In 2022 , Alex Patterson sat down with Serena Settembri , an Italian rugby player , who spent four years playing for the Bristol Bears . Serena talked about the progression of women ’ s rugby in both Italy and England and her experiences of playing the game .

what rugby was . So I just turned up , there were 25 girls and we didn ’ t really know what was happening at first . And essentially , we just started there , becoming the first female team in our town .”

And so began Serena ’ s rugby story , playing for her local team throughout her school days until a unique opportunity arose in 2017 . “ Our director of rugby said to me , he thought I could go and play somewhere else , where I could challenge myself more – and I thought , yeah , why not ! I was lucky , because he was friends with the coach of Bristol Rugby , now the Bristol Bears . I came along for open trials in July [ 2017 ], and then started pre-season just two weeks later .”

“ When I came to Bristol and was looking for a job , I started working in a gym . The manager just told me to put the times I was available to work around my training , which was weird to me ! This level of support from my work was something so different .”

The conversation then moves to the differences between playing rugby in each country , and Serena recollects how she was struck by the professional environment in England . “ In Bristol , we had full-time staff to take care of us and our training . This is probably the main difference , as here in Italy , the standard is high , but no-one is full-time at the club – even my head coach has a full-time job outside the sport ! And there are only

two or three teams at this higher level in our league .”

The professional game arrived in Italy in the late 1990s , and only for men – the Italian national women ’ s team still operate on parttime contracts , where they are paid solely for the days of participation in training camps and games .

Settembri styling Ruggette RFC clothing in 2021 Source : Instagram @ serenasett _ pt

“ It ’ s hard when you have a full-time job , and then rugby is your passion ,” she explains . “ We train three of four times a week for a few hours , to be prepared to a high standard for the matches on Sundays .”

Although standards for women ’ s rugby are growing , Serena mentions it is still difficult for female players to represent their national teams . There are many factors to consider for these players , such as having employers who accommodate their sporting ambitions .

“ As we ’ re not professional , it ’ s difficult to take leave – my teammates playing in the Six Nations will be asking for lots of time off ! So when they actually need a holiday , they won ’ t have the time left . It ’ s not that easy to find jobs which accommodate this , in a country where rugby is not that popular .”

Serena suggests this public indifference to rugby is regardless of gender , and part of a wider perception of the game in Italy . “ I don ’ t think it ’ s just women ’ s rugby , but rugby in general that struggles to gain the same attention that is seen for other sports . I remember one of the first things that I noticed when arriving in Bristol was the variety of sport played in schools , including rugby .

Football remains by far the most followed sport in Italy , and it can be hard to generate interest in rugby , as it competes for attention with other sports . The game is popular in Lombardy and the Veneto , where the top clubs and players are based , but the picture is different on a national scale .

“ To be honest , part of my reason for moving from Italy in 2017 was frustration about the situation . There was no real development . However , when I returned in 2021 , things had improved , so we are going in the right direction .”

But Serena believes there is much more to be done in terms of public support for rugby . She references a game between Harlequins and Exeter

Settembri in action against Wasps in 2019 / 20 Source : X @ BristolBearsW

Chiefs in England that was watched by over 15,000 spectators , a world record at the time for a women ’ s club rugby match .

“ Sadly , we will never have that kind of attendance in Italy . There ’ s not that level of interest in the game , and that carries over to matters off the pitch , such as sponsors .”

But she remains optimistic that more progress will be seen in future , with the next Women ’ s World Cup to be held in England in 2025 . “ We ’ re going in the right way , but there ’ s so much more still to do .”

By Alex Patterson ( He / Him ) // Final Year Italian and German

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