Shotton Steel Ladies coach Jo Seymour believes that attracting the next generation of players can help the club flourish.

The Flintshire side are hoping to reap the benefits of the recently-launched north east Wales Valkyries youth team, which has girls-only teams from U7 to U18 level.

With an emphasis on fun, youth sessions are tailored to the levels of those participating and aim to promote sportsmanship, teamwork, confidence and respect.

Seymour said: "That's what it's all about. The focus from the start should be on friendship, fun, fitness and camaraderie.

"A lot of people look at rugby and think of the physical side of the game and of tackles flying in on players, but there's so much more to the game than that.

"Most of the girls who come along to sessions to try out the game for the first time enjoy the social aspect of the club here and they usually want to stay on and come back again.

"This summer is all about getting more and more girls interested and involved in a new sport

"That's great to see and hopefully this will provide a pathway for girls to progress through the ages until they can eventually represent the club at senior level."

Last season Shotton Steel Ladies played in the newly-formed North Wales Game On development league comprising of six teams.

Competing against sides including COBRA, Welshpool and Llangollen, the club won three of their eight league fixtures.

Limited player availability and injuries hindered Shotton's progress but healthy numbers at pre-season training sessions have given cause for optimism.

And Seymour is hopeful that her senior side can ultimately emulate the likes of Caernarfon and Abergele, who fly the flag for North Wales in the Women's Premier and Division One respectively.

"We came through some tough spells last season and there were times were we weren't always able to raise a full 15 for a competitive game.

"But we came through it pretty well and I think it's given us a solid platform for us to build on going forward.

"Playing in those regional leagues is definitely something we should be aiming for as a club" she added.

"So we know where we want to be and it's something to strive for, but getting there depends on the players wanting it enough and putting in the hard yards in training and in games.

"The bigger our squad is, the better our chances are of achieving these ambitions. We've got quality in the squad with our captain Zoe May and our scrum-half Helen Parry both earning call-ups for RGC's regional side in the last 12 months.

"As a coach that's really encouraging and hopefully it will inspire others to try to reach those standards too."

Thrice-weekly women's training sessions run at the old Corus club, Rowley Drive, Shotton.

Girls-only Valkyrie training sessions for juniors are held weekly on Monday evenings between April and October.

For further details contact the club via its Facebook page at:https://www.facebook.com/ShottonSteelLadies/ or via the official Twitter page @ShottonLadies