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Hinckley Rugby Club’s director of rugby George Chuter says the link with didi rugby will help to provide the club’s future players.

The former Leicester Tigers and England hooker is marshalling his troops through National League 2 North this season after finishing fifth last season.

And for a club with a strong focus on attracting and retaining local players, Chuter says the formal link with didi rugby can help attract young players who they hope can go through the ranks to play for the first and second teams of the future.

“We are always looking to recruit and we have 300-odd kids throughout the age groups here at Hinckley,” said George.

“They are mostly from the local area and the more we can get them involved, the better. Eventually, these will be the lads that come through and play for the club’s first and second teams and that is great for our club.”

didi rugby’s first local cohort of six-year-olds moved up to Hinckley’s minis section last year and provided 40-odd youngsters who already had good basic skills to move on towards tag rugby.

George said he was delighted to see the progression of children that didi owner Vicky Macqueen had been working with for a number of years.

“I have known Vicky for a long time and I remember her setting up didi rugby and I was thinking what a good idea that was to get kids involved with the sport,” he said.

“In the future, that would help clubs like Hinckley when these kids grow and end up playing for the club.

“Vicky asked me to come on board as an ambassador and I was happy to do it.

“It’s a great venture. She is tireless and works like a Trojan. The more we can spread the rugby word, the better, particularly with young kids just to get them out there and get them involved and socialising.

“It’s great for the kids, the parents and the club as well.”

didi rugby is not just an environment where children and parents have fun and learn new skills.

Heather Whitehouse is a talented teenager who says she has grown both as a coach, and as a person, under didi owner Vicky Macqueen’s leadership during classes at Burbage in Leicestershire.

Heather started life at didi rugby on work experience in 2017 and has never looked back, enjoying her interaction with both children and parents.

While some teenagers struggle to communicate effectively in groups of adults, Heather says she has grown in confidence because of her experiences with didi rugby.

“I enjoyed it from the start,” she said. “Seeing all of the kids getting involved motivated me and made me want to help them even more.

“I work at Burbage and we have three separate classes there so you see the little ones develop as they get older from 18 months, through to six years, which is really nice.

“Vicky has been a big help to me, giving me motivational talks and tips on how to improve my coaching as well as my personal development during classes.

“It has helped me grow as a person and it’s something that I definitely want to keep doing and learning from.”

Vicky added: “Heather’s confidence has grown a huge amount since she started coaching with didi rugby. She engages with both children and adults and is a huge asset to the team.”

Rural Oxfordshire is the venue for the latest didi rugby franchise launch in September.

didi rugby Chipping Norton will be arriving in the busy and lively market town and the person behind it is full of passion for what she is doing.

Sport has always played a huge part in Amy Pinfold’s life, having always taken the chance to play numerous sports from a very young age.

It was actually the round ball that first caught her attention and earned her a place on the teams of Chelsea Ladies FC and Coventry Ladies FC before she developed a passion for coaching.

Amy qualified as a football and a rugby coach and, after becoming a qualified secondary school teacher, she went to the USA to coach children between the ages of 3 and 16.

Rugby has dominated her passion in recent times though because of the values it promotes throughout all levels of the game and that ‘family feel’ is one she is keen to spread during her time with didi rugby.

“I am truly passionate about promoting physical activity for young people, with fun and enjoyment being at the forefront of that,” said Amy.

“Through my role as a PE teacher, I have seen at first-hand how important it is that young people are provided with opportunities to experience a wide range of activities that not only bring about the fantastic health benefits, but the social skills and confidence growth that it encourages.

A teenage didi rugby coach has travelled to Kenya armed with a bulging bag full of didi kit to play with children she meets on a volunteering mission.

Izzie Mackinder, who has just turned 16, has been a didi coach at Burbage in Leicestershire under the watchful eye of owner Vicky Macqueen for almost a year.

