Mike Friday has a habit of making a big impact on the international Sevens circuit.

Currently the head of the USA Sevens team, his coaching and mentoring helped the Eagles rise from 13^th place in the 2013/14 IRB Sevens Series up to a sixth-placed finish in his first year.

They remained in the top six for each of his first three years in charge – a tremendous achievement for a country seen as not one of the World’s biggest top 10 rugby-playing nations.

Before accepting the America job, Mike was head coach of the Kenya Sevens team, leading them up the IRB rankings from 12^th to 5^th after his first season in charge.

But it was Kenya’s third-placed finish in the World Cup Rugby Sevens in 2013 that really caught the eye and made the USA come calling for his services.

The former scrum-half, who played club rugby for Wasps and Harlequins, started his Sevens coaching career with England and became their head coach in 2004.

He led them to 2^nd and 3^rd-placed finishes in the World Rugby Sevens Series in his first two seasons and saw his side win a medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

Mike coached didi rugby founder Vicky Macqueen in 2009 and, after hearing about her values and aims for the business, was more than happy to get involved an become an ambassador.

“I am a big supporter of didi rugby because it is a great way to get young kids active, healthy and enjoying the great game that we all love,” said Mike.

“I have been fortunate enough to have been around the sport of rugby for most of my life and know the positive impact it has on those who play and support the game.

Charlotte Pearce made her England debut in the 2018 Six Nations just seven years after she first picked up a rugby ball.

And while none of our didi rugby stars will be able to break that record, she is happy to become involved in sharing the values and fun of the sport with children.

Charlotte joined England colleague Amy Cokayne at the launch of didi rugby South Warwickshire in May 2018.

Earlier that year, she had made her international debut off the bench in England’s 42-7 win over Italy in Regio Emilia.

She only began playing the game in her first year at Edge Hill University and joined her first club, Ormskirk the following season.

After postgraduate study at Loughborough University, Charlotte earned a contract with Loughborough Lightning and was a frequent try-scorer for them in the inaugural season of the Tyrrells Premier 15s, leading to regular national training camp call-ups in 2017.

Then her full debut arrived the following year. With a black belt in karate at the age of 11, this didi ambassador is not to be messed with and we are delighted she has joined the didi family for her big smile and her infectious energy around the kids.

Danielle ‘Nolli’ Waterman retired from the international game in 2018 to sign off a stellar career which has made her one of the most recognisable faces in Women’s rugby.

The latest member of England’s World Cup-winning team of 2014 to become a didi rugby ambassador, she has played for more than 15 years at the top level of the game and earned 82 international caps, scoring 47 tries.

She is an Olympian having represented Great Britain in Rio in 2016 and is the only player in the world to have played in four World Cup and the Olympics.

She will continue to play her club rugby at Wasps next season.

Nolli (“My brother called me ‘Danny Ollie’ and so my dad shortened it to Nolli”) wanted to become a didi rugby ambassador after helping launch the Gloucestershire franchise in June 2018.

And having grown up playing the game in a rugby family, it is no surprise that she wants to encourage a new generation of players to enjoy the game.

Her father Jim is a legend at Bath having played over 400 games for them in the 60s, 70s and 80s and both of her brothers have played at county level for Somerset.

Nolli has often been a pundit on TV and has worked for Sky Sports and the BBC.

“didi rugby is such a brilliant programme for little ones and I loved getting to help Susie Appleby at the launch of didi Gloucestershire,” she said.

“I was shown how to do it by my dad at the age of four but I also have a lot to thank my two older brothers for as we would play one-on-one in the garden every moment that we could.

“If I wanted to play with them I had to be good enough so with full contact, I had to learn to avoid them early doors. Being a smaller player throughout my career it’s held me in good stead.”

For someone who first started running around with a rugby ball soon after she learned to walk, Alex Matthews fully knows the value of getting stuck-in early on.

With a house that backed onto Camberley Rugby Club, three-year-old Alex was soon getting involved in their junior set-up…and she never looked back.

Learning key skills during her formative years helped her arrive on the big stage with a bang in 2011 at a young age and she was then among the youngest members of the England squad to lift the Women’s Rugby World Cup trophy in 2014, having come off the bench to play in the last 15 minutes of the final.

She then featured in every game of the 2017 tournament in Ireland, receiving the player of the match award for her performance against the USA.

In 2017/18, the flanker’s athleticism, versatility and strong all-round game earned her a place in the national Sevens programme.

Playing her club rugby for Richmond, she is closing in on a half century of caps for her country now and, at there is plenty more to come from someone who is only just hitting her mid-20s.

Alex has been involved with didi rugby’s Reading franchise from its beginnings and is very keen to keep spreading the word.

“My dad took me and my sister across the road to Camberley Rugby Club when we were young to stop us wreaking havoc around the house,” says Alex. “I enjoyed it from a young age so when Craig Hunter at didi Reading asked me to run around with little kids I thought ‘why not?’.

