The Sonics – Is Rugby the new Football?

 

The term ‘Saracens’ has a rich history not known to many. The term itself, between the 5th and 15th centuries, was used to refer to those who lived in and near what Romans called Arabia Petraeaand and Arabia Deserta. During the Middle Ages, the term evolved and came to be associated with the tribes of Arabia. The oldest known source mentioning ‘Saracens’ in relation to Islam dates back to the 7th Century, in Greek-Christian Doctrina Jacobi. By the 12th Century, ‘Saracen’ developed overlapping definitions, generally conflating peoples and cultures associated with Islam. Among the Byzantine Greeks, the term had become synonymous with ‘Muslim’, however, this definition become obsolete following the Age of Discovery. [1]

Although the term was first used with more derogatory intent, coming from the Arabic word ‘sāriq’[1],it can be argued that it had connotations of the fierce warriors early Muslims were thought to be. And this is the meaning captured with the name of this Rugby Team – The Saracens.

This Is Local London:

And after that brief history lesson, it is only fitting to introduce the new up and coming Saracens Girls’ Team: The Sonics (and once you see them in action, you will also definitely see the correlation between the chosen team name and their lightning speed performance).

The Sonics Rugby Club started on the 30th of June 2023, very recently in comparison to The Saracens Rugby Club who only beat the Girls Section to it by a mere 147 years (1876).

The outstanding team consists of an u12s, u14s and u16s, with an u18s to be formed very soon with the growing number of regular players (the team has approximately 30 players already which is big progress given the club only started up eight months ago). Already, the team have played over 20 matches – some friendly, some competitive. From this, all players have expressed that the matches have been a perfect learning opportunity and a development of a greater passion for the game. It has also been an experience of being rewarded for their efforts during training and preparation for the matches. During the matches, it has been interesting to see that you can learn so much from teams better and worse.

Recently, two Sonics players have been selected for the Middlesex u16s County Team: Abigail Rowell and Evie Charalambous.

And even more ecently, the u12s team have been awarded the trophy for the RAF Halton Tournament, which is just absolutely incredible.

Given how early on in training they are, these are both amazing achievements.

The Manager Begoña Pons overlooks the team’s efforts and the incredibly hardworking, dedicated coaches: Nash Cohen (Head Coach, u16s), Ed Cheek (u14s) and Dean Underwood (u12s). This team is always accepting new players so if you have hopes of going into Rugby as a career or just want to take up a new sport, this is the place to be.

 

This team is really one to watch as they know what they want, and they are determined to get it.

 

Training times:

Sunday

12:30-14:00

 

Location:

Bramley Sports Ground,

N14 4AB

 

Email:

girlsrugby@saracensarfc.com.

 

 

References:

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saracen