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didi rugby has launched its 20th franchise with a fantastic morning in Oakham, Rutland.

The opening of didi rugby Rutland and East Leicestershire was a special day for several reasons with lots of parents and children having a fun day at Langham Village Hall.

Two local stars came and supported the event with former Wasps player Sarah ‘Huddy’ Mitchelson and England Under-18s Sevens player Phoebe Andrews joining in the activities.

But it was also a day to remember for new owner Emma Taylor who has been involved in didi rugby as a coach in Hinckley before deciding to take on a franchise of her own nearer to home.

didi rugby founder and CEO Vicky Macqueen had taken Emma under her wing in those early days so it was a wonderful moment for her too to see Emma build her own foundations.

“It was an absolutely brilliant launch with around 100 people there,” said Vicky.

“The first group was packed and there was lots of numbers in the second and third groups too.

“I am really proud of Emma getting so many people there on the day. There was a radio station and newspaper there too and she was absolutely brilliant coaching the three sessions.

Do you want your child to grow in confidence while having fun and being active?

Then come along to a didi rugby class and enjoy a free taster session at any of our venues across the country.

Following a tremendously successful 2018, we are confident they will have a great time, learn new skills and meet new friends too.

We would love to meet you and show you why thousands of children across the UK are coming back to didi rugby every term.

Devised and led by former England Women’s international Vicky Macqueen, here are five reasons why we think you and your child should give didi rugby a ‘try’…

1) Age appropriate classes – Our three age groups of 18-36 months, 3-4 years and 4-6 years means your child will be enjoying the right learning at the right stage of their development. These age ranges are within flexible boundaries and based on each child’s ability and confidence as opposed to a strict age structure.

2) Get active, learn and grow in confidence – We will get your child physically active and improve skills like co-ordination, speed and balance. We also hope to grow their confidence as they learn social skills in a positive, friendly and no-pressure environment.

3) Parents and Carers can join in – Because all of our classes are delivered in a friendly and relaxed environment, we encourage parents and carers to get involved as much or as little as they like. We want child and adults to feel comfortable in our classes.

4) One-to-one attention – There are a minimum of two coaches in every didi rugby session to make sure that every child receives some one-to-one tuition and so that even the shyest of kids feels valued and part of our friendly team.

5) didi rugby is great fun – Every session is designed to make sure your child is engaged and having fun with a smile on their face. We encourage positivity, team play, respect and sportsmanship. We hope that by instilling these values early on in life, they encourage a life-long participation in physical activity.

didi rugby Gloucestershire is expanding to Highnam where it will launch a high-profile launch party in the New Year.

If you live in the area and would like your child to get a taste of some of the fun that kids are enjoying all over the country, then keep Saturday 12 January spare and come to the Highnam Community Centre on Newent Road for a free taster session.

didi rugby ambassadors will be joining in and will be free to have photos taken with visitors, while mascots Dougie and Daisy will be up for some fun too.

Regular classes will then start at the venue every Saturday from 19 January for all of didi rugby’s three age groups between 9am and 11am.

The sessions will be run by coach Keith Smith, a retired police officer who was keen to get involved in the didi rugby Gloucestershire set-up which also runs classes at Cinderford RFC.

didi rugby Gloucestershire’s Suzanne Appleby-Jones said she was excited to be spreading the franchise to a new venue.

“Things are going well and didi rugby is building momentum,” she said. “It has all been positive so far and we are getting some really nice recommendations on our Facebook account which is great to see.

“We have started working with primary schools as well and we have been very well-received there too.”

* Book your child’s free taster session at the launch on 12 January by visiting this direct link to the booking page on our website, by calling Suzanne on (07872) 921856 or by emailing suzanne.appleby-jones@didirugby.com *

Classes will take place at Highnam Community Centre, Newent Road, Highnam, GL2 8DG, every Saturday morning from 9.00am – 11.00am from 19 January.

didi rugby Bosworth owner Matt Stubbs is looking forward to Christmas and the New Year after an extremely positive start to his time as a franchise owner.

Since the launch in September, which was given a huge boost by England Women Rugby stars Emily Scarratt and Charlotte Pearce, classes have been thriving with both children and parents getting stuck in and having fun.

Matt is set on expansion in the 2019 and is buzzing after a busy first few months, which has seen them already link-up with Market Bosworth Rugby Club.

“I just want to thank everyone for their support since we started in September,” said Matt.

“Our Enderby classes have been going well and we have had people getting interested in bookings for the New Year.

“Meanwhile, in Bosworth, the sessions at Bosworth Rugby Club on a Saturday morning are flying.

“Thankfully, the club have been brilliant and are loving what we are doing which is great news.

