She plays premiership rugby, travels around the globe for World Cup competitions, and works as a plumbing and drainage engineer. PHAM News sat down with Marlie Packer to find out what it’s like to have one foot in professional rugby and another in professional plumbing.
When Marlie Packer walks into the lobby of HomeServe’s office in Walsall to meet me for our interview, she is sporting a neat, red company polo shirt and a wide smile. There is very little of the fierce ruby player about her today, and her friendly manner and warm handshake could make you forget that she has 51 caps for England Rugby and a gold medal for being part of the winning team at the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2014. She’s also a flanker for Saracens Women in the Premier 15, the top tier of the women’s English rugby union.
But when Marlie is not playing professional rugby for her club or country, she is a HomeServe plumbing and drainage engineer and, at times like today, she also serves in an ambassadorial type role for the company.
“I’m an engineer out in the field, but sometimes I get invited up here to do things like this – interviews and promotional events, things like that,” she tells me as we settle into a quiet conference room.
Star power
After HomeServe hired Marlie in 2013, it took them a while to realise she had other potential assets to offer the company, but within a year her position in the world of professional sport came to the attention of the senior staff.
“One of the executive officers is related to someone at England rugby, and that’s when they made the connection,” explains Marlie. “It’s not often that you come across a female in sport and a female in plumbing. HomeServe thinks it’s important to highlight that, so I get invited to represent the company at things like awards presentations and customer outreach.”
Playing this dual role of engineer and ambassador keeps Marlie on her toes, but it’s by no means a one-way street.
“They’ve been such a massive support to me over the years,” says Marlie. “They give me time off for rugby, for example. When I worked for smaller companies, I dreaded having to ring them and ask for time off because you feel like you are leaving them in the lurch. But HomeServe is big enough to cope.”
Most recently, Marlie’s employer gave her leave to play in the 2017 World Cup. The England team made it to the final in August, finding itself facing the formidable force of New Zealand. With a final score of 41-32 to the Black Ferns, Marlie was bitterly disappointed with the result, but she still takes pride that her team made it that far in the competition.
“Losing this World Cup was definitely one of the low points of my rugby career, particularly because we won the 2014 cup and were looking for another victory. After the match with New Zealand, I just wanted to hibernate and cuddle my dog,” she says. “But being an England player is a huge honour. My Red Rose number is 150, making me the 150th girl to play for England. Once you’ve joined that family it’s a very special place to be.”
Positive thinking
Marlie takes obvious pride in playing for her country, but she is also dedicated to the plumbing profession. At the young age of 27, her positive attitude has already brought rewards in both sides of her life, and she believes there are some synergies between the two.
“Each job presents its own set of challenges, and that’s what I like about plumbing,” she insists. “It’s the same in rugby: you rarely have the luxury of over-thinking. You see a situation and react. Likewise, when you get to a customer’s house and there’s a flood, you have to spring into action. You zone into that and deal with the challenge at hand. I know that on the pitch I’m doing that, and in the same way I know I will get the customer’s problem fixed.”
Marlie describes herself as extremely competitive and believes this attitude benefits her in both the worlds she occupies. “It transfers between plumbing and rugby,” she says. “I want to win, whether it’s a game or a job for a customer. Fast and efficient is my motto, and that’s how I get through life.”
But how does a west country girl from Yeovil come to choose plumbing?
“Initially I took sports courses at college, but it wasn’t right for me,” she explains. “I’m dyslexic and found the academics difficult, though I did finish and got my NVQ in sports coaching. Still, I didn’t know where I wanted to go with my career.”
Plumbing came up as a possibility after she spent some time labouring with bricklayers in the summer holiday.
“It was eye-opening for me because I saw all sorts of different trades on site: plasterers, plumbers, carpenters, electricians. So I went to a plumbing taster day at Yeovil College and decided that was what I wanted to do.”
After finishing her course work and apprenticeships, Marlie earned NVQ levels 2 and 3 in plumbing. Although she was qualified for gas work, she found that her interest was in the plumbing and drainage side, which is now her speciality.
“One of the first companies I worked for was DR Jones, and I learned a lot there,” she tells me. “Plus they were supporters of Yeovil football club and also sponsored Bristol Rugby, so it was a nice fit. They were really supportive of my obligations to playing rugby with Bristol Ladies, but eventually it became a problem because I needed so much time off. A small company has only so much flexibility for that sort of thing. Eventually I decided it was time for a change, so I moved to London.”
New frontier
Once in London, Marlie continued to play for Bristol Ladies, her first premiership club, but she needed to find a new employer.
“That’s when I started at HomeServe,” she says. “They assigned me to the territory around Twickenham, where the residents are familiar with rugby. This was great because it gave me a talking point with customers.”
After Marlie came back victorious from the 2014 World Cup, customers started to recognise her as more than just a plumber.
“I went to a customer’s house the other day and he said, ‘I just can’t believe it’,” Marlie says. “I pointed out that it’s only a leaky ball valve and I’m fixing it. He’s like, no, I’ve got a female plumber here, but not only that but a World Cup champion and runner-up! For me to get that from a customer, and also the company to benefit from that interaction, I think it’s unique.”
Looking ahead
These days, Marlie is back in the west country, living and working in Bristol. She also recently signed on to play for Saracens Women, so there is plenty to keep her busy. Between work and training, she doesn’t have a lot of time to herself, but this current regimen supports her ambitions. “I don’t have much of a social life, but I want to be the best I can be, in both plumbing and rugby. My sights are set on the 2021 World Cup, and so I am focused on that right now,” she says.
Looking to the future, after her rugby career is over, Marlie says she can still see herself in the plumbing sector. “I am a people-first kind of person, so I think I would like to do some kind of customer relations job. But I won’t look into that any time soon. I am just enjoying being on the tools.”
