Saracens Women (/ˈsærəsənz/) are an English women's rugby union club based in Hendon, London. They were established in 1989 and currently play in Premiership Women's Rugby, the top level competition of women's rugby in the country.^[11] Saracens are the most successful team in the history of the Premier 15s, having won the league a record three times – in 2017–18, 2018–19 and 2021–22. They are also the women's team of Saracens Amateurs, who themselves are affiliated to men's Premiership club Saracens.

Quick Facts Full name, Union ...

Saracens Women

Full name	Saracens Women[1]
Union	Middlesex RFU
Nickname(s)	Sarries, Women in Black, Wolf Pack
Emblem(s)	Star and crescent
Founded	1989; 35 years ago (1989)
Location	Hendon, Greater London, England
Ground(s)	StoneX Stadium[2] (Capacity: 10,500[lower-alpha 1])
Chairman	Neil Golding
CEO	Mark Thompson[3]
Director of Rugby	Alex Austerberry[4]
Coach(es)	Lewis Sones[5] Mouritz Botha[6] Duncan Taylor[7]
Captain(s)	Lotte Clapp[8] Marlie Packer[9]
Most appearances	Sonia Green[10] 329 (All Competitions)
League(s)	Premiership Women's Rugby
2022–23	3rd (Semi–finals)
1st kit 2nd kit
Largest win
Saracens 105–0 Worcester Valkyries (Barnet Copthall, London, England) 13 January 2018
Largest defeat
Saracens 7–53 Gloucester-Hartpury (Barnet Copthall, London, England) 10 December 2022
Official website
www.saracens.com
Current season

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Saracens Women were originally founded in 1989 by a group of nine players – which included England internationals Emma Mitchell, Janis Ross and Sam Robson, and Wales internationals Amanda Bennett and Liza Burgess – who had identified a need for another women's rugby club in north London.^[12] The founding members gained approval to establish the team, after agreeing to assist with the commercial operations of the Saracens men's team, who had just been promoted into the top flight for the 1989–90 season.^[13] In their debut season, they won the second division and achieved promotion to the Women's Premiership for the 1990–91 season. The team then claimed their first silverware at the national sevens tournament in 1990, and earned a total of 17 trophies over the ensuing decade, including domestic trebles in 1993 and 1998.^[14]

Upon entering the new millennium, Saracens Women were crowned Premiership champions in 2000, before new coaching staff were appointed in 2001, headed by former Saracens men's player Lee Adamson and club co-founder Amanda Bennett.^[15] Adamson held both coaching and administrative positions at Saracens, until he departed in 2007 to coach the Scotland women's national rugby union team.^[16] The team won the league again in 2002, under the captaincy of England international Claire Frost, and then achieved a sequence of four consecutive titles between 2006 and 2009.^[17] Throughout those four years, Saracens remained unbeaten in the competition – a feat not achieved before or since at the top level of English women's rugby.^[15] Prominent players during this period included England's most capped hooker Amy Garnett and flanker Maggie Alphonsi, who played her entire career at Saracens and was later named a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to rugby.^[18]

Off the back of this dominant spell, Saracens Women went five years without silverware, recording three second-place finishes in the league. In 2014, Rob Cain was installed as head coach, and the club proceeded to achieve a league and cup double in 2015.^[19] Cain continued as head coach through to the launch of the Premier 15s, after which he left to take the helm of the United States women's national rugby union team in 2018.^[20] Saracens secured the 2017–18 Premier 15s title, following a season notable for the breakthrough of a new generation of future England internationals who graduated through the club's academy pathway via Welwyn RFC, including prop Hannah Botterman and half-backs Zoe Harrison, Helena Rowland and Ella Wyrwas.^[21]

Led by new head coach Alex Austerberry and captain Lotte Clapp, Saracens Women cemented themselves as the dominant team in the Premier 15s, which operated as the highest level of women's domestic rugby union competition in England between 2017 and 2023, until it was rebranded as Premiership Women's Rugby.^[22] During this period, the club won the title in 2018, 2019 and 2022, while also achieving five consecutive first-place finishes in the regular season league tables.^[23] In September 2019, Saracens also announced that it would double its financial investment in the women's team, in addition to increasing alignment with the resources attached to the men's squad.^[24]

Until 2014, Saracens Women played their home games at Bramley Sports Ground in Enfield, London, and occasionally at Vicarage Road – the home of Watford FC – when the Saracens men, to whom they are affiliated, moved there in 1997. Subsequently, Saracens Women reached an agreement to play home matches at the men's home ground, StoneX Stadium, in Hendon. This ground continues to be their home ground for Premiership Women's Rugby fixtures.^[25]

Historically, the club has held rivalries with fellow London sides Richmond and Wasps.^[26] In more recent years, their main rivals have been Harlequins, with the two teams contesting three consecutive Premier 15s finals between 2018 and 2021.^[27] Since the 2020–21 season, they have competed in an annual showpiece match, known as The Duel.^[28] This fixture is notable for holding the attendance record for a Saracens women's game, drawing the club's highest ever live crowd of 3,071 supporters on 10 February 2024.^[29]

The Saracens Women senior squad for the 2023–24 season is:^[30]

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

More information Player, Position ...

