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didi rugby owner Vicky Macqueen writes…

I am lucky enough to be midway through my Level 4 RFU coaching course – the highest level you can reach in the UK.

The latest part came last week at Loughborough University  and lasted 3 days.

It is a steep learning curve and an extremely thorough test from start to finish. I am nine months into an 18-month course.

It’s a privilege to be doing it with some very talented people from the men’s and women’s game in this country.  Most of us are ex-players.

We help each other, drive each other on and always offer support.

It started when I was asked to submit an application and be interviewed to see if I was suitable for the Level 4 course.

I had done my level 3 and that was a serious test too. During that time, I had been head coach of Hinckley RFC men’s side from 2012 to 2014. I learned an awful lot during that spell.

I continued coaching at Lichfield Women’s team (when they were in the Premiership) as coach and a player/coach, and I was at Loughborough University coaching with Graham Smith (ex-England women coach) in 2016/17.

This coming season, I will be back at Hinckley with the men, assisting and supporting director of rugby George Chuter, which I am very much looking forward to.

And while the new season pans out, I will be completing the rest of the tasks, workshops and camps they have lined up for us all with Level 4.

didi rugby Gloucestershire has already announced expansion plans less than a month after launching the franchise.

Starting from 9 September, classes will begin at Cinderford Rugby Club and continue every Sunday from 10am to midday.

The didi Gloucestershire team, led by former England Women’s international Susie Appleby will be at the club from 6.00pm on Wednesday 11 July with a didi obstacle course and further information for any parents thinking of getting their child involved from September.

“Anyone in the area is invited to come and see us, have a bit of fun and find out more about what we offer,” said Susie.

With numbers growing at Gloucester’s Lydney RFC classes, the franchise will also be going into schools in the area soon to deliver didi sessions.

They will be delivering 12 weeks of didi rugby as part of the PE curriculum in three primary schools in the Forest of Dean with more schools, nursuries and pre-schools expected to follow soon.

If you are a nursery or school in the area interested in working with didi rugby, contact director Suzanne Appleby-Jones on 07872 921856 or by email at Suzanne.appleby-jones@didirugby.com

Bookings for the Cinderford classes will be open soon. Please keep checking this link and type in ‘Cinderford’.

didi rugby’s annual Presentation Day was enjoyed by hundreds of children and parents as the sun shone brightly on a memorable day at Hinckley Rugby Club.

Visitors came from up and down the country to enjoy a really special day which celebrated not only the achievements of the young didi stars involved but also the ever-growing family of coaches and franchise holders across the UK.

After visitors had enjoyed a hearty breakfast, they packed into the clubhouse for the award of medals and certificates. Any child who had attended a didi rugby class was invited and they were called out one by one for their special moment.

Coming up to the stage with proud parents, brothers and sisters, each child met founder Vicky Macqueen to be awarded their medal and certificate before shaking hands and having pictures taken with didi ambassadors: George Chuter, Charlotte Pearce, Rosemary Conley and Sam Harrison.

Afterwards, everybody piled out onto the pitch to run around with didi balls and have fun on the bouncy castle.

“It was a fantastic day which had a real family feel to it,” said Vicky. “We wanted to make everyone welcome and lay on a day which was our way of saying thank you to the children and parents who make didi rugby such a great experience for us all.

“There was an incredible turn out and I want to thank every one who drove miles to come and join in. Thankfully, we were blessed with some great weather too and see the smiles on the faces of the children as they came up for their medals made it a special day for all of us.

“A big thank you to our didi ambassadors too. Rosemary Conley, George Chuter, Sam Harrison and Charlotte Pearce gave up their time on a Sunday morning to support us and they really added to the occasion.”

Leicester Tigers scrum-half Sam Harrison is from Hinckley so didn’t have to travel far for what he said was a fantastic event.

“Two of my kids are both going to the didi camps during the summer and they love it,” he said.

“Vicky has the enthusiasm and started this business from scratch. Days like this prove that it is credit to her that it is where it is now. It’s getting bigger and bigger and that’s good to see.”

There was an emotional mixture of both happiness and sadness for mum Claire Cope as she attended the didi rugby annual Presentation Day with her two sons, Archie and Alfie.

