We’re incredibly proud of our newly appointed South East Regional Lead, Chantelle Miell – a GB Sevens and Saracens Women player – for her continued commitment to driving positive change in the women’s game. Chantelle has always been passionate about supporting girls and women in rugby, both on and off the pitch, and her new ebook, Beyond the Whistle, is a brilliant reflection of that dedication.
Through this project, Chantelle is helping to reshape how coaches understand, communicate with, and empower female athletes – a mission that perfectly aligns with our values at UR7s. Her work is already inspiring conversations and sparking progress across the rugby community, and we couldn’t be prouder to share her words below:
“‘Beyond the Whistle’ was inspired by a period when I stepped away from rugby. At the time, I’d had enough of seeing coaches undervalue players – myself and my teammates included – and fail to communicate effectively with us. It became clear that this wasn’t just an isolated issue, but something missing across much of the women’s game.
So, I decided to do something about it. What started as a small idea to create a resource to help people better understand and support women in sport quickly evolved into a full ebook. From there, I wanted to take it a step further – to create interactive seminars that dig deeper into these topics and spark real change in how we coach and connect.
The ebook is designed for anyone working with women in sport – coaches, managers, or support staff – regardless of gender. Most coaching resources today are built around men coaching men, with little consideration for the nuances of working with women. “Beyond the Whistle” challenges that norm – because if we want to get the best out of female athletes, we can’t keep treating everyone the same.”
If you would like to get your hands on Beyond the Whistle, you can do so here: Beyond the Whistle – Chantelle Miell
Keep up the awesome work, Chantelle! We are all so proud of you.
