Category: News

The launch of didi rugby classes in Enderby saw one little visitor find a lovely friendship with didi ambassador, England star Emily Scarratt.

Two-year-old Juliet Childs really found her confidence after a shy start in her class and formed a lovely bond with Emily.

Emily was at Enderby Leisure Centre along with fellow England back Charlotte Pearce as both ambassadors gave up their time to help the launch of Enderby classes for the new Bosworth franchise.

Emily was close by Juliet’s side as she enjoyed the various challenges of the didi obstacle course and was encouraging her every step of the way.

The youngster responded well and had a big smile on her face by the end of the class and will be back again next week.

A link-up with a soft play area has provided a new venue for didi rugby Reading classes in Newbury.

Eddie Catz on York Road in the town will provide not only a warm and safe place to hold the classes but will give didi kids the chance to play in the facilities free of charge before or after each session.

Eddie Catz also provide workshops, classes and events for children and toddlers.

The sessions begin on Friday 7 September and will represent the 10^th venue now hosting classes in the didi rugby Reading area. It’s a sign of the success the franchise has enjoyed since launching just six months ago.

didi rugby Reading’s full-time head coach Craig Hunter says he is looking forward to seeing how the classes take off, especially with the added bonus of further play at the venue for any children that sign up.

“They contacted us and asked if we wanted to get involved and we are hoping it is going to be a success,” he said.

“It’s a venue is a lovely soft play area with small rooms around the side so it sounds an ideal place to host didi rugby classes.”

Teresa Breakspear is the head receptionist at Eddie Catz in Newbury and she added: “The name of didi rugby is well-known in the area and we all know that sport is great for kids to get them active and away from screens.

“The children who come for didi rugby classes here are more than welcome to have a free play before or after their session.”

An amazing opportunity has arisen for any young didi rugby stars and their parents to enjoy a day to remember at RugbyFest 2018.

The event is being held at Newbold-On-Avon RFC in Rugby this Saturday.

The family day is based around rugby, entertainment and laughter, with the main event being the international legends game. Starting at 4pm, former internationals from all over the world will be going head to head in what promises to be a cracking contest.

And didi rugby stars have been invited to be mascots for the day and accompany the legends onto the pitch. Those children will also be part in a didi rugby demonstration from 2.30pm. Parents of didi children involved will get free entry to the event.

The mascot slots will be given on a first-come, first-served basis and anyone interested in their little one taking part should contact vicky@didirugby.com for more information.

didi rugby owner Vicky Macqueen said: “This promises to be an exciting day for all the family and it’s a great opportunity for some of our didi youngsters to show what we do, as well as accompany some famous names from the world of rugby onto the pitch for the main event.”

Other events on the day will see Newbold RFC take on Banbury RFC for the Fereday Cup, a guest team take on the England Deaf XV and the inaugural VetFest Cup will see our more senior players compete in a Sevens Festival.

There will be loads of games and things for children to take part in from bouncy castles to a funfair, hook a duck to space hopper racing.

Formed in 1894, Newbold-On-Avon RFC on Parkfield Road it is the oldest village rugby club in the Rugby area.

Entry is just £5 for the day with under-12s going free. Plenty of charities will benefit from money raised on the day.

Huge demand for places at the launch of didi rugby Crewe and Nantwich has led to extra classes being put on for all three age groups at the event.

Head coach Katie Heirene will now be running parallel classes to make sure that there will be plenty of fun for everyone who has already booked in for a free taster session, as well as any new sign-ups in the build-up to September 8.

The launch is taking place at the brand new, £6m sports complex at Reaseheath College in Nantwich with regular classes to follow there every Saturday morning.

didi classes will also launch at Tarporley Community Centre on Sundays (starting 16 September) and Audlem Village Hall on Wednesdays (starting Wednesday 19 September).

Bookings for all venues are now being taken and Katie says she has been delighted by the level of interest in didi rugby’s first classes in the north west of England.

“The 18 months to 3 years age group filled up so quickly that we have decided to put on a second class at the same time to make sure everyone can join in,” she said.

“And with more people continuing to book their free places, we are going to do the same for the older age groups too.

“The reaction to the launch has been really positive and we have an amazing new, big facility in which to hold the classes so there are no problems with space. There is plenty of room to expand what we do.

didi rugby Coventry have strengthened their links with the city’s rugby community by announcing new classes at Old Coventrians Rugby Club.

Having already linked with Coventry Rugby Club for their launch in June, didi rugby will start classes at the Old Coventrians from Wednesday 5 September.

They will begin at 4.15pm and continue every Wednesday.

The formal link will create an idea pathway for children to join a club and surroundings they, and their parents, will be comfortable with, when they become too old for didi rugby past the age of 6.

Didi Coventry head coach Sophie Gulliver said: “We are really excited to be working with Old Covents. They are an established rugby club in Coventry who share our passion to get as many children active through rugby.

“Previous players from the club have gone on to represent Coventry Rugby Club who we are also partnered with so it’s an ideal link.

“Having old Covents involved with didi is a really helping to build the rugby community the city and we are looking forward to working together.”

Book your child onto one of the classes, email sophie.gulliver@didirugby.com or leave her a message on didi rugby Coventry’s Facebook page.

Leicester Tigers scrum-half Sam Harrison says didi rugby has taught his own children how to socialise and become confident around other kids.

Speaking at didi rugby’s annual Presentation Day at Hinckley Rugby Club, Sam says his children will enjoy the summer camp during the holidays and will continue to enjoy regular classes after that.

Sam, who has over 150 appearances for his home town club, is a didi rugby ambassador.

“Vicky Macqueen (owner) contacted me a few years ago when she was setting it up and initially I came down just to see if my two-year-old daughter wanted to get involved,” said Sam.

“I took her down and I loved it. I thought it was brilliant for young kids to teach them about sport and socialising and to give them the confidence that comes with that.

“My daughter loved it too and my kids are at the summer camp this year. That’s a couple of days a week, which will get them out of the house and give me a bit of peace and quiet too!

“It is brilliant what didi rugby is doing and it is getting bigger and bigger, which is good to see.”

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.