Both twins were given a special presentation by didi founder Vicky Macqueen after spending three years enjoying the classes.

Turning six soon, the boys have taken the chance to become two of almost 50 didi children who have joined the minis section at Hinckley Rugby Club over the last 12 months.

While the lads and their mum are excited about what lies ahead as they continue their rugby journey, Claire said there was also more than a hint of sadness after saying goodbye to the friends and coaches that had become a part of their lives for so long on a weekly basis.

Wonderful experiences

“They have had three amazing years and have had some wonderful experiences – as well as gaining so much confidence and learning key rugby skills,” said Claire.

“They have loved it because they have had so much fun getting involved in so many engaging activities. The coaches have been lovely and that is great to see as a parent.

“Teachers at school have commented how the boys have brought skills with them that they have learnt in didi rugby.

“It has been three fantastic years of fun, fitness, friends and being part of the lovely didi rugby family. It has been a wonderful thing to be involved in. Thank you so much Vicky Macqueen – we are all going to miss didi rugby very much.”

Vicky added: “They were the first twins to come to didi rugby and they have both been amazing – this is emotional for me too!

“We have seen them grow in confidence and while we will miss them, we wish them all the best at Hinckley Rugby Club when they start in September. I am sure they will go from strength to strength.”

Over 100 people turned up to enjoy the launch of didi rugby Gloucestershire at Lydney RFC in the Forest of Dean.

In bright sunshine, dozens of children and their parents enjoyed the warmth of the wonderful facilities as all three age groups got a first taste of the fun at didi’s 11^th franchise.

There was an incredible amount of experience in the coaching ranks on the day, led by didi Gloucestershire’s head coach and former England international, Susie Appleby and didi rugby owner Vicky Macqueen.

Joining her were three England players, Danielle ‘Nolli’ Waterman, Natasha Hunt and Ceri Large, all with plenty of caps behind them.

The England trio took part in the classes and welcomed and chatted to visitors. They also found time to sign autographs and have pictures taken with kids and parents.

It all made for a wonderful day and Susie said it was the ideal start for her and fellow director, Suzanne Appleby-Jones’ plans to expand over the coming months.

“It was a fantastic launch at Lydney RFC in the Forest of Dean and everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy the experience,” said Susie.

“Many families expressed their intention to join the didi rugby family and sign up for classes after seeing what it was all about.

“We are very grateful to our hosts at Lydney for making us feel so welcome and to our didi ambassadors: Nolli, Ceri and Natasha for supporting us.

“We will be opening more centres in the coming months and are excited about the future of didi rugby in Gloucestershire. We are looking forward to working with children, their families and the wider community.”

didi rugby Coventry is wasting no time in moving on from a memorable launch at Coventry Rugby Club.

Due to widespread interest in the area, they have already added a new venue to their list of classes.

Adding to sessions already at Coventry Rugby Club, classes at Eastern Green Village Hall will take place for all three age groups and begin soon on Sunday mornings at 9.30am from June 24.

didi rugby Coventry’s MD Sophie Gulliver said she has been delighted with the interest from children, parents and businesses in the area.

“Our launch was a great success and there is a real sporting buzz around the city at the moment,” says Sophie.

“didi rugby is a way of bringing parents and children together through a sport which promotes such great values.

“All of the parents and children at our launch got fully involved and the compliments we have received following the session is a testament to Vicky Macqueen (didi owner) and what the business strives to achieve…spreading fun and confidence through activity-based sessions.

“This is just the beginning and we are excited to take didi rugby to the children of Coventry. We have received a lot of interest for long-term class sign-ups too so it looks like we will be seeing many of those faces again in the near future.”

The franchise launch day was full of fun and colour as over 100 people made it to Coventry Rugby Club for free taster sessions and the chance to have pictures taken with some of the promotion-winning Coventry Rugby squad.

Not only that, but some of the squad got stuck in with the sessions too and tested the stretchy fabric on the obstacle course’s tunnel!

The championship-winning trophy was also there to add some further shine to the day.

didi rugby is hosting a spectacular presentation day for children and parents in Leicestershire on Sunday 15th July.

