Balmy Beach Rugby’s junior girls programs are thriving with teams competing in number of age groups

By JESSICA SHACKLETON

Outdoor sports season is here, and the girls’ programs at Balmy Beach Rugby are in full swing.

The U14, U16, and U18 teams practice at Tubs and Gee Gage Field on Lakeshore Boulevard East and Embaadiimok Avenue. The senior team is on the pitch after them and can be spotted warming up on the sidelines while the younger players practice.

Balmy Beach’s junior rugby programs start with flag rugby for players under six and gradually progresses to contact.

The girls’ youth program has grown exponentially in the last few years since its inception in 2022, with the U16 team winning regional gold in 2025. The U18 team also went to the finals of its league, heading home with silver.

Last year was also the first time there was a dedicated U12 team after Rugby Ontario introduced a girls-only division for that age group. The U12 group will start joining the others later in the season.

Matt Bernardo is the Mini and U12 Program Coordinator for Balmy Beach Rugby, and he told Beach Metro Community News that the club is continuing to build on momentum.

“Whether a girl is picking up a rugby ball for the first time or looking for a summer activity after the high school season, the program has a place for her,” he said.

Player Tori is only in Grade 9, but already has experience playing rugby with Balmy Beach. Because of this, she plays on Malvern Collegiate’s varsity team.

“The community is great. You definitely meet a lot of people, and I got to play up. I went to high school this year, and I already knew people. The community and the fitness, that’s all really great,” she said.

Multiple players do double rugby duty in the spring, as high school sports overlap with club sports. Malvern won the city crown and secured a spot at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associaitons (OFSAA) championships this year. The Malvern girls played three games in the 16-team OFSAA tournament in Lindsay, winning one and losing two.

Jesse Henkenhaf is one of the U14 coaches and enjoys seeing new players come out and try the sport.

“The best thing for us is that this program has grown so much over the last three or four years, and we just want to keep growing it. Especially at the U12 and U14 level, getting brand-new people and people new to the sport is very helpful,” he said.

U18 scrum half Alex McBride recently signed to play with the University of Prince Edward Island. She also plays with Malvern Collegiate and agrees with Tori that the community is the best part of playing the game with Balmy Beach.

“The team is very centred around pushing each other to own their best efforts on and off the pitch. You can also feel every single coach behind your back, even in aspects of life outside of rugby. I can honestly say that I’ve never felt so fortunate with a sport or a team,” she said.

McBride has been playing rugby on and off since Grade 8, and is looking forward to expanding her knowledge of the game in the fall.

The Balmy Beach Rugby Football Club is one of Canada’s oldest, largest, and most successful grassroots rugby clubs. It proudly welcomes players of all ages, abilities, and genders.

Canada has also seen international success in the women’s game, winning silver in the Paris 2024 Olympics in Rugby 7s and capturing the country’s attention at the 2025 Rugby World Cup last fall, where they also placed second.

It can be a confusing game to watch, but McBride said not to let that worry prospective players.

“The advice I would give to girls who want to try the sport is not to be intimidated by the physical aspect of the game. Rugby is a very physical and technical sport that stems from a mental game, and it’s because of this hard and compartmentalized sport that the relationships you build from both the highs and lows of the game that the relationships you make are so strong and special,” she said.

The team’s home field, Tubs and Gee Gage, hosts games for youth and senior teams throughout the season, and the club’s blue and yellow kits can often be seen throughout the neighbourhood.

For more about the Junior Rugby program at Balmy Beach, please visit https://balmybeachrugby.com/jr-rugby/