“It’s good fun and not only gets the kids running around with a ball but it builds up their confidence too because they are always making new friends and socialising.”

Millie Wood has a habit of making a point on the big stage.

The England centre scored a try on her national team debut against Canada in July 2016.

And she also ran in a double for the University of Gloucestershire when her side won the BUCS title at Twickenham.

Having started playing the game at the age of 14, she made rapid progress and enjoyed three successful seasons with the England Under-20s team, captaining the side along the way.

Her pace and power earned her a first Sevens contract in 2016 and, at the start of 2017, she became a full-time member of the squad.

That power is obvious when she plays the game of rugby and no more than you would expect from someone who used to take part in the shot-putt and discus.

Born in Cheltenham, Millie says she is excited to be spreading the game to youngsters through didi rugby, having just joined Reading RFC to help coach the club’s girls set-up too.

“Rugby is an amazing sport and to be able to encourage young boys and girls to start playing it at such a young age is something I am delighted to be a part of,” says Millie.

“There is a lot of energy in the coaching team that drive didi rugby and a really friendly atmosphere throughout. I am really looking forward to playing my part in the development of young boys and girls when I can and hope I can make an impact.”

Carys Phillips is a hooker for the Wales national team and she also plays for Bristol and the Ospreys.

The daughter of former Wales international Rowland Phillips graduated from Cardiff Metropolitan University.

She won her first international cap against Ireland in the Six Nations in 2013 and has captained her country for almost two years, amassing over 40 caps in the process.

With a rugby playing such a strong role in the Phillips family, Carys knows ther importance of passing down the values and traditions to the next generation of players.

The front-row forward said she was delighted to become a part of the didi family because the classes provide a solid foundation for tomorrow’s sporting stars.

“didi rugby will be brilliant for women’s rugby because it ensures a bright future by getting girls to join in and begin playing a fantastic sport,” she said.

“The idea of didi rugby is important because it focuses on young children. It encourages them to pick up a ball and learn some core skills while having fun at the same time.”

Carys is one of a number of high-profile sports women who have become ambassadors of didi rugby to support the Swansea franchise, which has been thriving under the leadership of Robyn Lock.

MBE Non Evans was at the Swansea opening while women’s internationals: Alecs Donovan, Amy Evans and Siwan Lillicrap are adding their energy and experience too.

Sam Harrison grew up close to didi Rugby HQ in Hinckley and has since made his name as a professional rugby player a few miles away at Welford Road playing for Leicester Tigers.

After making his debut in 2008/9, he forged his way into the first team as a regular in 2010 and has been a valuable member of it ever since. At the time of writing, he is closing in on 150 appearances for his home town club.

Always a popular member of the squad, he was named Players’ Player of the Season in 2014/15 after 18 appearances.

One of the reasons why Sam is so popular to the Leicester Tigers faithful is his versatility and ability to fit in at any place right across the back line. A tenacious scrum-half by trade, he has often filled in at fly-half and has also played on the wing on several occasions too.

Geordan Murphy was dubbed ‘the George Best of rugby’ during his playing days because of the amazing things he could do with an oval ball.

Now he is transferring that knowledge to the coaching arena and Leicester Tigers are the beneficiaries of his skills set.

It was also the club which helped make Geordan the Premiership’s most decorated player. When the Irishman finished his 16th season at Welford Road, he had won eight league titles with the Tigers and two European Cups.

Over that time, he made 322 appearances for his club, 72 Test appearances for his country and earned seven caps for the British & Irish Lions.

Geordan became assistant backs coach when he joined the Tigers back-room staff and was promoted to interim head coach after matt O’Connor’s sacking in 2018.

He believes strongly in the values of didi rugby.

“As an ambassador, I wanted to endorse didi rugby because it improves the activity levels and skills of youngsters, while also developing their self-confidence using rugby as a tool to do this. Perfect,” he said.

Harry Ellis had a stellar career with his home-town club the Leicester Tigers and made 173 appearances during a ten-year career at Welford Road.

During that time, he went on to make 27 appearances for England and was capped by the British & Irish Lions on the 2009 tour of South Africa.

A persistent knee injury forced Ellis to retire from the game in 2010 but he has maintained an interest in the game by coaching at various levels.

Ellis first started playing rugby from a very young age and joined South Leicester as a six-year-old. He went on to represent the Midlands at every level and eventually joined the Leicester Tigers Academy and made his first team debut in France in 2001.

From that moment on, he never looked back and the local lad became a firm fans’ favourite on the terraces at Welford Road for the next decade, not only for his local connections, but for his tenacious spirit and deadly burst of pace.

As well as his international recognition, Ellis won all three rugby club competitions: the Anglo Welsh Cup, the Premiership and Europe’s Holy Grail, the Heineken Cup.