Sarah Parry on breaking through with Harlequins and England U20s

The SportsAid athlete has recently been named among the top 10 finalists for the 2025 SportsAid One to Watch Award, supported by Aldi.

The centre signed for Harlequins ahead of the 2024/25 season, following a disrupted early pathway that tested her resilience which has helped make her the player she is today.

Alongside her club success, Sarah is also an England U20 international, representing the Red Roses in the U20 Six Nations Women’s Summer Series and earning selection to multiple wider England training squads, clear signs that she is firmly on the national radar.

Sarah’s described her rugby journey, which began through family.

She said: “My two older brothers played at my local club, so I used to go with my mum and watch them.

“I got a bit bored just standing there and thought, ‘I want to join in.’ So I started playing when I was about seven or eight, with the boys.

“I got to under-15s and I wasn’t allowed to play with the boys anymore, so I moved across to Shrewsbury and started playing girls’ rugby there.

“From that point, I began working my way through the England pathway, county rugby, Centre of Excellence with Worcester, then England Under-18s.”

It didn’t take long for Sarah to realise rugby wasn’t just a hobby.

“In Year 6 we had a school disco where everyone dressed up as what they wanted to be when they were older, and I went as a rugby player,” she laughed

“From that age, I knew it was what I wanted to do.”

Following the disruptions of Covid, Sarah moved to Worcester Rugby Club and into the Worcester Warriors academy, making her senior debut at just 17 years old in the Premiership Cup, an unforgettable moment at such a young age.

“I’d always dreamed of playing for Worcester. I knew the pathway and felt really settled there.”

“Then the club went under and suddenly, at 17, I wasn’t sure where I was going to play my rugby or what my future would look like.

“It was really difficult, moving away from family and friends was a big challenge.”

A new opportunity soon arrived when Harlequins reached out.

Sarah said:

“I came to look around and the environment was amazing.

“There was such a family feel, that’s what drove my decision. Quins just felt right.”

Her impact was immediate. In her first season at the club, Sarah earned regular minutes in the senior side and played in the Cup Final, before being named Harlequins’ Women’s Breakthrough Player of the Season.

Internationally, her development has been just as impressive. Having progressed through the age-grade pathway, Sarah captained England at Under-18 level and now features with the England Under-20s, competing at the U20 Six Nations Women’s Summer Series.

“Every time you get called up internationally, it’s such a buzz.

“That’s where you want to be, competing at the highest standard.

“It was such an amazing experience (to play at the Six Nations), playing in that heat with friends I’ve grown up with, some who I’ve played alongside since under-16s.

“To look around and see everyone’s journeys coming together like that was really special.”

Off the field, Sarah credits SportsAid’s support as a critical part of her progression.

“I don’t go to university, so being funded by SportsAid is massive,” she explains. “It means I don’t have to work full-time and can focus on training as hard as I can while working part-time instead.”

The funding has helped with everything from travel and accommodation, particularly during her early days relocating for rugby, to nutrition and recovery essentials.

“Nutrition can be really expensive, protein, supplements, but that support means I can look after my body properly and perform at my best,” she says. “It helps on and off the pitch.”

Inspired by the Red Roses success in 2025, Sarah’s dream is to emulate that herself one day.

“The ultimate dream is to pull on the Red Roses shirt at senior level and hopefully go on to win a World Cup, that would be massive.

“But I also just want to enjoy rugby, smiling on and off the pitch and making the most of every moment.”