Hinckley RFC will be the venue for what promises to be an amazing day of fun, games, excitement and your chance to have photos taken with some of the biggest names in both the men’s and women’s version of the sport.

If you and your child are one of the thousands of people across the country who enjoy didi rugby every week, the good news is that you are invited to come along and join in.

Every child will be presented with a special didi certificate on the day at our awards ceremony to mark their determination and efforts at our classes.

There will plenty of didi rugby ambassadors enjoying the day with us including broadcaster and author Rosemary Conley, former England hooker George Chuter and Leicester Tigers scrum-half Sam Harrison, among others.

You must book your place to attend and an optional breakfast is also available for those booking in.

didi rugby is delighted to be in partnership with GO Rugby this summer.

GO Rugby provides the sport for all ages from 18 months up to 80 years!

What started off as the Golden Oldies (GO) has expanded to an event to include all ages and, after a successful inaugural event last year, is back with two bigger weekends this year, celebrating rugby, music and food – what is there not to like?

GO’s ethos is make our wonderful sport as accessible as possible for as many as possible and didi rugby will be right behind them.

The Welsh Rugby Union will be supporting the Cardiff event at Llandaff Rugby Club, while didi rugby Reading will be heavily involved in the first English GO event with the help of the RFU, London Irish, London Irish Amateurs and Hazlewood.

Paul Guest from GO Rugby said: “GO Rugby is all about making this wonderful sport as accessible as possible and a real highlight of this year’s events will be the addition of many under-represented rugby grades.

“This means that literally anyone can get on the field and enjoy the game.”

Didi rugby CEO Vicky Macqueen added: “GO Rugby has a similar ethos to that of didi rugby and that is to make the sport accessible and fun for all involved.

“We always like our didi kids to have smiles on their faces and I think there will be a lot of those around at what we are expecting to be extremely fun weekends.

“We would love people to bring their children along to see us and we can show them what didi rugby is all about in a fun and friendly atmosphere.”

didi rugby owner Vicky Macqueen writes…

Where children are concerned, that nature v nurture debate could rage on for ever.

But from my perspective as a mum with two boys aged 4 and 6, I know from experience that if I get them into good habits at a young age, there is more chance of them continuing those habits as they grow up.

Those good habits includes things like eating their greens, cleaning their teeth and actually weeing in the bowl, instead of on the floor! Boys eh?

But practicalities aside, I am very passionate about making sure my children get active and stay active.

Government guidelines encourage us to get our kids to do one hour of moderate intensity activity every day.

But a recent international survey of exercise among children painted a damning picture of our youngsters here in the UK.

Compared with 38 other countries, including the likes of Venezuela, England and Wales ranked joint third-last with Scotland right at the bottom.

Latest figures also claim that 20 per cent of 10 to 11-year-old in England are obese.

Keeping kids active gives them a better chance of staying away from obese levels but it will also tend to lead to fitter and healthier kids too.

That is a real driving factor behind didi rugby. My fitness kept me alive when I contracted a dangerous infection that could have killed me a few years ago. The doctors told me that my body fought the infection itself and helped to keep me alive.

I am determined to try and share the benefits of activity, health and fitness to parents and children and that is why I will remain a passionate advocate of what we do at didi rugby.

didi rugby is hosting a spectacular presentation day for children and parents in Leicestershire on Sunday 15^th July.

Hinckley RFC will be the venue for what promises to be an amazing day of fun, games, excitement and your chance to have photos taken with some of the biggest names in both the men’s and women’s version of the sport.

If you and your child are one of the thousands of people across the country who enjoy didi rugby every week, the good news is that you are invited to come along and join in.

Details of how to reserve your place, can be found at the bottom of this story.

Every child will be presented with a special didi certificate on the day at our awards ceremony to mark their determination and efforts at our classes.

There will plenty of didi rugby ambassadors enjoying the day with us including broadcaster and author Rosemary Conley and Leicester Tigers scrum-half Sam Harrison, among others.

And our franchise owners will be there too making this a very special day for the extended didi family.

Breakfast will be available to get the day off to a great start because nothing major was built on an empty stomach!