Young rugby star gets helping hand towards her sporting ambitions

Natalee Evans, who plays for Shrewsbury Rugby Club Under 18s, is being supported towards her goal of playing at national level, with free sessions at Shrewsbury Sports Village and at The Quarry Swimming and Fitness Centre, Shrewsbury.

The offer was made after managers from Shropshire Community Leisure Trust (SCLT), which runs the leisure facilities on behalf of Shropshire Council, heard Natalee had been selected to take part at an England Centre of Excellence training camp at Worcester Warriors. The centre is part of the England Women’s Rugby Pathway and may result in trials for the national Under 18s squad.

Natalee said: “I’m very grateful to the teams at the Sports Village and The Quarry for allowing me access to their excellent gyms.

“The training I’m receiving via the England Centre of Excellence at Worcester Warriors is the best I’ve ever experienced in my rugby career, but having this extra gym time for strength and cardio work is definitely helping me get stronger and fitter, which I’ll need to be as the players I’m competing against are of such a high quality.”

Roy Aldcroft, Shropshire Council’s deputy Cabinet member for communities, culture, leisure and tourism, and transport, said: “We are delighted that Natalee is benefitting from complimentary use of the Shropshire Council-owned fitness centres for her training. We fully support her in her ambition and endeavours to make the national squad.”

Chris Stanbrook, the contract manager for SCLT, said: “We’re always keen to back Shropshire’s next generation of elite sportswomen and men, so when we heard about Natalee we were more than happy to step in and provide free access to two of our gyms.

“We hope that having easy access to high-quality, well-equipped facilities like Shrewsbury Sports Village and The Quarry will help her prepare for the sporting challenges ahead.”

SCLT also manages Market Drayton Swimming Centre and Oswestry Leisure Centre.