Admittedly not to everybody's taste but mixed teams with a "family orientation" are thriving and many have young members. Even teams where the dancers are of one gender but have mixed gender bands (some of them very good indeed) attract families and younger people.

The Ring can't have it both ways. I understand their new Squire has been persuaded to abandon his aim of allowing teams with female musicians to attend Ring meetings. What hope for the Ring to enter even the twentieth century and make things interesting for young people when they maintain such an attitude and the fun and camaraderie offered by non-ring sides is more attractive? And this is so disappointing after all the good work done by recent Ring Squires to bring the Morris world together.