27/03/2026
Why is Saracens Wheelchair Rugby Club so important?
“My name is Midge Hartley, and I have been a member of Saracens Wheelchair Rugby Club since 2018...
Playing sport has always been an integral part of my life, especially during my RAF career. Unfortunately, my ability to participate & enjoy sport was cut-short when I was diagnosed with Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP), & subsequently medically discharged from the Service. This rare, progressive, degenerative condition causes significant lower-limb weakness, lack of balance, muscle stiffness, & involuntary spasms, all of which severely affect my mobility. Saracens have provided me with an outlet to challenge the limitations of my condition & enjoy team sports again – something I never expected…
Originally, I was looking to find a wheelchair rugby club after being selected to represent Team UK at the Invictus Games in the Hague. My coach, Paul ‘Jenksy’ Jenkins advised me to join a ‘local’ club to supplement my Invictus training, gain experience & better learn the nuances of the sport. At this point, I fortuitously noted a post on social media advertising taster sessions with a new wheelchair rugby club based in Hatfield. That team was to become Saracens.
The warm & friendly reception I received at that first taster session really hit home, and I’ve been coming back ever since. This style of welcome is something that Saracens continue to provide new players today. Over the past eight years, the club has steadily grown to become a community of likeminded individuals, who care and support one another, and have a passion for wheelchair rugby. This has been most evident during periods such as covid. In fact, the bonds between the players, volunteers & carers have resulted in the club having a with a genuine family feel, so much so that players often travel from as far afield as the Midlands & Brighton to attend training.
Throughout my tenure at Saracens, the club have fully supported my own goals and aspirations. I was fortunate to be selected to compete at a second Invictus Games in Dusseldorf & have represented Scotland at the Rugby League World Cup, within the wheelchair discipline. None of this would have been possible without the Club’s continued support and for this, I cannot thank them enough."
