Category: News

didi Rugby Reading is set to extend the amount of classes it offers to youngsters in the area after a tremendous response from the public.

Since launching almost three months ago, the franchise has gone from strength to strength under the leadership of Craig Hunter and Donna Clark.

And when some of the age groups quickly became full and began operating a waiting list, Craig and Donna knew they had to come up with ideas to satisfy the ever-growing demand.

Didi Reading currently offer two classes on Fridays and three on Saturday at Reading RFC. As of next week, they are delivering permanent sessions in three schools, with taster sessions coming up in two others with a view to running permanently from September.

Classes at Aldermaston RFC is now a permanent fixture on a Saturday morning – after starting off as a taster session – and they are filling up already.

Taster sessions at Newbury start  on Wednesday 2 May.

Craig said: “It has been an amazing few months for us since we launched.  We are looking forward to growing the didi rugby Reading coaching team now and sharing the fun, while enabling children from 18 months to 6 years old to build confidence and be active.

“None of this would have been possible without the support of Donna and fellow coaches Clare Swadling, Nicola Brooks, as well as Joe, Caitlin, Jack and Katie, and of course Vicky Macqueen and the didi rugby team.

“I have always wanted to provide some form of rugby for the siblings of our U6 and above players at Reading RFC.

Didi Rugby’s Yorkshire franchise is going from strength to strength after its official launch in Pocklington.

Held at the Scout Hut in town, the open day was a huge success despite freezing weather with excited children and parents getting a taste of what was on offer.

Since then, the first couple of weeks of one of didi Rugby’s newest franchises have flown by for owners Pete and Emma Cutress.

With classes growing in Clifton Moor as well as Pocklington, Emma said they had been ‘overwhelmed’ by the response they had seen since the launch.

“It was fantastic to see so many happy smiling faces with children and grown-ups getting involved,” she said. “We are overwhelmed at the response to our first sessions in Pocklington.

“We’ve already had some great feedback and are looking forward to seeing our didi stars back for some more fun!

“There’s no rest for the wicked this week as our classes continue at pace. We are really grateful for everyone’s support and looking forward to seeing some more new faces at our next sessions.”

Despite snow and freezing temperatures, the re-launch of didi Rugby’s Loughborough classes soon got warmed up with new franchise owners Caroline and Terry Percival at the helm.

As well as a fantastic response from local families, the President of Loughborough Rugby Club arrived to see what was going on and to encourage children into the sport.

At the end of the sessions, he was so impressed that he has given his full support to didi Rugby in Loughbourough.

Caroline said she was delighted by the success of their big day. “We were amazed by the response from the local community building up to the event,” she said. “It is heartwarming to see that so many people share our passion for rugby and its values and also want to share these with their children.”

There were three classes held at Rosebery Community Centre in Loughborough, Leicestershire on Saturday. Children aged from 18 months through to six years were split into minis 9-9.40, juniors 9.40-10.20 and seniors 10.20-11.

The children in all classes were really engaged with the activities but the ‘What’s the time Mr. Wolf?’ game was a particular hit, with squeals of delight from the children and laughter from the parents ringing out around the hall.

There were even requests for the game in next week’s classes from some of the children.

Kiri Bennett and dad Rich, both believe in passing on the benefits of physical activity to the younger generation.

Kiri’s two-year-old daughter Ayaana is already reaping the rewards of her mum’s passion.

And with Rich having taught physical education for 40 years, he brings a vast amount of the knowledge to the launch of a new franchise.

Kiri and Rich will be spreading theirs beliefs throughout South Warwickshire after finding the perfect fit for their values in didi Rugby.

Now, children and parents in places like Coventry, Kenilworth and other villages and towns in the area will be able to attend didi Rugby classes and share in her vision to get young children active and healthy while having fun.

“I have a real passion for physical activity and want to share and promote my love for it towards the new generation,” said Kiri. “I believe in the importance of physical activity and how it should begin at a young age to promote all of the incredible benefits it provides.

“I believe not only in the physical well-being didi Rugby offers children but also in the other social and mental aspects it provides too. Whatever path a child chooses to take in later life, the benefits of fundamental movement and physical skills cannot be understated.”

Kiri knows a thing or two about rugby too! Having played competitive rugby from an early age, she represented Great Britain University 7s team, captained the University if Wales Institute (now Cardiff Met) and has a BSC in Sport and Physical Education.

