Maddy's Mark: Growing the Women's Game Together
At Gilbert, we have always believed rugby is about far more than what happens between the whitewash. It builds character, community and confidence that players carry with them long after the final whistle. That is exactly the belief at the heart of Maddy's Mark, a charity using rugby to open doors for girls and young women across the country, and one we are incredibly proud to support.
In this feature we spoke with the team at Maddy's Mark to hear their story, the impact they are having, and how you can help them keep it growing.
1. Who are Maddy's Mark?
Maddy's Mark uses rugby to build the confidence, resilience and sense of belonging that girls and young women can carry through life. By funding multi-week programmes in schools and partnering with clubs and foundations from Exeter to Newcastle, the charity is making rugby accessible to everyone who wants to play.
What participants take away goes well beyond the pitch: the willingness to try something in front of others, the habit of getting back up, and a place in a group that would notice if they were not there.
The charity carries the name of Madeleine "Maddy" Lawrence, who died in 2022 aged 20 from sepsis, two weeks after a rugby injury sustained while playing for her university team at UWE. Maddy was brave and courageous. She loved music, art and design, but most of all she loved rugby. More than a sport, rugby gave Maddy her squad, a place to build her physical and mental strength, and the freedom to be entirely herself. Her parents founded Maddy's Mark so that more girls would find that same refuge in the rugby community.
Since then, the numbers have spoken for themselves. Maddy's Mark has raised over £500,000, and more than 10,200 girls and young women have taken part in one of its programmes.
2. How our partnership began
The Gilbert connection goes right back to the beginning. When Maddy's Mark was established in 2022, a member of its Advisory Board with strong links to Gilbert reached out for help and advice. That support has continued ever since, and today the charity proudly uses its own Maddy's Mark branded Gilbert ball.
Purpose-built balls like this are something close to our heart. If you have ever wondered how a club, cause or event ends up with a ball of its own, you can see how it works over on our Kit Designer and Custom Balls page.
3. Why we are a natural fit
Maddy's mum, Karen, sums up the shared spirit perfectly: "Rugby is a community that pulls you up when you're down, pushes you forward when you're struggling, and cheers you on."
As Maddy's Mark introduces more girls and young women to the game, it is a perfect partner for Gilbert in our shared mission to grow the women's game. From grassroots pitches to the biggest stages in the sport, we want every girl to feel that rugby is a game for her. You can explore more of our work in the women's game across our Premiership Women's Rugby range and our wider Charity & Licensed Balls collection.
4. The impact in action
During the Women's Six Nations, one of the Red Roses mascots was a young girl first introduced to rugby through the charity's programme with Gloucester: Anastasia Pearce. It is a moment that captures everything Maddy's Mark set out to do.
The impact is best told by Anastasia's mum, Victoria, who is running the Manchester Marathon in support of the charity:
"This charity means so much to me because I have seen the impact of its work first-hand. When Maddy's Mark visited my daughter's school, they gave her something far more valuable than a rugby lesson, they gave her confidence. They reinforced the importance of believing in herself and recognising her own worth, something we have always encouraged at home.
Watching rugby players stand in front of a group of 10-year-old girls and tell them they are strong, capable, and enough was incredibly powerful. Those words stay with them. They inspire confidence, resilience, and the courage to believe in themselves, and I saw that change in my own daughter."
5. Why this cause matters now
Today, social media places intense pressure on girls and young women, promoting unrealistic appearance ideals, constant comparison and a reliance on external validation. That environment significantly increases the risk of anxiety, body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem, particularly during the early teenage years.
Maddy's Mark challenges those pressures head-on, using rugby to give girls the confidence, resilience and belonging to carry through life, exactly the change Victoria saw in her own daughter. Support from partners like Gilbert helps raise awareness, encourage fundraising and build even more partnerships, with new opportunities already being explored in Wales alongside the WRU.
6. How you can get involved
There are plenty of ways to be part of the journey:
- Become an Ambassador and help spread the word about Maddy's Mark.
- Partner with the charity as a corporate or Foundation sponsor.
- Fundraise your way, whether that is a marathon, a challenge event, or something entirely your own. There is even a growing plan for girls who have completed a programme to design and run their own fundraising events, building confidence and teamwork in the process, a little like the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme.
- Donate or follow along at maddysmark.com, on Instagram @maddys.mark, on Facebook and on LinkedIn. You can also support Victoria's marathon effort on her JustGiving page.
Rugby gave Maddy her squad, her strength and her freedom to be herself. Through Maddy's Mark, and with partners like Gilbert behind it, thousands more girls are now finding the very same thing.
Read next: Want to learn more about Gilbert's history in the women's game? Head over to our blog, The Knock On Effect: One Ball for Every Women's Rugby World Cup, and explore more stories from the world of rugby on the Gilbert News Hub.
