› Club History
Harlequin Ladies Football Club was established in September 1995 when a couple of Quins fans moved into the area and wanted to set-up a Ladies team. The idea soon grew into a squad of players that went on to win their first league campaign and ending the season unbeaten. Since then, the Harlequin Ladies have gone from strength to strength, establishing a highly successful youth side, forming strong links with the main club and the local community, and developing an enviable social calendar!
In the 2007/08 season the RFUW restructured the leagues to reflect the structure of the men's game. Harlequin Ladies will play in the Championship 2: South East league. There have been many changes to the squad over the years, but with a number of new recruits and former youth team “graduates” joining the senior side, the team are hoping to build on their previous league position in the 2008/09 season.
The Youth Academy
The youth team was originally set-up in 1998, with the late Sue Moloney taking on the role of Youth Team Secretary and other senior team members playing key roles in setting up and training the team.
As well as proving themselves invaluable members of the senior squad, many youth team "graduates" have gone on to achieve major representational success at County, Regional and England level.
After a three-season hiatus, we relaunched the youth section as Harlequin Ladies Youth Academy in September 2006. In its first year, the squad finished 2nd in the Thames Valley Cluster League, and a number of players were selected for representative honours. We are always looking to recruit players to the Youth Academy, at both U15 and U18 ages, so anyone that is interested in playing, even if a complete novice please get in touch.
Tours
The Ladies have also worked hard to develop a strong social side to their game. In addition to regular socials, which have ranged from picnics at the Middlesex Sevens to pub crawls in Twickenham, each season is rounded off with tours for both the senior and youth teams.
So far the Ladies have seen the sights of Dublin, Cork, Treviso, Amsterdam, Paris, Ghent, Rotterdam, Isle of Man and Stockholm. They have been known to return with silverware on several occasions. Not only have these tours provided the opportunity to meet and play against many new teams, they have also been an excellent way for new members to really get to know their team-mates.
Funding
At the heart of every amateur sport is the need for adequate funding. Fundraising is an integral way of life to Harlequin Ladies, and recent successes have been the production of a fundraising calendar and our annual raffle. We would gladly welcome sponsorship for either the whole club, or individually the youth or senior sections. Please contact us to find out what opportunities we can offer your business.
The Community
The Ladies are also kept busy off the pitch, often in the support of local fundraising events. These have included the record breaking abseil off Twickenham Stadium for Cancer Research UK and supporting the main club in their charity events. To promote and encourage participation in girls' rugby the Ladies hold frequent 'coaching clincs' open to all participants. These are publicised in advance on our website. In June 2007 Harlequin Ladies provided coaching and managed the London Borough of Richmond's Girls Tag-team, who were victorious at the London Youth Games.
Come and Meet Us
The Harlequin Ladies are always on the look out for new players. Whether an old-hand or a complete novice, we look forward to hearing from you.
Harlequin Ladies training takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7.30pm to 9.00pm at Old Isleworthians Rugby Club, Isleworth. The Youth Academy trains on certain Thursday evenings 6:30pm to 7:15pm as the season is winding down, also at Old Isleworthians Rugby Club, Isleworth.
To find out more about us, please email us at quinsladies@hotmail.com or call the Harlequins switchboard on 0208 410 6000.
› Past & Present Captains
Season Club Captain, First XV Captain & Second XV Captain
1995/06 Vanessa Matthews, Kirsty Heslop
1996/07 Kirsty Heslop
1997/08 Kirsty Heslop, Nicky Meston, Lizzie Graves
1998/09 Kirsty Heslop, Nicky Daly, Sue Moloney
1999/00 Kirsty Heslop, Claire Beecham, Sue Moloney
2000/01 Mel Antao, Fiona Stockley
2001/02 Mel Antao, Sam Marshall
2002/03 Mel Antao, Sam Marshall
2003/04 Mel Antao, Sam Marshall
2004/05 Mel Antao, Vicky Gallagher
2005/06 Mel Antao, Jo Everett
2006/07 Tanya Wilson, Kate Sinfield
2007/08 Tanya Wilson, Kate Sinfield
2008/09 Ros Holder & Claire Brazier-Kobus, Laura Quinn
2009/10 Ros Holder, Laura Quinn
2010/11 Kate Sinfield, Nat Smith