Ashley Down Old Boys RFC

Rugby at Ashley Down Old Boys RFC starts from age 3. Mini rugby is for children from pre school to Year 1 and is an introduction to rugby skills before they start to play tag rugby matches in the Under 7s (school Year 2). Sessions are held on Sunday mornings at 10:30am (registration at 10:15) and take place directly in front of the club house on the first section of the rugby pitch. Come along a join us for a free taster session...

At this age, in the youngest group of pre school and Reception children, sessions are 45 minutes long. Each session is made up of short games and activities designed to develop skills of coordination, throwing / catching, kicking, running and footwork, as well as develop social skills and team work. Coaches are encouraging and positive and help children to listen to a coach, follow instructions, play by a set of rules and understand the basic fundamentals of rugby. Above all else, the focus is on having fun. Games are designed for enjoyment and participation using a rolling programme of varied games week on week. Children become familiar with the games and build their confidence to take part. Over the season, coaches progress the games to add in more skills and challenges. In this group, parents are welcome to join in and support their child to participate if required.

In the older Mini group for children in Reception and Year 1, sessions run for an extra 10 minutes (55 minutes in total). Coaches continue the game-based sessions and begin to introduce the concept of tag - where children wear velcro tags on a belt and opposite players can take their tag, meaning the ball has to be passed. This prepares the children for matches once they are old enough. The sessions are fun and focus on participation and skill development.

Anyone in Reception (aged 4 in September turning 5 in the coming year) can choose to be in the younger or older group. Parents and coaches work together to determine the most appropriate group for children based on experience, skill level, confidence and independence.

Sessions run in all weathers. Any cancellations are notified using the Ashley Down Juniors Facebook page which is a closed group for parents of our young children once they have joined.