Meet The StrongHer Society – a student-led non-profit organization that is striving to empower women and increase female participation in sports such as Rugby!

The StrongHer Society was founded in August by Vancouver-based teenagers and Grade 9 Crofton House students Audrey Sung and Ashley Wang. The organisation aims to break down barriers and provide girls with the tools, confidence and support they need to excel in traditionally male-dominated sports.

Audrey, who currently plays at Meraloma Rugby Club, reached out to BC Rugby ahead of the 2024 Girls Can Rugby campaign, wanting to raise money to donate to the initiative and help inspire more girls to take up the sport. Inspired by how popular Rugby is with girls in Hong Kong, the duo decided to focus on helping increase participation of girls Rugby in Vancouver.

“We believe that by encouraging more young girls to participate in rugby and other male-dominated sports, we can help them develop skills that will benefit them both on and off the field.”

Their planned fundraiser proved a huge success: with the help of countless volunteers, the society sold 1500 donuts (120 boxes) in Richmond-Brighouse, Steveston, and Kerrisdale to raise over $2,590, of which $1,500 will be donated to BC Rugby.

“As a Rugby player myself for Meraloma, I’ve experienced firsthand the power of this sport to build confidence, teamwork, and resilience. We believe that by encouraging more young girls to participate in rugby and other male-dominated sports, we can help them develop skills that will benefit them both on and off the field,” said Audrey Sung.

Audrey added: “Rugby is a sport that offers incredible opportunities for teamwork, leadership, and personal growth. However, girls’ participation in rugby often faces significant challenges due to limited resources and support. At The StrongHer Society, we aim to change this by using our funds to support training programs, and community events that may help encourage and sustain girls’ involvement in rugby.”

BC Rugby will use the donation to purchase five Let’s Play Rugby presented by NFP kits for future Girls Can Rugby campaigns. Let’s Play Rugby is an inclusive non-contact rugby program aimed at increasing the number of females aged 13-16 being introduced to the sport through community, school and Club rugby.

In 2024, BC Rugby and Rugby Canada partnered with local Rugby Clubs and High Schools to deliver 13 Girls Can Rugby and Let’s Play Rugby presented by NFP sessions throughout the three-week WXV 1 tournament in Vancouver and Langley, BC. The community sessions engaged over 550 girls, many of whom were trying the sport for the first time.

The sessions also allowed participants to interact with the world’s biggest female Rugby stars from Canada, the Black Ferns, United States, England, France and Ireland, as well as Canada’s Olympic Silver Medal-winning Women’s 7s Head Coach Jack Hanratty.

You can learn more about the StrongHer Society and the work they are doing by visiting their Instagram page @thestronghersociety

ABOUT THE STRONGHER SOCIETY

StrongHer is a non-profit that strives to provide a society which aims to empower women. We aim to target topics such as; a woman’s mental health, participance in sports, and overall physical health. Overall, we focus to provide women with support and hope to create a safe and welcoming community.