BROWN Abbie

General
FUNDING STRUGGLE
Having previously played rugby union [15-a-side] for Bristol Bears, she signed for English Premier 15s side Loughborough Lightning in 2020 after the Rugby Football Union [RFU] had terminated the contracts of the England sevens team in August of that year. The Great Britain sevens team subsequently began a crowdfunding initiative in November 2020 to help them compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. "The amount of support for our dream of going to Tokyo has actually been overwhelming. Whether it's been the offer of a massage session, physio or money, it's been heart warming in a very difficult time for us. You realise you're also fighting for other people who want to see you succeed." In early 2021, it was announced that a commercial partnership with The National Lottery had been agreed to provide financial support for the Great Britain women's and men's sevens teams. (englandrugby.com, 26 Feb 2021, 17 Nov 2020; insdiethegames.biz, 22 Sep 2020; olympicchannel.com, 21 Sep 2020; newschainonline.com, 09 Sep 2020)

SEVENS TRANSITION
She has admitted that she initially found the switch from rugby union [15-a-side] to rugby sevens difficult when she first started competing in the sport in 2015. "I did not quite realise how different sevens rugby would be to the traditional game and it took some time to get used to, especially the timings of the games. You can have three games in a day when you are playing sevens. At first I found it tough but I also enjoyed learning different positions and the faster way that sevens is played." (hartpury.ac.uk, 21 Jun 2016)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
She hosts a podcast alongside her friend Lottie Trick called 'Making The Lemonade'. It's a bi-weekly show that highlights positive news from around the world. "When life gives you lemons, there's always an opportunity to make lemonade." She also worked as a graduate sports assistant for Loughborough Schools Foundation from October 2020 to March 2021 and has worked with the Honeypot Children's Charity, which provides support for young carers aged between five and 12. (LinkedIn profile, 13 Mar 2021; Instagram profile, 16 Jan 2021; rowbritiannia.org.uk, 01 Jan 2020; thescrum.aedelhard.com, 19 Dec 2019)

FURTHER STUDIES
After completing a Business and Technology Education Council [BTEC] course in sporting excellence [rugby] at Hartpury University and Hartpury College in England, she started studying child psychology in 2019. (hartpury.ac.uk, 01 Jan 2020; thescrum.aedelhard.com, 19 Dec 2019)