DARLINGTON MOWDEN PARK SHARKS are one of ten clubs to have been granted a place in the inaugural Women’s Super Rugby competition.

The Sharks will be part of the first season of professional women’s action, with the Rugby Football Union (RFU) having committed a multi-million pound investment into the female game over the next three years.

Mowden will be joined by Bristol Ladies, Waterloo Ladies, Harlequins, Gloucester-Hartpury Women, Loughborough Students, Richmond, Saracens, Wasps and Worcester Warriors, with the Super Rugby tournament due to start in September.

“We are delighted with the RFU’s decision to award Mowden Park one of the new Women’s Super Rugby Competition places,” said Mowden Park managing director Lee Rust. “There was a very lengthy tender process with substantial competition from across the country including with the men’s Premiership clubs.

“To be awarded one of only ten league spots is an incredible achievement for our club. The successful bid is no doubt testament to the endless work and success of our women’s team over the years, and also the progress that Mowden Park has made as a whole.

“We must also thank all of our bid partners, including our lead University, Durham. We’re looking forward to being part of an exciting step change in women’s rugby and, as the only North-East team, to delivering something that the region will be proud of.”  

The RFU have devised the Women’s Super Rugby format to help support the women’s game in England in an attempt to raise standards at both club level, and within the national side.

New commercial partnerships will help underpin the competition, with the RFU having expressed an ambition to steer England to the top of the women’s international rankings.

Mowden have a proud history of providing players for the national team, with Tamara Taylor and Katy McLean both part of the current England side that tops the Women’s Six Nations table.

“We are absolutely delighted to be part of the new structure,” added Taylor. “Women’s rugby is going from strength to strength and we are looking forward to helping grow the game even more in the North-East. We are incredibly proud of the talent that has come from our region.”