Mineral water brand Volvic aims to encourage more girls to get into rugby by introducing a ‘force of nature’ fund, which gives grants of up to £5,000 to clubs involved with the sport.
As part of the launch, the firm enlisted the help of England rugby player Natasha ‘Mo’ Hunt and former Spice Girl Melanie C. The pair sat down together, reflecting on their careers, values and the power of female role models.
Volvic’s launch follows YouGov research, which found 87% of women believe team sports help girls build skills such as teamwork and leadership. It also highlighted that 60% of women thought the upcoming Women’s Rugby World Cup would encourage more girls to take up the sport.
Research from World Rugby showed there are 400 “female-focused” rugby clubs in the UK compared with 2000 for men.
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During the discussion, Hunt said: “I stood in my grandma’s kitchen and thought, I’m going to play for England one day. I always had the ambition to represent my country at something. In rugby, nothing can be left to chance. Nutrition and hydration are absolutely crucial, and discipline is at the heart of everything I do to prepare. Every detail matters.”
“When I was little, there were very few role models to look up to. I think that Sporty Spice, pretty much stands out in terms of somebody that we could actually pin our hat on and say, I want to be like that.”
The company will be the official water supplier of the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025. The tournament kicks off on 22 August with a match between England and the USA. It will run until 27 September.
Melanie C said: “There is so much happening in women’s sport, it’s such an honour to be brought into conversations with sporting personalities like Mo and to learn about the impact that my ‘sporty’ image had on her growing up.Now that I’ve got a daughter of my own, I realise how important it is to celebrate the incredible things women are doing not just in music, but in sport too. We’ve got to keep that momentum going.”
