The women drawn to stress-busting American Football

Kim Sommerman, Suzie Shamu and Leila Blake said it has helped them make friends [Shariqua Ahmed/BBC] On a sunny Saturday morning in April, a large group of women are warming up for a training session like no other. They call it "empowering". For the Peterborough Royals American Football team, based at the city's rugby club in Bretton, the sport is a much about stress-busting and mental wellbeing as quarterbacks and touchdowns.

The Royals have been together for 10 years and have grown into a diverse squad, with members travelling from all over Britain, including Norwich, Northamptonshire, Cambridge and Kent, as well as Northern Ireland. Social worker Suzie Shamu, 47, from Northamptonshire, who has been part of the club since 2017, said it was "the go-to place where I can just release that stress". "It has really helped me in terms of my mental health, my emotional health, my social well-being - I've made loads of friends," she said.

"It's a good family atmosphere and everyone feels welcome. It's a controlled aggression. " The team train at the Peterborough Lions Rugby Club near Bretton Park every Saturday [Shariqua Ahmed/BBC] Leila Blake, Suzie Shamu and Kim Sommerman said they enjoy coming to the sessions [Shariqua Ahmed/BBC] The club trains every Saturday under coach Maurice Maynard and competes in national 7s leagues.

It prides itself on being "diverse and welcoming to everyone" adding that: "irrespective of body shape and size, there's a position for everyone in the game". It has women of all ages, from 16 years to late 40s, from a variety of backgrounds and occupations. "We all have very different jobs, but on a Saturday we put all that aside because we just want to play sports together like a family," said Leila Blake, from Peterborough.