Helping connect players with clubs: Ella Amory's 'Offload' mission

What does it take to become a professional rugby player if you’re 18 and living in Belgium? According to the only Belgian playing in Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR), stubbornness is the key.

Ella Amory is about to start her third season in the PWR with Trailfinders Women. Before then the scrum-half enjoyed four seasons with Harlequins and won the 2020-21 title, having taken herself to open trials at their Surrey Sports Park training centre.

It was an unconventional, if brave, move from the then 18-year-old, who was already part of the Belgium sevens set up. It came after Daffyd Pugh, one of her coaches at Boitsfort Rugby Club in Brussells suggested she go and see how she got on, after he was tipped off by a contact who worked at The Stoop.

Off Amory went, catching the train from Brussels to London, and then on to Guildford. There an Airbnb awaited, all of it paid for by money she had saved up. Oh, and she hadn’t mentioned anything to her parents.

“I didn’t really know what I was getting into when I first went to Harlequins to take a trial. I didn’t even know who they were,” said Amory. “I had no clue what The Stoop was, or who Harlequins were. I turned up, and it turned out to be a very good day for me. Gary Street, who was the coach at the time, asked me to come back for pre-season.

“I was so stubborn. I didn’t hear back from Harlequins for a while, so I sent them about 10 emails a day, asking what’s going on. I was desperate, and they said to come back for a week, so they could assess me more, and that’s what I did.

“That time I came back with my dad. I played a friendly game against Loughborough Lightning, and then Gary said I could stay. Because my dad was there, I think Gary had more peace of mind with this 18 year old, from a different country, who had just turned up.”

Since 2023, Amory has been part of the Trailfinders set up. She was persuaded to join by England wing Abby Dow, who was a team-mate at Harlequins and who “badgered me every day to join.” Dow put her in touch with then head coach Giselle Mather, a 1994 World Cup winner with England.

Amory’s experience of the longer road taken to the PWR has influenced her life away from rugby. Having completed a degree in business management from the University of Surrey, just down the road from Harlequins’ training centre, Amory put what she learned into practice.

She set up Offload, an agency whose mission is to democratise access to opportunities in women’s rugby by providing a central platform where players, clubs, universities, and unions can connect directly — regardless of geography, background, or budget.

“It’s a network of female rugby players and clubs,” Amory explains. “So far, it’s clubs, but it is going to develop further. The idea is to democratise access to opportunities. As, if you’re not born in England or in France, and if you’ve not been put into the pathway of professional rugby, it’s really hard to break into it.

“In business and entrepreneurship, we talk a lot about solving problems. Can I facilitate that access to professional rugby, or can I facilitate access to rugby in general? Looking back on my career, I asked how exactly did I end up in the best championship in the world? Daffyd was one huge part of my career. The second part was Abby and Giselle. So, what do these two things have in common? They’re people. They’re a connection, they are a network.”

Amory revisits her own past to help guide her business proposition.

“So, how does a girl who’s 10 years old, playing with boys in Brussels, end up playing in the best women’s championship in the world? Yes, it’s through hard work. Yes, it’s through things falling into place. My family supported me, but there’s the aspect of connection with community.

“But can I create the feeling that I got when I started playing rugby, of belonging? Can I also make that accessible for girls that maybe wonder what their role is on this planet, or what role they need to have in their lives. It’s a bigger purpose.”

Trailfinders, have certainly benefitted from Amory’s move across London. One of the reasons she wanted a change was to enjoy more game time in the number nine jersey, having found herself behind England World Cup winner Lucy Packer at Harlequins.

Last season she featured in all 16 PWR matches, primarily in her favoured position, but also at fly half. This season she will play alongside World Cup winners Megan Jones and Abi Burton, as well as Canada’s Julia Schell, Claire Gallagher, and Mikiela Nelson, and New Zealand duo Alana Borland and Georgia Ponsonby.

The 10-year-old who began playing rugby alongside the boys has come a long way.

“At Harlequins I made some of my best mates that I’m still in touch with today,” Amory said. “It was a great environment, but after a while, I thought why not go after something new and have some more consistency in my game time?

“Trailfinders were building a new team and it would be a good opportunity. The standard of training is just crazy. I’m super competitive. I want to train with purpose, and I think these people coming in have just raised the bar. It was already quite high, but it’s amazing and very fulfilling.

“You’ve got 10 members of staff looking after you, and you’ve got a whole slot on the pitch for you. You’ve got a whole slot in the gym. It’s like, okay, this is possible.”

Learn more about Ella’s Offload mission here.