The latest player in our MOWI Marvels series, which shines a spotlight on some of the incredible women and girls playing our sport, is Strathspey hero Lucy Davies.

How did you get involved at Strathspey? 

The club was founded by my brother and his friends, they asked me in the early days if I would help them out as the club secretary, which I said yes to. That was 12 years ago now, and I have never left 🙂

Women’s numbers have grown how have you managed that?

After COVID, we were at a position where we had to start from scratch again with the women’s sector. Right from them we changed the ethos and instead of concentrating on winning we created a place where all women and girls were welcome and equal. We kept things very easy and very positive and didn’t put pressure on ourselves. If we could, we field a team,  if we couldn’t, we did worry and we moved on.

We gave everybody equal game time, concentrating on being one team rather than an A team with subs. We kept training constant and positive,  we still delivered the same level of coaching, regardless of numbers attending. We encouraged girls to bring friends along to try the sport and concentrated on the social aspect. We worked with parents to make sure any young ones were comfortable and happy. The system worked really well for us, ladies enjoyed being part of a team without the pressure of having to commit to matches and everyone improved together.

As the years have gone on, numbers have continued to grow, and grow with more and more ladies and girls coming along.

Now we are luck to be in the position of fielding two teams, with still new girls finding us every so often. The coaches continue to work really hard to make sure everyone is getting a good level of coaching.

What roles have you had at the club? 

I was the secretary for 9 years; I am now the vice chairman. I have been the lady’s manager but now we have two teams, I am manager of the development squad. I oversee the adult coaching team and work closely with the treasurer on grants and sponsorship.

You’re one of the driving forces behind Strathspeys development, what gives you the passion to deliver for you local community?

I was heavily involved with tennis for many years and still am, the opportunities that I got from that sport were life changing.

My passion for driving Strathspey comes from my desire to give others the same opportunities I had. I believe sport has the power to change people’s lives. Whether it is grass roots or professional level, whether it is playing or non-playing, people’s lives are shaped and changed by the experiences they have. To be able to give back to my community, to help open pathways and provide opportunities for people to gain these positive experiences, to help them connect, grow and strive is very rewarding and drives my personal passion for the club.

In the playing side of things you’ve had a decent start to the season sitting 5th with the same number of points as 3rd place. How are you finding things this year?

We have had a great start to the season. We have a new manager with the 1^st team, Liam Tinney. After a couple of years of working hard on their skills the girls were ready to step up their game, Liam (and the coaching team) has helped them massively with implementing those skills, work on positioning and grow their confidence.

Personally, I am really enjoying the season, as I am just a player now in the 1^st team and not trying to manage at the same time!

We will see how the rest of the season goes, and as long as the girls continue to enjoy themselves out there, that will be a win for the club.

You turn out for the unisex team in North Division 2 sometimes too, what is it like playing two games back to back?

If I can help out with the men’s team, I do. Logistics can be a bit of a nightmare with kids when me and my husband both on the pitch at the same time! But we make it work! Saying that through, If I’m playing a match on a Sunday I try not to play on the Saturday as well as my old body can’t take it!

I do enjoy playing with the men. It’s a very different game, with different challenges and I enjoy pushing myself and even in my old age I feel my self improving with every game.