Nikki O'Donnell: The Army nursing officer and PWR referee

Referee Nikki O'Donnell is a shining example of women excelling in rugby and the Armed Forces, a key feature of the new partnership between the British Army and the PWR.

The partnership aims to increase the representation of women in the British Army by championing women's sport and breaking down barriers that prevent women from considering military careers.

Having refereed for over 15 years and been part of the Army for 13, O'Donnell knows how valuable skills learned in the armed forces can be to those in rugby.

"I think there's a lot of transferability there. The biggest thing is teamwork," She said.

"As well as that, it's the physical endurance, the integrity, that willingness to put other people before yourself and put your body on the line. There are so many attributes that transfer in both directions between sport and the military.

“Having the Army’s support in sport has allowed me to progress further, in the Army and rugby there are lots of similar people and backgrounds, it just makes everyone really easy to work with.”

O'Donnell joined the Army in 2012, training as a student nurse at Birmingham City University. She then commissioned from the ranks to become an officer in 2017 and has recently moved to 21 Multi-Role Medical Regiment in York.

Juggling the responsibilities that come with Army roles like O'Donnell's and being a top-level referee can seem daunting, but the Army actively supports its members in taking part in sport.

O'Donnell said: "Obviously, when I'm in a clinical environment, we work shift patterns. So we'll do night shifts, day shifts, things like that. And then, when I'm in a regimental role or a headquarters job, it's a bit more Monday-to-Friday other than exercises or deployments..

"That being said, every line manager I've had has been fully supportive of me doing sports. So when it's been a need to rearrange shifts or front load the front half of the week with work to be able to create space for rugby at the end, I've been really fortunate with that."

As part of the Army's partnership with PWR, their logo will be printed on the match officials' kit at all PWR fixtures, meaning O'Donnell will wear the insignia for the rest of the season.

The partnership launches the 'Decision Making Under Pressure' campaign, recognising how match officials and soldiers must demonstrate composure, judgement and authority in challenging circumstances.

Over her lengthy rugby career, she has seen the game grow exponentially, and the PWR's partnership with the Army is yet another initiative that will help more women succeed in rugby.

She said: "It's unrecognisable, I think that's the best way to say it.

"From playing my first game of premiership rugby for Darlington Mowden Park Sharks where it was mainly people's parents and friends on the side to now with PWR, I was fortunate enough to be number four at the World Cup final, and the crowd was 80000 people. 

"Week in week out at the PWR, most games you're getting over 1000 people, which is more than some of the men's national league rugby teams are getting. So it's not comparable to what it was when it started.

"It's a fantastic place to be and you're seeing more young girls and more young boys actually coming and watching because it's good rugby. And it's not just because they know someone or it's a friend or family, there's now people who never had anything to do with rugby coming and get involved in the PWR and the women's game."

Photos from: Neil Kennedy/Hasbeanz.com