Rugby enthusiast and events organiser Catherine Harrison never dared hope that one day she’d land a dream job at the world-famous Twickenham Stadium (now the Allianz Stadium) but she has – and she’s loving her new role at England Rugby, the governing body for grassroots and elite rugby in England.
Catherine, who holds a MSc from Loughborough University in Sport Management, pinches herself every time she arrives for work as Central Operations Administrator, organising events at the stadium and nationwide.
She won the role in February after impressing her employers with her knowledge of the sport and previous experience of event organising: “I grew up watching the game with my parents, and at Loughborough I was surrounded by sport,” she said, adding: “My previous job was at a PR & events agency organising events for large brands like Tesco so it’s wonderful to able to put those two experiences together.”
Her working day is spent organising roadshows, promoting England Rugby to grassroots clubs and setting up meetings, conferences at the 82,000 seater stadium, which is also the home of the English rugby team. Indeed, it’s not unusual for Catherine to rub shoulders with the sport’s elite, and the Head Coach for the British and Irish Lions, Andy Farrell (father of former England Captain Owen) is a regular visitor. She’s even taken up playing Touch Rugby herself and yes, she has played on the hallowed Twickenham turf!
With the Lions tour now under way, and the Women’s Rugby World Cup kicking off in August (the final is being played at Twickenham on 27 September), it’s going to be a vintage year for rugby and an exciting one for Catherine. Form an orderly queue for tickets!