“We are looking forward to 2019 very much and just want to say Merry Christmas from us all at didi rugby Bosworth to all of our supporters. We look forward to seeing more parents and children at our classes in the New Year.”

didi rugby Syston will be kicking off in the New Year and it will be a real family affair in the Leicestershire town.

Eleanor Wilkinson will be head coach at new classes held at the St Peter and St Paul CE Academy on Saturday afternoons from 5 January, 2019 onwards.

The 17-year-old is a well-known figure in her home village having played, coached and refereed the game locally.

She is a member of the Leicestershire Society of Rugby Referees and the sport has been in her blood from a very young age so the teenager certainly does not lack experience.

Eleanor will be helped by her sister Lydia, who is going to be her assistant coach, and her parents who are busy spreading the word through social media and by delivering leaflets in the area.

“We will be running all three age groups when we launch and we have been out in Syston trying to tell as many people as possible that the classes will be starting in January,” said Eleanor.

“There are quite a lot of young people in Syston and a lot of people who play rugby so I am hoping it all goes well.

“I got into rugby because I have grown up with it and watched a lot of it from a very young age. Now this is very exciting because I have done a lot of volunteer coaching already.

“I met Vicky in February 2017 when we both appeared on Radio Leicester and then we saw each again at an awards ceremony.

In the summer of 2017, Emma Taylor had a life-changing epiphany.

Having helped out a friend coaching didi rugby classes in Stoneygate, Leicester, she was asked by didi’s founder and CEO Vicky Macqueen to spread her wings and take on three classes in Hinckley.

It was a big step up from what she was used to and when she accepted Vicky’s offer, her broad smile hid a fair amount of trepidation.

But Vicky had seen enough of Emma already to know what she was doing and the trust she put in her gave Emma the confidence she needed to take on the challenge.

Not only has she never looked back, but those moments in the Hinckley classes provided Emma with a moment of realisation…she had finally found her calling in life.

“It was a big challenge for me and I was asking myself if I can really do this,” said Emma. I had worked in business and with kids before but there was still some doubt there.

“When I started enjoying it and realising I was fine, I suddenly had an epiphany. It was like I had found out what I was good at.”

Later that year, Emma went full-time in Hinckley and early next year, she will become the owner of the business’ latest franchise, didi rugby Rutland and East Leicestershire.

Emma is a RFU Level 2 rugby coach who spent her time learning off her mentor Vicky when she coached the Loughborough University team that Emma played for.

“Vicky coached me for six months as a player so I could learn why things were taught the way they were for my coaching ambitions with my local club Oakham,” she said. “That was a big help.

“I qualified for Level 2 in December 2016 and, at the time, an RFU stat said that only 550 women were qualified to coach rugby. I wanted to become one of those stats and see what I could do.

didi rugby founder and CEO Vicky Macqueen has urged rugby clubs up and down the country to get in contact if they are seeking help and guidance implementing the Rugby Union’s (RFU) new Early Years Framework Guidelines.

Because of the success of didi rugby with the age group in question, Vicky was invited to be part of the working group which helped the game’s governing body devise a practical framework to help clubs attract and develop children from 18 months to five years of age.

Months in the making, those guidelines have now been formally released to all RFU-affiliated clubs in England giving them a clear structure on how to encourage a new generation of young players.

didi rugby’s franchises have been building links with clubs across the country for the last 18 months and been putting the building blocks in place for clubs like Vicky’s own home town, Hinckley RFC to have a booming minis section with dozens of children coming through the didi rugby programme to join the club’s minis section.

didi rugby has a vast amount of experience in setting up didi programmes at clubs and that is why the RFU asked Vicky to share her knowledge and to help them devise the right way forward for an ever-growing age group.

Now clubs have the official RFU document to base their structure on, didi rugby’s team of franchisees and dedicated coaches will be ready to help any interested parties set-up a programme, attract new youngsters and parents to the club and develop a set-up to provide a conveyer belt of keen, excited and engaged kids with a rugby ball in their hands.

didi rugby is looking forward to developing further links with local clubs following the announcement of the Rugby Union’s Early Years Guidance Framework this week.

didi founder and CEO Vicky Macqueen was asked to advise the RFU on the newly-released document as the game’s governing body has officially recognised the importance of developing the 18 months to five years old age group.

Their framework will now be sent out to all RFU-affiliated clubs in the country showing them the way to develop their own set-up.

