Bryony Cleall struggled to afford rent when Wasps were put into administration
- Published
Bryony Cleall's twin sister Poppy plays for rival club Saracens
Premier 15s: Exeter v Harlequins |
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Venue: Sandy Park, Exeter Date: Sunday, 18 December Kick-off: 13:30 GMT |
Coverage: Watch on BBC Red Button, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website and app. |
England prop Bryony Cleall found herself unexpectedly "struggling to afford rent" as Wasps were put into administration earlier this year.
Wasps women maintained their place in the Premier 15s league, but there were no financial guarantees for players.
Cleall, 30, told BBC Sport she "didn't know where to turn" for help.
"I had a house, a partner, a dog in London and I'd signed up for the year so I was a bit stuck of where I'd go," Cleall said.
Like many others, the forward eventually chose to leave the side - who have started the season with three losses.
In October, both the men's and women's Wasps players were called to a meeting where they were told they were being made redundant.
"The first people they answer are the men's questions, it wasn't really about us who had just one foot in the door," Cleall recalled.
Women's union offers support
Eventually, Cleall - who has previously played for Bristol and Saracens - landed a contract at Harlequins and that meant she did not have to move house.
Now a local rival to her twin sister Poppy, who plays at Saracens, Cleall said: "I had to text my mum and just confirm she was happy to support the 'quarters' and I wasn't going against the family."
Other Premier 15s players were not as fortunate, with Cleall saying some of them had to move a week before the season started.
With Wasps' women's side hovering between the professional men's set-up and the amateur arm of the club, it was uncertain whether appropriate insurance was in place for the women's team to continue playing after administration.
Cleall could call upon the Women's Rugby Association (WRA) - a players' union formed in December 2021 to offer more wide-ranging support for women's players than the long-standing Rugby Players Association (RPA), which predominantly serves men's players.
"Probably in my career I've made ill-informed decisions because I didn't have that advice," she said.
A third of Premier 15s players are now WRA members and discussions have begun about merging the union with the RPA.
The timeline for any official merger is unknown, with the RPA currently in the process of electing a new general secretary while the WRA is appointing its first player board in January.
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