Category: News

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.

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.”