Gill Burns MBE

Gill Burns is one of the true pioneers of women’s rugby. A powerful number 8, she won 73 England caps between 1988 and 2002, having made her debut against Sweden at Waterloo — a match she also helped organise to promote the women’s game in the north.

Gill captained England from 1994 to 1999 and played in four Women’s Rugby World Cups: bronze in 1991, World Cup winners in 1994 — beating the USA 38–23 in the final for England’s first title — bronze again in 1998 and silver in 2002.

Closer to home, she founded the women’s section at Waterloo in 1989 and played for the club until 2013. Off the pitch she served as President of the Rugby Football Union for Women and of Lancashire, became the first woman appointed an RFU Privileged Member in 2012, and was made an MBE for services to sport in 2005. In 2014 she was inducted into the IRB (now World Rugby) Hall of Fame.

Gill finally hung up her boots from full-contact rugby in September 2024, captaining the Merseyside & North women to the Plate title at Wooden Spoon’s Vets Fest.

Gill is a long-standing ambassador for Wooden Spoon, the children’s charity of rugby, and often asks for donations to the charity in place of a speaker’s fee. She’ll be flying the flag for Wooden Spoon on the day.

After lunch with Gill, stay on for two home fixtures. Fittingly for a pioneer of the women’s game, the Aldwinians Ladies get the afternoon under way against Vagabonds, followed by the first team against Bolton.

Matchday at Aldwinians RUFC is about more than what happens between the first and final whistle. On selected matchdays, our clubhouse will be serving a pre-match meal ahead of the afternoon's fixtures.

The aim is to make it easy to arrive early, grab a seat, enjoy some food and then head outside to support the rugby. The format is simple: good food, good conversation and an opportunity for the audience to ask questions.