And while working closely with clubs, those sort of set-ups have already been put in place by didi rugby franchises over the country during the last 18 months. didi rugby have become a recognised and trusted provider of the sort of age-specific learning that the RFU are now backing.

didi franchises are working with rugby clubs in England and Wales at: Beverley, Pocklington, Whitchurch, Crewe and Nantwich, Market Bosworth, Kenilworth, Loughborough, Shepshed, Ashby, Glais, St Helens, Hinckley, Lutterworth, Burbage, Coventry, Coventrians and Old Coventrians, Reading, Aldermaston, Thatcham, Lydney, Chipping Norton and Cinderford, with more in the pipeline.

Vicky’s home club Hinckley RFC has already benefitted from a conveyer belt of six-year-olds who have joined the club after ‘graduating’ from didi rugby classes.

Hinckley chairman John Tilley explained how dozens of children filtered into their minis section having been involved in didi rugby classes from a young age.

“We have had massive success linking up with didi rugby,” he said. “I think it was around 40 new children who came into our under-6 age group last year.

“Not only were there 40 kids but they had done some good stuff already as well. didi rugby is a brilliant initiative and it gets kids active. Ultimately, that’s what we are about isn’t it? Getting kids active.

Hinckley’s club coaching coordinator Tom Kilburn said at the time: “I have been really impressed with the ability of these children that have joined us. Most are in possession of great motor skills, with the ability to listen and follow instructions well.

didi rugby founder and CEO Vicky Macqueen has joined forces with Switch the Play and former England and Leicester Tigers centre, Leon Lloyd, to try and help elite sports men and women learn from her experiences of life after a career in sport.

Switch The Play is a social enterprise dedicated to helping athletes perform better and prepare for their next phase through developing a life outside of the sporting field.

Switch the Play is underpinned by a ‘pracademic’ approach, using those who have experienced a career in sport to deliver their message. CEO Leon Lloyd was therefore delighted to welcome Vicky to the Switch the Play team as an associate, to deliver educational masterclasses to elite and aspiring athletes.

The former England Women’s international with 34 caps left the sporting arena that had served her so well in 2009 and had a family before launching didi rugby and going on to be presented with a British Empire Medal (BEM) for her services to women’s rugby.

Leon, meanwhile, had a stellar professional rugby career with Tigers and Gloucester before retiring and learning some valuable lessons about how tough the transition is, into what athletes often describe as ‘the real world’. His book: ‘Life After Sport’ tells of that emotional journey.

“Switch The Play helps people put plans in place to make the most of themselves,” said Leon. “It is never too early to start planning for the nextstage of your life. At Switch the Play, we encourage athletes to see developing themselves alongside their sport as an extension of Plan A, rather than as a Plan B. This not only helps them once they transition but also has a positive impact on their sporting performances.

“You have to plan for your transition. People won’t give you a job because you can score tries, goals or run fast.”

“I am passionate about helping others learn from my mistakes and we are focused on offering guidance to people while they are still competing to help them better transition to their life afterwards.

“It’s important for athletes to use their sport now. Don’t wait for other people to come to you. Go to them and be pro-active.”

Vicky said she was looking forward to getting involved: “Switch The Play hopes to make a positive difference to the lives of athletes and it will be great to play a part in that,” she said.
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“As I have found over the last couple of years while developing didi rugby, there are plenty of lessons to be learned in the business world but also plenty of people and organisations who will support you and help you to succeed.

“I am really looking forward to telling my experiences, good and bad, to the next group of athletes who are ready to take a step that may seem scary and challenging but is also exciting and full of opportunities.”

didi rugby founder and CEO Vicky Macqueen writes about some worrying trends towards the levels of obesity and inactivity in our children and says we must not let down a generation of young people

I have read some worrying statistics and reports in recent weeks about how the devil of inactivity is affecting our children.

In Wales, one of didi rugby’s strongest heartlands, 12.4 per cent of four and five-years-olds are obese, Type 2 diabetes is on the rise and half of the nation’s young people, boys and girls, are not doing regular sport.

As someone who runs a business aimed at getting children of exactly that age active and healthy, news like that is hard to hear.

Especially when the vast majority of the kids I have met who are involved in physical activity are happy ones.

Laura McAllister, the former chair of Sport Wales writing in Wales Online says the nation needs to start ‘investing properly’ in early years teachers and carers.

“Preschool children should have at least an hour of structured physical activity (that is, adult-led) and at least an hour of unstructured free play every day,” she says.

She also believes that, in school, PE should have ‘the same status as maths, English, Welsh and science to fulfil the government ambition of creating ‘healthy, confident individuals’.

Amen to that.

Meanwhile, The Mail on Sunday have reported data gathered by the universities of Exeter and Plymouth from 807 kids in 32 Devon schools.

It concluded that just one in 30 children aged nine or ten completed the recommended amount of daily exercise.

One in 30! Think about that for a minute. That’s about one child in every school classroom.