When Two Teams Become One: Building Unity in a Shared Squad

This season brought a new challenge – and a new opportunity – as we combined with another club to form a joint squad. It was a practical solution to numbers, especially in the growing girls’ game, but it came with its own set of questions. How do you take two separate groups and help them become one team?

At the start, the players didn’t know each other. There were different coaching styles, different team cultures, even different ways of warming up. It would’ve been easy for small cliques to form, or for the atmosphere to feel like “us and them.” But what we saw instead, over the weeks and months, was something far more encouraging: players reaching out, connecting, supporting each other. It took time… but it happened.

We worked hard to set the tone early on. As coaches, we made a point of being united – presenting a single, supportive front. We encouraged shared goals, celebrated each other’s successes, and made space for the players to connect as people, not just teammates. Sometimes that meant taking the rugby down a notch to prioritise bonding – chats during water breaks, rotating training groups, and mixing players from both clubs in training sessions. We alternated training locations and match kits to reflect a shared identity, reinforcing that this was one squad, not two teams side by side. There were pizzas after training, a team chant created by the girls themselves, and plenty of moments where friendships took root. At the end of the season, each player voted for a Players’ Player from each club… not to keep things separate, but to ensure they truly saw one another as part of the same team.

There were bumps along the way. Some players found it easier than others to settle into the new dynamic. But by the end of the season, something had shifted. The group felt like one team – celebrating tries together, supporting each other after mistakes, genuinely enjoying each other’s company. That unity didn’t just make us stronger on the pitch – it made the experience richer for everyone involved.

Looking back, one of the most rewarding parts of this season was watching that sense of belonging take shape – not just for the players, but for the parents and coaches too. In a grassroots sport like this, where relationships and community matter just as much as results, that’s no small thing.

Question for reflection:

What helps a group of individuals become a true team… and how can we create more of that?