England rugby’s Zoe Aldcroft is hoping to inspire a new generation of women’s rugby stars, having been awarded Women’s Rugby’s Player of the Year for 2021.
Aldcroft was in shock, when former England Rugby star Maggie Alphonsi presented the award to her after a training session.
She said: “I honestly couldn’t believe it, I was thrilled and I still don’t think it’s sunk in yet.
“We knew the camera crew were coming to film, but it was just such a surprise when she presented me with the award.”
Local radio station ‘This is the coast’ reported on the news: “Former Scarborough Rugby Union Club youth team player Zoe Aldcroft has been named World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year.
Equally comfortable in the second row or on the blindside, the 25-year-old England international has only ever been on the losing side once in 28 test appearances, highlighting her importance to the team.
Aldcroft’s name is now etched on the trophy alongside that of England team-mates, Sarah Hunter and Emily Scarratt, as the best women’s player in the world.”
Aldcroft first fell in love with rugby in her hometown Scarborough, here she is pictured with the ball in her hands
The former Scarborough RUFC youngster, who used to travel 70 miles just to play her rugby, had a shaky start on the international stage but is hoping to remain a huge part of the national side.
“Obviously, I’ve had to come through quite a few significant injuries and I’ve just struggled with the consistency with me being in the team.
“But it’s great to be back involved and hopefully I’ll be a part of this team for years to come.”
The England Women side finished 2021 in amazing fashion, beating The Black Ferns, 43-12 and 56-15 before easing past Canada and the USA.
“We’ve had a great year as a side and we’ve played some really great rugby," Aldcroft added.
“We beat the Black Ferns but we know that they won’t be the same side in a year’s time when the World Cup is on.
“It’s important that we keep growing, pushing each other and ourselves so that the gap can’t be closed between the two teams.
“I don’t think our performances through the Autumn were perfect and we can work on things but we have to now prepare for the Six Nations.
A study by Sports England, shows that in the last 12 months, there has been a significant decrease in activity levels across both genders.
Aldcroft is hoping that the growth of the women’s game will increase participation levels across England.
“Even from the 2017 World Cup, the amount the sport has grown is massive even from grassroots level.
“It’s unbelievable and now most clubs now have a girls section which is brilliant for the development of the game.
“I think it’s amazing to see and hopefully we can continue to be role models for young girls and the more they’ll see the more it’ll inspire them
“It’s great that we are on the big channels and it’s so much easier for young girls and women to watch us play and get involved.
"The last 12 months have, obviously, seen a decrease in participation due to the pandemic but I hope that we've been able to inspire people to change this and get involved in 2022."
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