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Holly Aitchison on embracing the life of a poster girl at Sale Sharks
Being a poster girl for women’s rugby still does not feel natural for Holly Aitchison, but it is a role she is learning to embrace.
The Sale Sharks fly-half returned to the north-west this summer, with the opportunity to create role models for girls in the north a key motivating factor.
Hailing from Formby in Merseyside, the 28-year-old spent the first five years of her 15-a-side career in the south during spells with Saracens and Bristol Bears.
But, having brought the World Cup home in the summer, she has returned home to play domestic rugby with aspirations that will place her front and centre of the game.
“I'm loving it. Being a bit closer to Liverpool and just back in the north-west was a massive thing for me,” she explained.
“I’m able to be around my family and a lot of the girls I've grown up playing with. It’s been amazing to just come back and see how far the club's come in their journey back into the PWR.
“Michelle Orange, the owner of the club, was also a massive sway in that decision. I just fell in love with what she wanted to achieve here.
“I always wanted to come back and play in the north at some point. She just gave me that push to see how important it is that we make sure girls growing up here have role models.
“[It’s important they have] people that are playing for England that they can see, that are coming and playing in the north and contributing to that.”
And Aitchison is not short of accolades to show aspiring rugby players exactly what is possible.
She won the PWR title in 2021/22 with Saracens, defeating Exeter Chiefs in the final after finishing top of the table, and has finished runner-up with both Bristol and Saracens.
As well as representing Team GB at the Tokyo Olympics in rugby sevens, she has featured in two World Cups for England, lifting the trophy in a historic victory at the Allianz Stadium this summer.
But despite her credentials, that title of role model still feels an odd fit.
“It's still not natural because you step into that England spotlight and you don't necessarily realise how many people need that,” said Aitchison.
“But one of the main things I thought was when I was growing up, I didn't have the opportunity to see all these girls on TV or watch loads of rugby in the north.
“It's just nice that I can be myself, be where I'm from, settle into doing what I love and not thinking too deeply into it. People can just see that that's a path for them.”
But on the pitch is not the only place that Aitchison is pushing beyond her comfort zone to be a role model.
The Red Rose speaks candidly about her own journey with anxiety as her ever-rising star means she now features on cover shoots for The Sunday Times Magazine and Victoria’s Secret as well as signing brand partnerships with Adidas.
“That stuff I've had to lean into a little bit and have a bit of a push,” shared Aitchison.
“I've had such like a confidence shift. I really struggled with anxiety when I was a lot younger. I still do now, I take medication for anxiety.
“I had bad acne growing up but Abi Burton gave me a platform to talk about what I'd gone through with my skin.
“I didn't realise how many people would come forward and say, ‘Wow, I really struggle with that as well. I've never had anyone talk about it.’
“That was a really nice transition into talking more about it and gave me an understanding that I can really help someone. It was a big thing for me at the time and it's a big thing for people doing the same thing right now.
“In a similar way to my mentality towards coming to the north, it's important that people see us as people and not just like rugby players. You can be whoever you want to be.”
That spotlight only got brighter during the Red Roses’ game-changing home World Cup, entering the field in the 67th minute during the 33-13 final victory over Canada.
But Aitchison the move to Sale has meant that any form of come down has not hit too hard, with the momentum of the domestic season catching any fall.
“It was a bit crazy in the first week, just with loads of media and interviews but it was good that we've just been thrown back into the PWR straight away,” she said.
“As sports people, you're just onto the next thing. I actually found it really helpful, and not as much of a come down because I had so much change. I was moving house, I was moving clubs, getting to know everyone again.
“I’ve refound my love for rugby and I’m just enjoying life.”
And now she has settled into life at a Sale Sharks that underwent plenty of change in the summer, Aitchison has quickly set her sights on new goals.
“I want to win the PWR with Sale. I want the girls to experience what that feels like,” she asserted. “I'm not under any illusion that it's going to happen this year. I understand where we're at and I understand that I'm buying into a longer-term project.
“But when I spoke to Michelle, the ambition of the club is clear: we want to sustain that success. We want northern rugby to be on the map as a successful team year on year.
“We’re not even going to have a conversation about not being in the league or having a team that represents us up here. It's about being the main force in England.”
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