Aroa González is bringing the same drive and determination that made her Spain’s most-capped women’s player to her coaching career.
González won 74 caps, played in four Women’s Rugby World Cups and captained Las Leonas during a glittering career. She is now helping to develop the next generation of Spanish players as head coach of FC Barcelona Rugby, who compete in the top-flight División de Honor Femenina de Rugby.
She is also national coach of Spain’s Under-20s and Under-23 teams, as well as forwards coach of the Iberians regional side.
She will now be a participant in the Gallagher High Performance Academy WXV 2024, an involvement González hopes will help to inspire other young Spanish women to follow her down the coaching route.
“For me the programme is very important since, at the moment, there is not a large amount of women coaches representing high-level teams or national teams,” González told World Rugby.
“These programmes help women who have retired from playing to continue their involvement in rugby by transitioning into other roles, whether that be as coaches or managers.
“For a long time, women have limited themselves to simply playing rugby, but it is time for us to start taking on other roles since we can contribute a lot and we can also connect a lot with future generations.”
González’s playing career began at 13 when she played her first match at school and ended with her retirement after the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2017.
When she arrived in 2019, FC Barcelona Rugby had only 12 players but González has helped to reinvigorate the club with her passion and drive to succeed.
“The experience that has given me the most, and which I think will help me to become a great coach, is knowing that every day I have to learn something new and be receptive to changes,” she said.
“For me, a strong team culture is the basis for being able to build, train and create a team. The keys to developing this culture are commitment, respect, tolerance and camaraderie.”