She has grown in confidence and ability during that time and is now going to put that to the test as she embarks on a month-long organised charity work trip to Africa with Camps International.

“I am going to Kenya for 27 days to do charity work, help them to make a better way of life and introduce them to ways of making better use of their resources,” said Izzie.

“Hopefully our work will give them the chance to land better jobs and have a more sustainable income.

“We will be helping to build primary schools and teaching them English and basic maths. For some of them, they won’t have had that education before and we can try and bring that to them for the month that we are there. We will be based near three different places.

“There is also the opportunity to take over some didi rugby kit so I can get the children playing rugby. They are fans of rugby in Kenya and they already have some very good Sevens side.

“I am hoping to get the young kids involved from a young age because they have not necessarily had that chance before.”

“I raised the money for the trip myself to go with Camps International.

There is no chance of new didi rugby Bosworth franchise owner Matt Stubbs losing drive and energy for any of his classes.

His history of physical activities makes many of us look like Sunday strollers!

A former PE teacher and director of sport in Leicestershire Secondary Schools for over 20 years, Matt loves all sports and is a huge advocate of keeping fit and active.

He has played rugby and football locally, taken part in triathlons and sailed a yacht through Canada and America.

Matt’s love of sport has given him some of his greatest achievements in the life and seen him overcome some ‘fantastic challenges’.

Now, he is keen to inspire others to develop a lifelong affinity with a fit and healthy lifestyle and the benefits associated with that.

With a young son, Matt says the values of didi rugby fit in perfectly with his outlook on life and he is excited to grow

“After the birth of Noah in 2014 it was important to us to introduce him to sport from a young age,” said Matt.

“We were really impressed with the principles of fundamental movement that didi rugby is built upon, and knew it would aid Noah’s physical literacy. This solid foundation will benefit him in participating in any activity in the future.

“Noah’s confidence has grown massively over the last two-and-a-half years that he has been coming to didi classes in Leicestershire and he loves the feeling of achieving success.

“The pride we have felt as a family in watching him make progress each week is overwhelming. This has all taken place in a fun, positive and safe environment.

“All parents should have the opportunity to see their child flourish and develop at an early age, like we have, and this is why I want to further develop the didi rugby brand and give more access to families in Leicestershire and the surrounding area.

Eastern Green Village Hall is a venue that holds a special place in the heart of didi rugby Coventry head coach Sophie Gulliver.

Following the unexpected sudden passing of one of her friends, Ella, due to a cardiac arrest, she was determined to do whatever she could to support her family.

Mum Karen soon set up a fund in her daughter’s name to raise money for defibrillators in more public places and Sophie got right behind those efforts.

The didi rugby coach was desperate to do whatever she could to help, especially when she attended a first aid course and found out how few schools have defibrillators in place.

“We are hopeful of making it an annual event now.”

didi rugby Reading host 21 sessions a week at schools and venues across Berkshire and visitors on the day came from across that area.

“We held didi sessions for all three age groups on the day,” said Craig. “Every child got a didi medal at the presentations and we had a fantastic barbecue and photos afterwards.

The certificates were presented by Will Cowen who has been selected to represent GB at the Tumbling World Championships in Tokyo later this year. 

She says that getting children active and learning the key motor skills that didi promotes from a young age, will make running around and having fun, second nature to them as they grow up.

And she hopes that will help guard against the growing risk of our kids becoming overweight through their formative years.

“Having had a background in diet and fitness, I know that getting children from the age of 18 months onwards to be active and have fun while doing so, is going to be the answer to the childhood obesity problem for generations to come,” said Rosemary.

“For me, Vicky Macqueen is doing absolutely the right thing at absolutely the right time and I totally commend her for that.

“I saw all of the children and parents at the recent didi rugby presentation day and they were loving it. To see them all running around, smiling and having fun is music to my ears and sunshine to my eyes.

