‘It’s not a big deal … but it is pretty cool’: HK Scottish’s Sarah Monaghan honoured to be first rugby female general manager in Hong Kong
- The 33-year-old Scot takes over the role from Bryan Rennie, bringing a wealth of experience with her
- Her husband, Iain, is the coach of the Hong Kong women’s sevens team who are aiming to qualify for Tokyo 2020 in November
When it comes to rugby power couples, Hong Kong has more than its fair share, but the local community is going to have to make room for a new one.
Scottish native Iain Monaghan, who took over as head coach of the Hong Kong women’s sevens squad in January when the team travelled to Fiji, is joined by his wife and fellow Scot, Sarah Monaghan. She is not just along for the ride, but has the distinction of becoming the first female general manager for a Hong Kong Rugby Union club.
Sarah said the timing was perfect to take over from Bryan Rennie at HK Scottish, noting she hadn’t even started looking for jobs. She holds a master’s of Science in Sport Coaching from the University of Stirling, as well as having years of experience working in various positions within the world of professional rugby and sport.
“It’s not a big deal, but it is pretty cool,” said the 33-year-old while watching her HK Scottish side take on Valley at the Shek Kip Mei Park Sports. “I’ve always seen myself, and I know it sounds cheesy, as a person first and not someone who is defined by gender. And I’ve always thought when it comes to any role it needs to be the best person for the job, whether that’s male or female.”
Aside from getting capped for Scotland as both a 15s and sevens player and a stint in the Great Britain Rugby League, Sarah was previously a performance pathway manager for the Scottish Rugby Union, a performance adviser for Sport Wales, a partnership manager for Sport Scotland. She also spent three and a half years at the University of Stirling in Scotland, which included a stint as a research assistant working on two World Anti-Doping Agency projects.
“He’s got this new energy about him, he wants to talk about his job more, which I think is a positive thing. It shows that he is really energised and wants to do a good job, and I’m enjoying watching him as a coach. In Scotland, you know it was p***ing down rain all the time and we’d been there quite awhile, so out here we feel really valued and it’s something quite different.”
Iain has a huge challenge ahead of him, trying to turn a women’s sevens team into Asian contenders by November. So far, the squad finished third in the first leg of the Asia Rugby Sevens Series, beating Kazakhstan 17-10, and then they lost 19-17 to Kazakhstan in the bronze-medal match last weekend in China.
Without Japan in the Olympic qualifying tournament in November, Hong Kong will most likely have to upset a Chinese side, who looked primed to take the slot for Tokyo 2020, while knocking off Kazakhstan in the process.
Sarah said Iain has come to him over the past six months asking questions she might be able to offer some first-hand knowledge on.
“He might say, ‘What are your thoughts on this?’ Or ask my opinion on things, which I actually quite like, and I can get his opinions on my job as well.”
Iain concurred, noting while he knows the game of rugby inside and out, sometimes thoughts from the other sex can help expand his decision-making process.
“I come from a predominantly high-performance male coaching background, so I am always keen to learn or see how to best understand or find a solution through the eyes of a female. We are in a people’s game where one size does not fit all. I would get nowhere if I thought I had all the answers.”
I’ve always thought when it comes to any role it needs to be the best person for the job, whether that’s male or female.
When it comes to HK Scottish, Sarah said the role of general manager encompasses a wide variety of tasks and requires her to wear multiple hats. This includes everything from checking on rugby players’ flats to boardroom meetings with potential sponsors, and everything in between.
“There’s elements of this job I have done, and there’s elements of this job I haven’t done before, which is why it was appealing to me. You don’t want to do the same thing you’ve always done, you want to learn new things.”
“I love it, it’s crazy. I feel like I’m on holiday, not because I’m not working, it’s just so vibrant. I’ve never had such a good social life, it’s like going back to university, going out every night and meeting new people, and all the rugby events are amazing.”
Now here for six months, Sarah said she and Iain haven’t had any chats about staying in Hong Kong long term yet.
“We’re open to seeing what happens. At the moment I can’t see myself anywhere else, given it’s so much fun, I just need to get better in this heat.”
