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Company director, Matt Cropp tells the story of of how didi rugby began over a quick chat at a rugby club.

Years later, the franchise business is booming and thousands of children have become active, learned new skills and grown in confidence as a result of attending didi rugby classes.

And Matt says that’s only just the start of things to come.

“I have young kids and I do everything possible to get them outside and active and Vicky’s passion and enthusiasm were infectious and I wanted to be involved with it.

“The key to the whole didi concept is getting people active and the speed at which this has grown has surprised me.

“Vicky is involved at every single level and her passion for this comes through at every level too. She is an ex-England rugby player and she knows exactly the skills these children need as they are growing up.”

didi rugby stars and their parents made the most of a tremendous opportunity as they were able to show off their considerable skills in the Wasps Rugby Fans’ Village.

Before the Ricoh Stadium hosted Wasps’ Gallagher Premiership game against Newcastle Falcons, children throughout the didi rugby age group were invited to take part in classes that were played out in front of big crowds in high pre-game spirits.

Hundreds of children and parents visited the didi rugby area and joined in the fun with coaches and founder Vicky Macqueen.

didi rugby was invited to show what it could do after hooking up with Wasps Community.

Vicky was also interviewed during the day in a broadcast which was shown on the huge TV screens in the Fans Village – nicknamed the Wasps’ Nest.

didi rugby mascots Dougie and Daisy were spreading the fun too which was also enjoyed by franchise owners who helped put on a very busy class schedule.

The new owner of didi rugby’s latest franchise already knows the power of what his classes can achieve.

Keith Smith will be launching didi rugby Cheltenham at Cheltenham Civil Service RFC on Sunday 5 May with a host of experience already in the bag.

The former Gloucester, Lydney, Cinderford and Cheltenham Saracens rugby player first got involved with didi rugby when he spoke to the owners of the Gloucester franchise, Susie Appleby and Suzanne Appleby-Jones.

He was soon assistant coaching with them in schools and then started coaching his own class in Highnam.

A chat with didi rugby founder and CEO Vicky Macqueen then followed and now Keith is preparing to bring his skill and knowledge base to Cheltenham to try and get more kids active and playing a sport which is hugely popular in the area.

“I have already seen at my Highnam class the positive influence that didi rugby can have on children,” he said.

“There were two lads who were really shy and quiet when they started are now, they are flying around the hall and their dads cannot believe the transformation.

“That shows what can be done by getting children active and involved in sport.

“I am firm believer in kids being active and getting them off their computers and consoles and into getting outside their houses to have fun and play sport. Hopefully, we can get plenty of children involved in the Cheltenham area.”

It is likely that didi rugby Cheltenham will be a family affair too with daughter Ellie (16) expected to join the coaching set-up. The talented teenager is heading to Hartpury College to do athletics and will be getting stuck in with dad to increase her experience too.

We have an amazing opportunity for didi rugby parents and kids to come and spend a day with us as centre of attention at the Ricoh Arena on Saturday 9 March.

We are giving away FREE TICKETS to watch Wasps v Newcastle Falcons in the Gallagher Premiership.

Your child will be encouraged to come and have some fun with us and mascots Dougie and Daisy. They will take part in didi demos in the Fans’ Village – and then appear on the pitch at half-time.

It is ‘first come, first served’, so please contact your local franchise manager to make your request for family tickets.

With the location of the Ricoh, this would obviously be an ideal day out for those attending didi rugby Coventry, didi rugby Midlands, didi rugby South Warwickshire, didi rugby Bosworth, Nuneaton and Enderby, as well as didi rugby Rutland and East Leicestershire.

didi rugby were invited to Wasps last year and enjoyed a tremendous day at the village before the home side beat London Irish 24-16 on the pitch.

didi rugby founder and CEO Vicky Macqueen said the team could not wait to get back there to show everyone what didi children can do.

“We were made to feel very welcome last year and I like to think that all the kids and parents who took part on the day enjoyed themlselves,” said Vicky.

“I was very proud of everyone who came and this year’s visit looks set to be even bigger.

“I would like to thank Wasps and their community team for all of their help in giving us this opprtunity to get children active and having fun in a fantastic setting.”

In the third of a series of blogs from our franchise holders around the country, didi rugby Crewe and Nantwich’s Katie Heirene urges parents to give their kids a broad spectrum of sports from a young age

When I discuss what I do as a didi rugby coach in the Crewe and Nantwich communities, I get some parents saying to me: “That sounds good. Unfortunately, my son/daughter is a footballer.

