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Club for All, Rugby for All, Opportunities for All

We are keen to ensure that all, parents, guardians, coaches and children understand the approach we are taking to Under 13's rugby in the season 2010/11. Hopefully the following words will clarify this and we would appreciate the content being discussed between parents and children throughout the season.

Vision

The vision for our age grade is ‘to develop rugby in Havant RFC as an inclusive sport which all children can experience in a safe environment, which nurtures their talents through well organised structures, and encourages continued involvement into adulthood for the benefits of individuals and their communities.’

Mission Statement

To provide a safe and friendly environment where young players can develop their rugby skills as laid down in RFU Continuum.

Aim

It is our aim at Havant RFC, to make rugby fun, exiting and enjoyable for all young players, whilst developing their skills, confidence and self-discipline regardless of ability or experience. We encourage a strong & competitive spirit whilst promoting sportsmanship & teamwork where the emphasis is on enjoyment of the game rather than purely results.  As one of the leading clubs in the South of England, we constantly strive to ensure that players of all ages and abilities enjoy themselves and have a positive and safe environment every weekend. We aim to develop each child to the best of their ability by promoting 'Rugby for All'. We train your child to enjoy rugby for the game and insist on high levels of respect for officials, coaches and other players. Here at Havant RFC all our coaches and staff are fully trained and conversant with not only the laws and skills of the game, but also in the protection and welfare of the children. We work to strict Codes of Conducts and adhere to the Rugby Football Union Policy and Procedures for Young people in Rugby Union and apply the RFU Continuum. We provide a safe and friendly environment for children of all abilities to learn and enjoy rugby. We firmly believe in the Rugby Ethos where rugby is all about fun and enjoyment and I can guarantee you there is a place for everybody here. Through the RFU Continuum, the RFU wishes to promote the 'spirit of rugby'. This means the enjoyment of learning a challenging team sport that values effort as much as achievement. 

Rugby for All

The most important part of this is our continuing support for the "Rugby for All" philosophy. This is an RFU led approach which establishes some principles for rugby for children. Generally this is about ensuring that the children enjoy their rugby and that as many as possible as given the opportunity to train and play. It is fundamental that these intentions take precedence over the need for the teams to win all their matches. That is not say that we do not want out teams to have a competitive edge or to win tournaments, but the overriding reason for their involvement is about participation. This should ensure, as we have found through our rugby playing careers (such as they are), establishing a physical resilience, recognition of the importance of teamwork and perhaps most importantly the development of lifelong friendships with other members of the group or squad. We have tried to maintain this philosophy in the seasons to date and hopefully the numbers of players that we have on our books is testament to this being successful. In creating our fixture list for this season, we have chosen clubs which will offer players of all standards an opportunity to develop their game.  The general approach will be that for friendly matches our team strength will match that of the opposition to ensure that neither the opposition nor we are run away victors.  Alongside the opposition, we will strength and weaken sides to gain maximum benefit from every encounter. In addition to the above we will pick the strongest 22 Players for all rounds of the Hampshire Cup.  Even if we were lucky enough to make it to the final, this represents just seven weekends out of a thirty two week season.  There may also be tournaments that we are invited to during the season and we will have to decide precisely what type of team we should send and communicate this to you. Please understand that not every player will get competitive rugby during every match but across each month they should get equal opportunities to demonstrate their abilities.  We will attempt to run skill based sessions for those not playing, prior to any match, in order those players can then support their fellow squad members.

Fitness

As the children get bigger, quicker and stronger their physical fitness will become more important. There will therefore be an increasing element of this built into our training sessions though there will not be any dedicated fitness training.

This season will also see the incorporation of SAQ® (Speed, Agility and Quickness) training into our bi-weekly training sessions.  Anything you can do to improve your own child's fitness away from rugby will undoubtedly also help their performance and progress. You also must excuse the coaches taking these issues up with you and the children - we are aware that we are not paragons of virtue on the diet or exercise front ourselves!!

Parental Contribution & Care

Don’t wait to be asked to help, volunteer now!

There are numerous opportunities for you to help the Club ensure that your child maximizes their enjoyment of the rugby experience. Everyone working at the club whether coaching or in the club house is a volunteer and more help is always needed both on and off the field.  The Club will even finance a coaching or refereeing course on the premise that you will repay them by helping with the children at HRFC.  If you feel that coaching and refereeing are not for you, there are plenty of opportunities for you to help with the administration of the Club, our Age Group, a festival, fund raising or as a first aider. Such is our need for volunteers that ‘non-contributors’ may see their child miss out on selection for certain events.

Don’t wait to be asked to help, volunteer now!

Please do remember that you remain responsible for your child throughout their time with Havant RFC.  As the children enter Junior Rugby, there has been a tendency for parents to wonder off during training and matches. If you cannot be at pitch side, please ensure that another parent is and that your child is aware of who is supervising them.  This is especially important during and after mid week training when we will finish after sunset. 

Communications

We will endeavour to keep communicating with parents both verbally at training sessions and by email. Indication of selection, directions and timings will also be by email. Training will start at 9:45am sharp - children are expected to be available on the field, with boots gum shields etc in place at this time. Please take the opportunity to speak on a one to one basis with any of the coaches, if there are particular issues that wish to be raised or resolved. You do have recourse to the Committee if your issues are not adequately addressed within the age group, but we would prefer to be able to address any items raised within the age group if possible.

Summary

I hope you have found this useful in explicitly stating what our approach to the rugby season for the U13's is intended to be. If there are any other areas you feel we have neglected please let us know and we will endeavour to address these. The intention is that we do this early in the season so that the approach is clear from the start.

I hope that you and your child or children enjoy the coming season both socially and rugby wise.

 

 

 

 

 

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Updated: 09 August 2010