I started playing again the club after moving to Manchester post University. I'm now on my 5th season and haven't looked back. It's a great local club with a huge amount to offer all players!

Do you consider yourself to be a role model? If so, how?

I'm not sure I can give myself that much credit, but I hopefully help contribute to the running of the women's team and if that ultimately helps more women participate in the sport, especially at Manchester, then I'll take that as a win.

There are however plenty of role models within the squad, Laura Dudbridge in particular. She has played for the club for over a decade and I always feel an added degree of comfort when I know she is my flanker! Hattie Gaunt has also been kicking around a while and she is always a 'no brainer' when it comes to the team sheet.

How would you encourage other women to get involved with the club or with rugby?

The best way, in my experience, is to just give it a go. That's what I did when I started playing for the first time in 2010 and that is what I did with my first committee role. I think this is especially true for rugby where women do not typically get the chance to experience the sport at school.

Rugby is so varied, right down to the personalities involved and the positions you can play - there is something to suit everyone.

What are your aspirations in terms of female representation for the club?

For me, I think a big part is to have women at the helm of the club who are strong role models, like Suzanne Morton. She is constantly donating her time to help run the place and without characters like this, we wouldn't function properly. It is really important to have female representation and at Manchester there is a balanced viewpoint at committee level - this needs to continue.

In terms of aspirations, I think the key goal for women's representation should be the girls team; the younger females coming through and into the sport. Whenever you look at the top levels of female rugby, i.e the premiership teams and internationals, a lot of those players have played from a young age. This compares with a huge number of female players who have picked up the sport at university or later. If we want to keep our women's team competitive we need a strong relationship with a successful girl's team. This means that not only will girls have a better chance to represent themselves and Manchester at a high level but they can also bring experience (and youth) through to the women's team.