switching sports She blossomed at Medway. 'I knew nothing about rugby. I was big and strong from athletics and I remember the club coach saying: 'This is Shaunagh, she can catch, she's going to be good.' I was thinking: 'Surely everybody can catch – it's an everyday life skill.' I have since discovered that it is not!' Her first game of rugby XVs with Medway was in December 2015. 'After a trip to the Stoop to watch England Women in the Six Nations the following March 2016, I told my mum: 'I could do that.' She said: 'Ok, go on do it.'' From that moment it was all about whatever was needed to play for England. 'I knew that all I had to do was learn the game because physically I had everything else. And I could catch and I could communicate.' After joining Harlequins for the 2016-17 season, England coach Simon Middleton came to watch one of her games – and Brown was not going to miss an opportunity to speak with him. 'I went up to him and told him: 'I'm going to work with you one day.' He laughed a bit and said nobody had ever spoken to him like that before.' Still keen to pursue what life had to offer, she trained as a commercial diver, then began a firefighting training course while still playing rugby at weekends. England then did come calling and – after a two-week camp – she won her first cap, barely two years after her first game of rugby. Making a statement What she refers to as her breakthrough came after the Premiership final of 2021 when she was named player of the match. In the post-game interview she seized her moment. 'I didn't actually hear what the final question was, but I thought to myself, right I've got 30 seconds of TV time here, let's go! I started talking about what a great standard of rugby it was, that this is how women's rugby should be, and that it was a great advert for strong, empowered women. 'I was in tears by the end and I got a great reaction and lots of other people seemed to be crying too. My phone lit up with supportive messages. It was a great moment that said I was more than a rugby player. People cared about what I stood for and how I could empower them.' Biggest setback Without doubt her big regret and disappointment was losing to New Zealand 34-31 in the 2022 World Cup final in what has been described as one of the all-time great matches. 'At least once a fortnight I pause to think about how different life might be if we could have won that day,' she reflects, adding that being part of a victorious World Cup team would have put her and the team on a pedestal and opened up a host of opportunities. Brown thrives on being encouraged to be bold, loud, and to embrace her physicality and strength Credit : Gemma Porter Inspirations 'I owe my mum, Lesley Rickards, so much,' says Brown. 'She let me be the person I wanted to be and needed to be. 'I never remember being told you are a girl so you can't do that. The bar was simply 'Don't get arrested' – which is quite a low bar!' In her sporting life one man stands out, her athletics coach John Hillier. 'John was essentially my father figure growing up,' she says. 'We still have a good relationship. 'We had the sort of arguments people have with their dads. He always wanted more for me. I remember winning the English schools discus at 14 and phoning him up straight away with the news. He said: 'That's good… See you at training on Tuesday because now we have got to win the British schools,'' she recalls. How rugby can change your life Rugby has provided her opportunities she could only have dreamed about as a young girl. Of even greater value has been the impact the sport has had on her as a human being. 'It has opened up a huge part of me I didn't know existed. It has allowed me to be the person I needed to be and grown into that. It showed me it is okay to be different. Mixed race, female, single-parent family, state school; I've always felt different in the different worlds I've been in. 'In rugby I feel appreciated for having a different perspective. Rugby has also put me on a platform and allowed me to get my message across to other people. In athletics, in many ways I was the same person, but I didn't have a following and I didn't get to speak to journalists, whereas now I get to go on TV, talk to journalists, and interacting with the media is very normal. The eyes on rugby have allowed me to empower others. 'On the pitch I love the physical side of rugby, I love that, as a woman, I am actively encouraged to be bold, and loud, more physical and strong, and aggressive.' Making a difference – a proud sponsor of the Welsh Rugby Union – partnered with the Telegraph Media Group to launch its Making a Difference campaign, rewarding individuals who have made a major contribution to grassroots rugby. Read about the Wales winner, David Dixon, and watch the moment Nigel Owens presented him with his prize. is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Register number 465053.