“I lived and worked in Sydney for over four years where I gained a lot of experience in sport development and customer relations so I can’t wait to launch this new didi Rugby franchise,” added Kiri.

Rich meanwhile, has taught physical education and special educational needs for 40 years. As part of that work, he qualified as a councillor and specialised in working with students who suffer from anxiety.

didi Rugby Reading will launch their link with London Irish RFC on Sunday 15 April at the Madejski Stadium.

The Exiles will welcome champions Exeter Chiefs later that day in the Aviva Premiership and anyone involved in the didi fun on the day will also be offered heavily discounted tickets to what promises to be a fascinating game at 3.00pm.

didi Rugby Reading will be offering free 40-minute taster sessions to children between the ages of 18 months and six years old, from midday until 2pm, inside the stadium.

Our sessions are open to existing didi Rugby Reading superstars – but we will also be delighted to welcome new players to come and give us a try!

didi Rugby Reading’s Craig Hunter has been integral in this community link and will be ensuring that little ones and their families are inspired to join in and feel a part of didi Rugby and London Irish.

didi Rugby owner Vicky Macqueen recently led a special day for didi Rugby youngsters at Wasps RFC and she says this represents another great development for the company.

“We are so excited to announce our link with London Irish RFC,” she said. “Craig has done an amazing job to build links with such a strong, family-inspired club and we hope that link goes from strength to strength.”

Match tickets for didi stars and their families are priced at:
Adults – £10
Children 13 to 18 – £5
Under-13s – FREE.

It is a huge honour to welcome Wales rugby legend Gareth Thomas to our growing list of didi Rugby ambassadors.

Gareth was keen to become more involved and help children become more active after visiting Robyn Lock at the Swansea classes of didi.

He was there as the host of a BBC programme previewing the 2018 Six Nations tournament to recognise Robyn’s services to the sport in Wales.

Excited by what he saw, Gareth agreed to become a didi ambassador and will now join the didi family and bring all his enthusiasm and experience to the set-up.

With 100 Test match caps to his name, Gareth was the most-capped Wales rugby union player until he was overtaken by Stephen Jones in 2011. Gareth is the second-highest Wales try-scorer behind Shane Williams.

His club rugby saw him become influential for the likes of Bridgend, Cardiff and Toulouse and as an almost ever-present international, he lit up stadiums the world over with an incredible try-scoring record.

He also captained the British & Irish Lions in the second and third Tests on the 2005 tour of New Zealand.

Nicknamed ‘Alfie’, Gareth moved into broadcasting and the media after his retirement from the game. He was an analyst on the 2011 and 2015 World Cup and has also appeared on mainstream TV shows like Celebrity Big Brother and Dancing on Ice.

Katy Daley-Maclean, England Women’s World Cup-winning captain from the 2014 has become a didi Rugby ambassador.

A school teacher by trade, Katy says she knows the true value of getting young children involved in sport at such a young age.

And that is only one of the benefits of attending a didi Rugby class around the country.

“What an absolutely brilliant initiative this is, getting young children into our brilliant game of rugby,” she says.

“didi will improve their confidence, social skills and provide them with the ability to get active at such a young age.

“It is absolutely fantastic and something that I am very proud to become a part of. Take your young person and get involved in didi Rugby!”

Katy led England Women to World Cup glory as their captain when they beat Canada 23-9 in the final in France in 2014. She received an MBE in the 2014 New Year Honours list.

The World Cup win was one of a number of medals that Katy has won at the top of the women’s game and she is hugely respected throughout the sport.

She also represented Great Britain at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Rugby Sevens.

Find out more about didi Rugby and book your child onto a free taster session at one of a number of sites around the country.

Find out more about Katy and book her for public speaking at her personal website: http://www.katymclean10.com

Didi children, parents and coaches enjoyed a day out to remember at Wasps RFC.

While the Aviva Premiership title-chasing home side were preparing to beat London Irish 24-16 on home turn at The Ricoh Stadium in Coventry, dozens of visitors representing didi Rugby were putting on an “awesome show” in the fans’ village.

Didi Rugby owner Vicky Macqueen said she was incredibly proud as children from classes from all over the Midlands – and even some from Hertfordshire – showed off their skills in a demonstartion.

“It was awesome display from our didis at Wasps,” said Vicky. “Children from all over the Midlands were there and it was great to see some from Hertfordshire venturing up for the occasion too.

