Shaunagh Brown has witnessed first-hand the difference Royal London’s Championing Women and Girls’ Grassroots Rugby Award has made so far and the former England prop cannot wait to sift through this year’s entries.

Applications were opened this week and clubs have until 12pm on Monday 20 July to stake their claims via the British & Irish Lions website.

The initiative, now in its third year, recognises four clubs per year, one chosen from each home union, who will receive a trophy plus a £10,000 grant to invest in their women and girls' programmes.

Brown, who earned 30 England caps between 2017 and 2022, sits on the judging panel and hopes to have plenty of reading material to keep her busy over the summer.

“The impact has been incredible to see but also tangible,” she said.

“It is nice to see a direct outcome of the money put in by Royal London, whereas in some bigger clubs it might just get consumed as part of their budget.

“The standout criteria for us is seeing where it is spent. The whole point of this is about legacy and the future of the women’s game, giving women and girls what they need to continue the game’s evolution.

“The first year, we had just under 130 applications, the following year was around 250. If we can get close to doubling that number again, that would be brilliant. It’s more reading for us but it’s all good stuff!”

Guisborough RFC and Lancaster Lionesses have been the previous English recipients of the grants, which have been put to good use.

“Guisborough’s money went into the development of their changing rooms,” Brown said.

“They now have exclusive women’s changing rooms they can use, whereas before if they had double header games, or games were played too close together, it’s just that struggle of not having enough changing rooms for that many teams.

“I was there when they won the award and I have been back there since, so I’ve seen the constant development of the club. They truly believe in their women’s team, you feel it as soon as you walk in.

“Last year’s winners were Lancaster Lionesses. They are not a ‘traditional’ club, they don’t have a clubhouse or a home ground, they are a women’s only team, they don’t have a men’s or youth section.

“They are putting their money into a community coach to go into local schools, so I’m sure I’ll go back there and see youngsters who are playing rugby as a direct result of that.”

Brown hopes England’s World Cup win last year encourages applications from smaller clubs who may be setting up girls’ sections for the first time, while there is more to her role than just reading applications.

“One of the things I personally check is socials,” she said. “I do compare what is said on the application about the importance of the women’s and girls’ section to what is on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok to see if they are front and centre – do I have to scroll for ages to see a female playing rugby?

“It’s just making sure clubs are on board and that the left hand is talking to the right.

“That’s just my perspective - we also have representatives from the Lions, Royal London and a couple of completely independent people, and we all look at it through our own lens.”

On the pitch, Brown is keen to see players continue to stake their claims for the inaugural Howden British & Irish Lions Women’s Series.

Jo Yapp was recently announced as head coach, an appointment the former prop feels is a shrewd one.

“If you speak to her directly, or to anyone who has been coached by her or been around her, she is an incredible people person,” Brown said.

“How you bring your team together culturally is so important to how they perform on the pitch, and how players feel as a person off the pitch has a direct impact on how they perform on it.

“Jo will be gifted a group of world-class players, that’s a given. The challenge will be bringing them together to make them unstoppable. For me, Jo Yapp is the perfect person to do that.”