The Engage! Extra-Time Skill Centre is back!

An after school programme teaching youngsters life values through rugby is expanding its reach following a successful pilot.

The Engage! Extra Time Skill Centre was piloted last academic year and will run again from Tuesday 31 October at the Alan Higgs Centre for five to 11-year-olds.

The brand new sessions will teach participants about rugby’s five core values of teamwork, integrity, enjoyment, respect and discipline, while also developing their educational, sporting and social skills.

The launch of the eight week programme follows a successful pilot last academic year and the launch of the Engage! Values Programme, which saw a mixture of classroom and rugby-based workshops delivered to more than 1,200 year four pupils across 26 schools in the city.

Tom Clift, Programme Manager at Engage!, said:

The Skill Centre is ideal for introducing children to tag rugby for the first time in a safe environment, grouped with children their own age, where they can learn more about key life values, have fun and make new friends.

It is also the perfect opportunity for those children that have already taken part in our values programme to develop their skills further before joining a local rugby club, with fundamental rugby movement skills, ball handling and key decision making.

The programme also aims to improve their confidence in the sport and then sign post them to their nearest local rugby club mini or junior section where they can continue to develop and progress through all formats of the game.

The Engage! Extra Time Eight Skill Centre will be held every Tuesday from 31 October for eight weeks leading up to Christmas with time slots of 4.30pm until 5.30pm. For more information and to book your child a place email rhye.parry@engagecoventry.com.