“It was lovely to have them all together and they put on an awesome display. They were showing off their skills and displaying great team work and friendship with their little team mates.

“We had lovely comments from parents who were with their children, and people just watching to see our didi stars in action.

“Well done to everybody involved, coaches, players, parents, Hannah Faulds and the Wasps staff who all made the occasion so special for us.”

It’s always time to take stock as the calendar year comes to an end and, personally, it has been truly rewarding seeing the growth of the didi Rugby during 2017.

Not only in terms of the growth within our own country, but with the amount of interest we have had from abroad too.

I believe passionately in what we are doing so the idea of spreading the word far and wide, across the oceans, is something that really excites me. Let’s spread the love.

Domestically, in the UK, we have welcomed a new franchise in Swansea run by Robyn and Andrew Lock, one in Ascot & Windsor run by Hannah Field and most recently one in Reading run by Craig Hunter.

Swansea launches in early December and Ascot & Windsor will be getting underway early in the New Year, as will our New Zealand branch of didi Rugby, based in Canterbury.

We are looking forward to creating exciting and well-attended launches to support all of the hard work that the guys have put into setting them up.

We are just putting the finishing touches to confirming some big-name ambassadors to support Swansea too so watch this space.

We have begun classes in Reading recently at Westwood Farm Schools and there will be more to come in areas like: Bedfordshire, Isle of Man, Brighton, Bromley (London) and Staffordshire in 2018.

I am so excited to give more children across the UK and abroad the opportunity to be a part of didi Rugby. I have seen the physical, social and developmental benefits as both a mum, a hands-on coach and also from a didi Rugby founder point of view. I am so pleased with the positive effects on the children involved and the feedback we have been receiving has been fantastic.

Our online shop has now launched – watch out for our January sale!

This will allow anyone to click onto didi Rugby and purchase our kit and range of accessories. We pride ourselves in not making kit compulsory for children but it is funky and cool – if I do say so myself! Our accessories like water bottles, balls, and bags are proving very popular.

Also growing is our list of didi Rugby ambassadors who have put their name to our business because they believe in the values that we are spreading through our classes.

These ambassadors work hard to attend local classes and make themselves available for presentations and holiday camps when they have time. We are truly grateful to each and every one of the following: Sarah Hunter, Natasha “Mo” Hunt, Emily Scarratt, Geordan Murphy, Scott Hamilton, Sam Harrison, Harry Ellis, Justine Lucas, Louis Deacon, Graham Rowntree, George Chuter, Maggie Alphonsi, Vicky Fleetwood, Matt Elliott, Rosemary Conley and Gary Street.

There are more to come over the coming months too and I am sure 2018 will be an exciting time for anyone involved with didi Rugby!

A new didi Rugby franchise has just launched in Yorkshire and, in a close-knit county, it is no surprise that this is a real family affair.

Husband and wife Pete and Emma Cutress are ploughing their passion for the sport of rugby into the new set-up and have a vested interest in making it a success…because their own kids will be getting involved too.

“I am so excited about the launch of didi Yorkshire as this gives the opportunity to share my passion and enthusiasm for providing a safe, fun environment for children to grow, learn and develop key skills in,” said Emma.

“Having two small children ourselves, this kind of active class for youngsters is something which is really important to me because it encourages them to develop confidence in not only themselves but their ability to make new friends and overall, have fun!

“It is a great opportunity for parents to meet and build new friendships too, something which is vital when you have little ones ruling the house!

“didi Rugby is the kind of group which is helping my children to shine and I can’t wait to see the positive impact it has on others too.”

Coming from a family with an older brother and sports-loving father, much of Emma’s childhood was spent on the sidelines cheering on, one or the other.

She soon realised the value of sport, not only on a community but for its ability to promote a healthy and active lifestyle. Now, with two children of their own, Emma, Pete and the kids love a walk and they swim as often as possible.

Inspired by the success of didi Rugby founder Vicky Macqueen in her home county of Leicestershire, Emma and Pete are determined to make their didi base just as popular and entertaining for the young children in Yorkshire.

“Having watched Vicky’s passion turn didi Rugby into such a success in her hometown, it seemed like the obvious next step for us,” she said.

“Pete and I have been keen to ensure that our children grow up happy, confident and healthy, whilst understanding the importance of fun in everything they do – and now it’s going to be our job!”