If I had a pound for every time I had heard that, I would be a lot better off.

Don’t worry, this is not going to be one of those football-baiting blogs, which parades the benefits of rugby over the round-ball sport.

Far from it.

Football is one of my favourite sports and the incredible beauty of it, is it can be played absolutely anywhere.

There are loads of community football organisations which run fantastic clubs. Most importantly, these organisations are inspiring kids and getting them active. My own son Zach attends one of them and he loves his time there.

But just because your child plays football, it doesn’t mean they can’t play rugby too.

In so many sports, there are fundamental skill cross-overs, like spatial awareness, balance and co-ordination, stamina, pace, ball control (whether that be with your hands or your feet), not to mention values such as teamwork, respect and discipline and most crucially the ability to listen and be coached.

Zach takes part in a whole host of sports and I would love him to do more of them.

This summer, he is really hoping to have a go at cricket and tennis. Two sports that are often played alongside one another. I am yet to hear any parent tell me that their child “can’t play cricket because they play tennis instead”.

This proud didi rugby parent has some advice for other parents who are wondering whether to send their child to a didi class.

Simon Boxall is a father with a son who has come through the didi rugby system.

Now, William has not only moved to a rugby club to continue his education, he loves most sports and is at his happiest when he is being active and running around having fun.

So for parents asking: “How do I get my child more active at home?”, Simon has an answer.

“didi rugby makes him more active at home because he wants to get out in the garden and play by passing and kicking a ball around,” said Simon.

“But it’s not just about his growth with rugby. He is really into sport in general.

“As a parent, I have seen him grow and improve day on day and his reflexes and speed are coming on all of the time.”

“They should definitely just try it.” he said. “No matter what sport they might end up wanting to do. Rugby or not. didi rugby builds up their appetite for being active, having fun, friendships and fitness. It’s really fantastic.”

This video shows is an emotional story from someone who knows didi rugby founder and CEO Vicky Macqueen better than most.

Brother Anthony McCormack admits he thought he had a ‘normal annoying little sister’ when he was growing up…but how wrong he was proved to be.

“As I progressed through middle school, it was clear that she was sporty and started breaking school records against the odds,” he said. “She was a real grafter who put in the work and let her results do all of the talking.

“Her big heart does not just provide courage and determination in sport, it gives her a love of people too. I am sure it was her heart that carried her through being in ICU when she contracted sepsis, with the odds again her. She just would not quit.”

Safe to say that Anthony is proud as punch of his little sister and what she has achieved so far through didi rugby.

didi rugby South Warwickshire coach Kiri Bennett interviews two of her wonderful didi stars after a class – but she didn’t get the answer she was hoping for with her last question!

The answers from Rowan and Caius will certainly make you giggle.

The two boys tell Kiri what their favourite parts of the didi rugby classes are and then make the interviewer cover her ears when she asks them: “Who is your favourite coach?”

didi rugby South Warwickshire hosts classes in Kenilworth and Finham and are currently building a strong partnership with Old Leamingtonians RFC.

If you live in the area and would like to book your child in for a FREE taster session, visit our website.

didi rugby also offer exciting birthday parties at very reasonable rates, click here to see what’s on offer in South Warwickshire.

didi rugby offers free taster sessions to any of its classes all over the country. Sessions are run over three age groups from 18 months to 3 years, 3 years to 4 years and 4 years to 6 years of age.

To find out more about the benefits of didi rugby for your children, which include learning new skills, improved balance and co-ordination and increased confidence, watch our video.

In the second of a series of blogs from our franchise holders around the country, didi rugby South Wales’ Robyn Lock hails the value of being active from a young age – not just in terms of the country’s health care costs.

The figures and statistics are staggering reflecting just how much money is saved in the country’s health care costs just by its population being active.

By walking your dog, taking the stairs instead of the lift, cycling to work, choosing to walk instead of driving, playing and having fun outside and replacing screen time with activity time, we are all creating a great value for physical activity.

But, as we all know, it’s easier said than done. Sticking to these ideals often take time and being active becomes a luxury for those with few spare moments in their day. It is convenient to get things done quickly isn’t it? And there are always other bits and bobs that need doing before you go and get active.

So how do we make being active into one of our highest priorities as part of our lifestyle? How do we build time to be a more active version of ourselves?

Quite simply, we build it into our upbringing.

From a very early age, I remember my mum, in the sleet, hail, rain, snow and of course sunshine, walking me to school. We would have races from one lamppost to the next and pop into the shop on the way home in the summer for an ice lolly.