Term 3 2026 Highlights

What an incredible way to round off the 2025/26 season at Empire! Term 3’s 8-week training block has, without a doubt, been our best yet, with over 110 girls taking part across our Next Gen and Senior Academy programmes.

Throughout the term, we challenged our Senior Academy players more than ever before. They embraced high-intensity rugby sessions, demanding strength and conditioning work in the gym, combat training, and our highly valued workshops with High Performance Systems, focusing on mindset and nutrition.

One of the standout moments of the term was welcoming two incredible international guest speakers. Our girls had the opportunity to hear from Isabella Nasser, Australian Sevens star, and Nadine Roos, Springbok Women's captain. Both shared invaluable insight into what it takes to become a full-time professional athlete, inspiring our players with their experiences, advice, and journeys to the top of the game.

The launch of our Next Gen programme was another huge success. We welcomed many new girls from Years 5–8, all who fully embraced the opportunity to develop their contact rugby skills in a safe, supportive, and all-female environment. It has been fantastic to see players from different schools and clubs come together with one shared goal, to improve, grow in confidence, and develop a love for the game.

This term also saw us officially welcome two new coaches to the Empire family, Epeli Davetawalu and Kyle Browne. Both bring a wealth of experience and knowledge, and we are incredibly excited to have them supporting the development of our players.

The 2025/26 season has been an incredible one for Empire, and we are excited to take the academy to the next level as we look ahead to Term 1 of the new season. Our ambition is to continue growing the academy, creating even more opportunities for girls' rugby in the UAE, and helping every player reach their full potential.

Looking ahead, there is so much to be excited about. Preparations will be underway for our second tour to the Portugal Youth Rugby Festival in 2027, where we look forward to creating even more unforgettable experiences for our players.

We are also thrilled to launch The Empire Diaries, a brand-new series that will shine a spotlight on the incredible girls within our academy. Through their stories, we'll share their rugby journeys, challenges, setbacks, achievements, and aspirations, giving our community the chance to get to know the inspiring individuals behind the Empire jersey.

Thank you to every player, parent, coach, sponsor, and supporter who has been part of our journey this season. Your belief and support continue to drive Empire forward, and we can't wait to see what next season has in store.