Sportsister meets Giselle Mather

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It was the middle of February when I first met this remarkable woman, standing on the side of a marsh-like Winchester rugby pitch.

Her reputation preceded her. As coach of amateur rugby club, Teddington RFC, Giselle Mather had guided the side to an unprecedented 49 consecutive wins and on this grey winter day was about to conquer the half-century.

I could hardly believe my eyes when a petite, blonde lady walked round the corner of the clubhouse. Watching from afar to begin with, I tried to assess how this woman had made such an impact on a team of men.

She met each of the players individually, engaged in some friendly banter, and reminded them of their personal goals for the match ahead. It was immediately apparent that she commanded absolute respect.

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Number 50 was followed by 12 more, and another unbeaten season at Teddington took Giselle, 45, and her team to a second consecutive National Cup final victory.

Given the opportunity to indulge in her glory, I asked Giselle how it feels to reach this level of success. The grounded coach responded: “Results are the ultimate test but the most important thing is to enjoy the journey.

“It wasn’t about focusing on the wins and reaching a certain number, we would set different goals each match, like scoring 1000 points in the season or getting to the Cup final at Twickenham.”

In her three seasons at Teddington, the team has lost only two matches and both by just one point.

Captain Jon Dickson said: “She has had to put up with some chauvinistic comments from opposition teams but has shrugged them off allowing her coaching methods to do the talking on the pitch.

“Gis is a very good coach with in depth knowledge of the game and is constantly coming up with new ideas to keep it fresh.”

Chairman of Teddington RFC, Gareth Cross, admitted that the techniques Giselle uses are beyond what you would expect for their club.

He described her as a “stickler for detail” and said it was the little extras she would incorporate into training that made the difference.

She would often spend all night compiling video analysis with music and when the pressure was mounting up she asked sports psycho-physiologist, John Neal, to come down and help the team.

She even got former England and British Lions coach, Dick Best, to present the players with their shirts in the Twickenham changing rooms at the National Cup final.

Gareth said: “When I say she’s a true professional, I mean she leaves no stone unturned.

“The fact that she’s doing it voluntarily is just incredible, but that’s the way Giselle works and she wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Gareth has known Giselle since the mid 80s when he coached her in the Teddington Ladies team, one of the first ever women’s rugby clubs.

Her playing career began through a suggestion made by her boyfriend and now husband, a Teddington player himself, when she was seeking an alternative to hockey. At first she thought the idea was ridiculous but after some persuasion and gentle harassment from the Teddington Ladies, she took to the field and found a natural flare for the game.

This flare took her to Wasps Ladies and then onto playing for England, where she accumulated an impressive 39 caps considering how few Tests were played each year.

She earned her second cap beating the American favourites in England’s first and only World Cup victory and remembers this as her best sporting moment.

However, taking part in a World Cup was a different experience back then.

Giselle explained: “I’ve learned a lot of things along the way, I’ve learnt to appreciate things because there were none of these posh hotels when we started.

“When we won the World Cup in ’94 I had an £1800 hotel bill to pay, as did the others and we had to find ways of paying for it. Everyone was there because we wanted to be there, because we loved the sport and it was even more special because of what we had sacrificed to be there.”

This attitude of Giselle has stuck with her until the present day; the very fact that she coaches Teddington is because of her love of the game.

Giselle’s coaching career began when she stopped playing because she wanted a family. She coached Wasps Ladies to two back-to-back premiership titles before becoming assistant coach of England Women.

She is the only female with a Level 4 coaching qualification and currently manages of the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence at London Irish, where she coaches boys with the realistic potential to play at the elite end of the game.

Out of the 14 boys who will leave the programme this year, seven have secured contracts with top premiership clubs.

Asked about whether she sees herself being the first female to coach a premiership rugby side, Giselle said: “Just because it hasn’t happened before, doesn’t mean it will never happen – those sort of barriers don’t stand in my way.

“At the moment though, I have a young family and I want to commit to them.”

Giselle has three children under 11. Her eldest son, Jasper, trains with Chelsea’s Elite Development Squad, her daughter, Roxy, trains with the Elite Gymnastics Squad at one of Britain’s most successful gyms and her youngest son Barny loves drama.

Husband Pete Mather said: “She is totally devoted as a mother and wants to ensure the children have a zest for life. As a wife she is 100% supportive.

“As for her success, I couldn’t be more proud. I don’t think she realises how proud I am but somehow no matter who I’m talking to, even total strangers, I manage to get into the conversation that my wife is a very successful rugby coach. She is an inspiration. I just wish I had half the energy she has.”

There appears to be no danger of Giselle slowing down but she focuses her goals season by season. For now she is dedicated towards fostering young talent, despite the accolades coming her way.

“I think I’ve got a lot that I can give to the younger age group at the moment,” she said.

“As for my future, I’ve got to keep getting better, keep challenging myself and work to become the best coach I can be.”

Olivia Townley, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine

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