Rugger Girls: Part 6 - 1970s: Opening up the North

Sixth chapter of the summary of the history of women's rugby, translated from from the book "Rugger Girls," written by Jacques B. Corti and Yaneth Pinilla (foreword by Serge Betsen) published weekly on Des Filles en Ovalie.

1970s - Opening up the North

The Rhone-Alpes area of southern France was now alive with initiatives, the efforts of the leaders, and the best efforts of the AFRF - and now it was the Ile de France in the north to start to move. At that time the followers of Rugby Club Chilly-Mazarin included a couple who just moved into the city: the Noury family.

In 1978, Wanda Noury becomes the chair of the club. Within a year she began to organize a women's match.

"We looked for girls everywhere in Chilly. It a success and we played our first game as a curtain raiser to one of the boys's games. I was 36 years and was my first match. It was against girls in Gennevilliers, who were very sturdy, and dressed in black. We were impressed. But we managed to score a try, and were pleased with that. It was great fun! ".

And it had not gone unnoticed. The press has had been interested and Noury Wanda received a phone call:

"It was Henry Fléchon at Bourg-en-Bresse. It was then that I discovered that there were many more teams. He asked me if I wanted to be part of the Association. "

The idea was to use Wanda's enthusiasm. She made many contacts with Soisy and Gennevilliers - who were both teams trying to start teams. Wanda Noury became the AFRF's representative for Ile de France, while continuing to lead the Chilly women's team.

Unfortunately there is now nothing other than memories and recollection of those early days. All of the  documents relating to women's rugby from the period, including all details of coaching licenses, were lost when flooding of town of Auch destroyed the house of the then leader of AFRF, Maurice Maygmaut.

NEXT WEEK: 1980s - END OF THE BREACH