Worthing rugby player waits months for knee surgery

Jess Ricca-Maggs, 14, was forced to stop playing after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a game.

The fullback says her dreams of playing for Harlequins and England are at risk.

Now her family are trying to raise money for her to have the surgery privately and get her back on the field.

Jess, who lives in West Durrington and plays for Worthing RFC, said: “At the beginning I didn’t really know how bad it was.

Jess on crutches after her injury (Image: Phil Maggs)

“It’s seeing all my friends going and playing but I can’t. Now I’m doing everything I can except playing.

“I’m in the year where I’m thinking about going to academies and the longer I have to wait the less chance I have of getting in.”

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Jess started rugby at school. She began to impress coaches at Worthing and was invited to join the club.

She had been on track to join the Worthing College Academy before rupturing her ACL in April and had ambitions of playing for Sussex and premiership team Harlequins.

Tim Mackew, chairman of Worthing RFC, said Jess was “one of the brightest young developing talents that Rugby Union has seen”.

Jess, left, playing for Worthing (Image: Phil Maggs)

Jess has so far waited eight months for reconstructive surgery on the NHS which would allow her to get back to playing fully and still has no firm date for it.

Her family hope to fundraise £10,000 through a GoFundMe campaign to have the surgery performed privately.

Phillip Maggs, Jess’s father, said: “As a father it’s horrible. Those who know Jessie will understand what this means to her and how desperate she is to be back playing.

“The next stage of Jessie's journey should be joining Worthing College Academy, where she can pursue both her academic and sporting ambitions of joining the Harlequins academy.

"With an expected 12-month recovery period post operation, she needs the operation very soon to keep on track.”