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How Veo became a game-changer for Wasps FC Women's team
March 2nd 2022
Anna Louise Fjelldal

Wasps FC Women play in the highest tier of UK Rugby the Premier 15s. We caught up with the Director of Rugby, Giselle Mather and analyst Gary English, and some recognisable players to talk about the use of Veo in the club.

Wasps FC has roots back to 1867 when a group of members of Harlequin, in the Hampstead Area in London, decided to form their very own club. But it was not until 1984 that the Womens’ team, previously called Wasps Ladies, saw the light of the day. Since 1991 the team has played in the top flight of the English women’s rugby union. Over the years, the club has provided many players for international teams, for instance, Sue Day and Shelley Rae. 

Providing the teams with world-class coaching

A female soccer coach instructing her team, demonstrating drills while pointing at the soccer field

With highly dedicated and experienced coaches on the team, the Wasps Women continuously improve their skills as individual players and together on the pitch. Veo has been an essential part of the further development of the team since the 2020/21 season. Adding another angle gives the team a new viewpoint and perspective.

In 2016 the club was lucky enough to get the international rugby coach, Giselle Mather, back on board as the Director of Rugby. Giselle has held several coaching roles over the last 20 years, including Head of Coach at Wasps FC Ladies and Back coach for the England Women’s Senior team, where she led them to a Six Nations Championship and a World Cup Runners-Up medal. As a coach, Mather has already entered the history books. She was the first woman to earn level 3 and level 4 coaching badges and get a full-time coaching position at a Premiership Club. 

Mather also has some great highlights from her own playing career. As a player for England Women’s Rugby, she can look back on many victories, including the 1994 World Cup.

Veo has become a game-changer for the team

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Incorporating Veo in the training session has become a game-changer for the Mather's coaching and the team as a whole. With Veo, Mather can give her players another viewpoint of the pitch that earlier was not possible.

“We had a lot of difficulties at first in the season of running across the field, and the players we’re like ‘No, we’re not. We’re not’. And then you put the Veo footage up for them, and straight away, it’s like ‘Oh my god.’ It has also opened our eyes to how much we need to do to work on that, which we’ve been able to do and has improved the way we play,” says Mather.

“It’s high, which gives another element, and the fact that it doesn't need attention while its running has been a major thing for us,” Mather continues.

And it’s not only Mather that has seen the advantage of using Veo. Gary English, the Lead Analyst at Wasps Women, has benefited hugely from analyzing the games in Veo Editor.

A thumbnail for the article 'How Veo Became a Game-Changer for Wasps FC Women's Team', featuring a coach sitting next to a table with a rugby ball and a television screen displaying the Wasps FC logo in the background.

“I mean, it's hard to put into words how Veo has improved my role and how I’m able to work. As a time management tool alone, it's freed up. I’d estimate at least 10 hours in my week,” says English.

As a Lead Analyst, English is responsible for recording all first XV matches and analysing the footage, providing the coaches with math statistics and any collated video footage of requested instances.

“The first time I saw the footage, I was just thinking: this is opening up a whole new element to what we’re trying to do and what we’re trying to achieve,” English continues.

"Analysis is the one thing that makes a difference at this point"

“Analysis is the one thing that makes a difference at this point. Veo’s been brilliant because it allows us to see whether we’re exploiting those gaps in defensive lines. It can also see how we’re fixing our attack,” says Claudia MacDonald, Scrum Half, Wasps Women and England National team.

At this top-level in the Premier 15s, everything is about the margins on the field. Looking back on a training session or a game and improving the flaws might just be the difference between losing and winning the next game.

“Veo has definitely helped me as an individual and a team. Just to find those gaps to progress the way that we analyze our games and the way that we can do that allows us to put on better performances when we come around to game time,” says Macdonald.

The Women's team of Wasps FC is currently sat in fourth place in The Premier 15s table. We can't wait to follow the team and see amazing highlights shared from the recordings!

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