Hartlepool rugby player is ready for Bangkok international tournament
Sophie Hill will be inspired by more than wearing her town’s rugby jersey when she represents the PFC Hartlepool & District Barbarians this weekend.
The Hartlepool sportswoman, who plays for club rugby for Stockton Rockets, is part of the squad competing at the Bangkok International 10s championship on February 14-15.
Sophie is more than just a rugby player, she is at the heart of and a fundraiser for a mental health and wellbeing charity founded by her family.
“We founded the Pieman PT Foundation in March 2022 in memory of my cousin Lewis, who passed away from suicide,” explained Sophie.
“We have since lost his brother James in December 2022. It is a family-led charity focused on the three peaks of well-being: education, exercise and environment.
“I ran the Gateshead Marathon in their memory last year raising £1,100 for the charity.
“The cause means a lot to me - it will be five years this Saturday since losing Lewis so I will certainly be thinking of them both when travelling to Bangkok for this tournament.”
The 24-year-old Stockton Rockets centre or full-back will be one of the attacking weapons in the squad.
She began playing rugby aged 15 at Rovers before representing Durham University and the University of Cambridge in her student days as well as Shelford, in Cambridge, before joining current side Stockton.
“I had just found a treatment for my rheumatoid arthritis and wanted to try high-contact sports while my health allowed,” said Sophie, who lists New Zealand’s Ruby Tui and Maddi Levi, the Australian rugby star, as her favourite players.
A team leader in children’s services for Hartlepool Borough Council, Hill hopes to earn a trial this season for the Durham County squad.
Her first assignment though will be the Bangkok 10s in the Thai capital.
It will be the first time Hartlepool has sent a women’s squad into a major international competition.
Inspired by an idea from the late town business champion and popular rugby figure Alby Pattison, the squad will be sponsored by the PFC Trust, the organisation founded by sport and charity benefactors Frances and Patrick Connolly.
The squad, which is based around players from clubs in Hartlepool & District Rugby Football Union, will be managed and coached by former Rovers duo John Bickerstaff and Michael Ainslie.