Rugby programme launched in sport’s birthplace
A grassroots rugby programme is launching in the birthplace of the sport to unearth the next Owen Farrell.
More than 2,500 nine to 11-year-olds across 40 primary schools in the Rugby area are taking part in a three week coaching programme, that will see them combining visits to the interactive World Rugby Hall of Fame with practical tag rugby games.
Rugby Borough Council has commissioned Engage! Coventry’s coaches to deliver the World Hall of Fame Schools Coaching Programme, which is running until July.
Engage! is a programme designed to use the core values of the game - teamwork, respect, integrity, enjoyment and discipline – to develop healthy, well-rounded and confident young people.
Tom Clift, Programme Manager at Engage! Coventry, said:
We are delighted to have been commissioned by Rugby Borough Council to deliver their World Rugby Hall of Fame schools coaching programme.
Rugby is the birthplace of the sport, so we want to ensure that pupils from every school in the area have visited the World Rugby Hall of Fame to learn more about the game.
The aim is that from looking around the Hall of Fame at the game’s origins, influential players and by getting out on to the rugby field themselves, it’ll spark an interest in the sport that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
The World Rugby Hall of Fame is a collaboration between rugby union’s governing body, World Rugby, and Rugby Borough Council, which opened in the heart of Rugby town centre in November 2016.
It honours players and administrators who have developed the game through exceptional achievements, and features video archives of rugby matches and memorabilia.
Cllr Heather Timms, Rugby Borough Council portfolio holder for growth and investment, said:
The World Rugby Hall of Fame is a fantastic place to start youngsters’ love affair with the sport.
It has attracted visitors from all over the country and abroad since its opening, but we also want to ensure that moving forward, our town’s next generation are aspiring to have their own name in lights one day.
For more information on how to get involved in the programme contact enquiries@engagecoventry.com