“I have presented 30 fitness videos in my time and I know that motor skills are something that you either have, or you don’t. That balance and co-ordination is important and believe me, they are easier to learn when you are 18 months old, than when you are in your 40s!”

didi rugby Loughborough have announced they are joining forces with Robbie’s Rugby Festival at the end of the month.

Franchise owners Caroline and Tez Percival will be there with other coaches to provide fun activities and demonstrations for any children who want to join in.

Robbie’s Rugby Festival will be celebrating its 10^th anniversary this year and will take place at Loughborough Grammar School Playing Fields on Saturday 28 July.

The event raises life-changing funds for the Robbie Anderson Cancer Trust and the Jake McCarthy Foundation and is run by a dedicated and hard-working local team who say they are delighted to have didi rugby on board.

“We are thrilled to have didi rugby involved in the festival this year,” said a spokesman from Robbie’s. “We are very keen to promote this fantastic company and get more young children involved in rugby. We look forward to having them as part of our team on the day and watching lots of youngsters get involved.”

This year’s 10^th anniversary is set to attract over 2,000 spectators watching the men’s 10s and the women’s 7s competition. There are plenty of off-field activities, food and drink to keep all of the family happy with a glamourous ball in the evening.

With a family ethos behind it and a vision to unite the communities, Caroline says the didi rugby Loughborough team are extremely excited to get involved.

“It’s great to be involved in an event with the stature of Robbie’s Rugby Festival,” said Caroline. “We will be starting our fun at 11.00am and will keep going while there are children to have fun with!

“We see this as a fantastic opportunity to show people what didi rugby is all about and it takes place right in the middle of our community.”

didi Loughborough have just agreed an official link with Loughborough Rugby Club and will be launching extra classes at Shepshed RFC from September.

Didi rugby will increase its reach into the north west of England when a Crewe and Nantwich franchise launches in September.

And the person who is bringing that franchise to Cheshire is full of passion and endeavour for the sport of rugby.

Katie Heirene is mum to “two crazy boys” and also plays for Crewe and Nantwich RUFC. She couldn’t be more passionate about inspiring kids to play the game.

“I have seen the benefits of rugby at first hand, not just for myself, but in my boys too,” said Katie. “The benefits of leading a healthy and active lifestyle and seeing the tremendous confidence and self esteem that being part of a team can give you is my driver for getting more kids active!

“The sooner this becomes second nature to our children, the better and it’s my dream to see the kids who join didi rugby go on to play for their local sports teams.”

After playing many different sports throughout her childhood, Katie finally took up rugby at university and went on to play at Championship and County level. She still pulls on the black and white jersey for Crewe and Nantwich each Sunday.

Over the years, Katie has coached tag rugby in primary schools and has also supported the youth sections at clubs she has played for.

She is now also working towards her RFU Level 2 qualification.

didi rugby CEO Vicky Macqueen said: “Katie clearly has a lot of passion for getting kids active and having fun so I am sure she will make a huge success of Crewe and Nantwich.

“With franchises in the Midlands, the south, Wales and the north east, we are delighted that Katie will front the first one to open in the north west. Hopefully, this will be the first of many.”

Hinckley Rugby Club has enjoyed “massive success” since joining forces with didi rugby.

Chairman John Tilley said the influx of children into the club’s minis section last year was ‘fantastic’ and with another group of kids set to come through this September, having become too old for didi’s six-year-old age limit, he said the link had brought nothing but success for Hinckley.

It is a pattern that is emerging across the country as didi franchises make links with nearby clubs in a bid to continue the children’s rugby journey between the ages of six and seven – and beyond.

For example, didi Reading has close links with Reading RFC and Aldermaston RFC, didi Gloucestershire are working closely with Lydney RFC and didi North Yorkshire and East Riding have joined forces with Beverley RFC.

Speaking at didi rugby’s annual Presentation Day, John said the formal link with didi had worked wonders for Hinckley RFC.

“didi rugby is a brilliant initiative and we have had some massive success from it,” said John.