Player Position Union May Campbell Hooker England Bryony Field Hooker England Daisy Fitzgerald Hooker England Chloe Flanagan Hooker England Nic Haynes Hooker Scotland Jodie Turl Hooker England Bryony Cleall Prop England Kelsey Clifford Prop England Jess Crockett Prop England Mica Evans Prop Wales Akina Gondwe Prop England Mica Gooding Prop England McKinley Hunt Prop Canada Jeanina Loyola Prop Spain Maya Montiel Prop Canada Donna Rose Prop Wales Carmen Tremelling Prop England Rosie Galligan Lock England Sonia Green Lock England Chloe Langdale Lock England Fiona McIntosh Lock Scotland Louise McMillan Lock Scotland Sophie Tansley Lock England Emma Taylor Lock Canada Joia Bennett Back row England Poppy Cleall Back row England Sophie de Goede Back row Canada Georgia Evans Back row Wales Sharifa Kasolo Back row England Lucy Lawford-Wilby Back row England Grace Moore Back row Ireland Marlie Packer (cc) Back row England Taryn Schutzler Back row Ireland

Player Position Union Chloe Broom Scrum-half England Anna Goddard Scrum-half England May Goulding Scrum-half Ireland Leanne Infante Scrum-half England Tori Sellors Scrum-half England Ella Wyrwas Scrum-half England Zoe Harrison Fly-half England Katie Johnson Fly-half England Amelia MacDougall Fly-half England Flo Williams Fly-half Wales Beth Blacklock Centre Scotland Sophie Bridger Centre England Hannah Casey Centre Ireland Kirsty Exley Centre England Coreen Grant Centre Scotland Sydney Gregson Centre England Cara Wardle Centre England Lucy Biggs Wing England Jess Breach Wing England Lotte Clapp (cc) Wing United States Abi Evans Wing Scotland Paige Farries Wing Canada Suzie Flowers Wing England Lottie Kissick-Jones Wing England Isla Alejandro Fullback Scotland Jemma-Jo Linkins Fullback England Sarah McKenna Fullback England

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Note: Players listed in bold have received at least one senior international test cap.

Academy squad

The Saracens Women academy squad for the 2023–24 season is:^[30]

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

More information Player, Position ...

Player Position Union Niamh Watts Hooker England Scarlett Coleridge Prop England Keira Muir Prop England Annie Shelswell Prop England Madison Lawrence Lock England Phoebe Woodhead Lock England Erin Delea Back row England Jess Taylor Back row England Jessica Wood Back row England

Player Position Union Maisy Herbert Scrum-half England Tilly Buckland Fly-half England Poppy Murray Fly-half England Casey Castelyn Centre England Charli Knibbs Centre England

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The current Saracens senior management and coaching staff, as of the 2023–24 season, is as follows:

More information Role, Name ...

Coaches[31][32][33][34] Role Name Director of Rugby / Head Coach Alex Austerberry Senior Assistant Coach Lewis Sones Senior Forwards / Defence Coach Mouritz Botha Senior Backs Coach Duncan Taylor Performance Pathway Lead Niamh McHugh College Academy Coach Sarah McKenna Team Manager Will Crowley-Johnson Strength & Conditioning Coach Xiang Yao

Executives[35][36][37][38] Role Name Club Chairman Neil Golding Chief Executive Officer Mark Thompson Chief Finance Officer Justin Le Fort Board of Directors Maggie Alphonsi Nick Leslau Marco Masotti Paul O'Shea Francois Pienaar Dominic Silvester

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The kit is currently supplied by Castore, from the beginning of the 2021–22 season.^[43] The club's principal sponsor is City Index, a subsidiary company whose parent is owned by Saracens' principle partner StoneX.^[44] The replica kit featured the logo of the Saracens Foundation, a charity operated by the club and £5 of proceeds from each jersey are donated to the foundation.^[45]

Recent kit designs

Home: 2006–2009

Home: 2009–2012

Home: 2012–2014

Home: 2014–2015

Home: 2015–2016

Home: 2016–2017

Away: 2006–2009

Away: 2009–2012

Away: 2012–2015

Away: 2015–2016

Away: 2016–2017

Summary of kit manufacturers and sponsors

The following organisations have manufactured and sponsored the Saracens playing kit since the 1996–97 season:^{[46][47][48][49][50][51][52]}

More information Season, Manufacturer ...

Season Manufacturer Principal sponsor 1996–1997 Cotton Oxford Pinnacle Insurance 1997–1998 Kenwood 1998–1999 1999–2000 2000–2001 Canterbury 2001–2002 UniBond 2002–2003 Reebok 2003–2004 2004–2005 KooGa Man Financial 2005–2006

Season Manufacturer Principal sponsor 2006–2007 KooGa Man Group plc 2007–2008 2008–2009 MF Global 2009–2010 2010–2011 Nike Garmin 2011–2012 2012–2013 Allianz 2013–2014 2014–2015 2015–2016

Season Manufacturer Principal sponsor 2016–2017 BLK Allianz 2017–2018 2018–2019 Nike 2019–2020 2020–2021 City Index 2021–2022 Castore 2022–2023 2023–2024

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Gold background denotes champions
Silver background denotes runners-up
Pink background denotes relegated