Girls from East London Rugby Club’s new Vixens Cubs team have thanked Essex County Rugby Football Union for helping them to obtain new kit in their debut season.

The Cubs are the result of a pathway project between the club in Memorial Park, West Ham, working with girls from Morpeth School in Bethnal Green, who wanted to start their own their own rugby programme.

The girls teacher John Mulholland, a former player at East London, contacted the club and they have now been given a home and a pathway to playing for the East London RFC’s Vixens ladies’ side. Almost 40 girls aged between 11 and 17 from multiple ethnic backgrounds are now taking their first steps into club rugby. They travel together as a group to and from the club on Thursday training evenings.

East London applied to Essex County RFU for support under a strand of the county’s club led targeted activity funding that aims to increase the number of female players aged 16 to 21. The club received a grant that has been used to provide the girls with Cubs-branded weatherproof tops and hats. The kit contains the Essex County badge as an acknowledgement and thank you for the funding.

The Vixens Cubs have already started visiting other clubs to take part in joint training sessions. In March they hosted a rugby taster session at East London, sharing their love of the sport with more than 100 girls from local schools who have never been involved before.

Kat Salthouse, East London RFC vice-chair and women’s rugby officer, said: “The Vixens Cubs have been a welcome addition to the club this season. The girls gave been given a pathway into the sport and they are making friends and learning new skills. We thank Essex County for the support we have received. It is much appreciated.”