#49: Chelsea Alley | The Reality Of Women's Rugby & How They Live, Train & Survive.

Chelsea Alley is a New Zealand Professional rugby player. She is currently the captain of the Waikato Women's team In the Farah Palmer Cup and has broken the union's record for most games and points. Alley also won the World Cup in 2017 and has been a part of the NZ black ferns since 2013. 

 

For the past 10 years, Alley has represented clubs from an amateur to an international level and has poured her heart and soul into the sport. Among her accolades, she was recently named in the Chiefs side that played in the first-ever Women's Super Rugby game between the Chiefs & Blues taking the victory 39-13. 

 

In this open and honest podcast, Alley shares her thoughts into the reality of her own life as a semi-professional rugby player and how she has struggled with juggling three jobs and also performing at the highest level of rugby. We dive into: 

 

• How Chelsea's childhood developed her kicking game by practising in the backyard with her brother & the idea around most young players tending to overcomplicate these skills.

 

• The Importance of women's rugby needing to change to a professional syndicate and breaking the stigma around their mental & physical wellbeing. 

 

• The process Chelsea takes to set up for a kick and her how internal feelings drastically affect the outcome of the kick in high stake environments.

 

• Dealing with constant pressure and high expectations of the public to consistently perform at the highest level while trying to sustain a healthy life balance.

 

• How Chelsea's has become a role model for the youth and set an example for the next generation of women's rugby players.

 

• Chelsea's thoughts around the Chiefs Mana resurgence and her personal experience being a part of the historic first women's Super Rugby game.

 

This podcast is extremely relevant in the rugby world and has been an issue that keeps getting swept under the carpet. We are excited to see the women's game grow and develop further in the future and we hope this podcast resonates with a lot of people and inspires young women to get involved in the game. Please share this podcast with someone who will really benefit from this sincere and genuine conversation.