I have played rugby for over a decade with a break in the middle of that spell to have my daughter and am now in my seventh year at Handsworth Rugby Club.
Rugby is a massive part of my life. My son started playing five years ago and plays for the Colts team at Veseyans RFC. While watching him train one day, I was asked if I would coach a brand new girls team at the club and we are now in our fifth year.
That is where my love of coaching began and I have now also started coaching an older girls team at Erdington RFC, where I am also a first aider and safeguarding officer.
I have already been teaching didi rugby classes in Stone and Stafford before deciding to open didi rugby Walsall so I am fully aware of the benefits our sessions have on children.
I just love teaching the classes because they are so much fun running around with younger children. They always impress me and amaze me with how quickly they can pick stuff up and become so good at it.
I have come across quite a lot of cheeky personalities too and they make me laugh which makes the whole session so much more enjoyable. The kids love it and so do I.
I have always been someone that has loved participating in helping children or children’s activities, so starting up my own classes is something I am very much looking forward to.
Find a didi rugby class in Walsall at Handsworth Rugby Club
Introduce your children to rugby at a young age with didi rugby classes in Walsall at Handsworth Rugby Club. There are three age groups: 18 months to three years, three to four and four to six.
Our program is designed to get kids active, teach them new skills and improve their co-ordination, speed and balance. It will also help them learn social skills while they have lots of fun in a positive, safe and friendly environment.
These classes are ideal for children living in: Walsall, Bloxwich, Wolverhampton, Caldmore, Willenhall, Shortheath, Pool Green and Aldridge.
Mum Sarah was upset and frustrated when son Zachary was struggling to fit in after beginning didi rugby classes in Leicester.
Zachary was quite a way behind his peers in terms of his speech, understanding and social skills and Sarah was going through processes to try and help understand Zachary’s needs.
Not wanting her four-to-old to disrupt sessions for other children, she messaged didi rugby Birstall’s head coach, Jenny Burrows and told her that they were thinking of packing it in.
That was the start of a lovely story which has seen Zachary not only continue his classes but begin to flourish. It has been a process which has left Sarah full of praise for Jenny and her mum, Anita, after the work they have put in with the little didi star.
Zachary kicks the ball at a didi rugby session at Birstall Rugby Club
“We decided to take Zachary to a free trial at didi rugby to try and build his social skills,” explained Sarah. “Rugby is popular in both of our families and so we decided to give it a go.
“After a couple of weeks, it was apparent that Zachary was different to the other kids in his class. We gave it a few more weeks but noticed that he was not following instructions and was getting distracted. As a parent, it was embarrassing and frustrating. We were worried that every other parent there would think he was a naughty child.
“So I messaged Jenny and told her how we were feeling and that we were thinking about giving it up. I didn’t want him to disrupt the class for the other children.
Engaged
“Jenny asked me to try for a few more weeks and her mum, Anita took Zachary at his next class for one-to-one coaching and explained they had a plan in place to try and help. They explained that Anita would be Zachary’s one-to-one coach for as long as needed and they adapted some of the tasks to make it easier for him to stay engaged.
“He struggles to process detailed instructions but Anita started working with him and he began to engage with her. It was great to see and started taking the pressure off me and Zachary’s dad about worrying that he was being disruptive to others.
“Anita redirected him when he got distracted, he began relating to her and he has really come on. We have not looked back.
Zachary meets didi rugby mascot Daisy
High-five
“Anita is always there for him and we have noticed in the last few weeks that he has started to notice and be aware of the other children more and start to mimic them.
“He loves a high-five and Anita and Jenny are always giving him one. One week, Anita was not there and when she returned the following week, he ran up and hugged her. That’s a really big thing for him.”
Anita and Jenny have already built up a strong following at their Birstall Rugby Club classes. Jenny has recently launched classes at two more of Leicester’s most respected clubs, Oadby Wyggestonians and South Leicester.
They are both delighted with Zachary’s progress and are very keen for it to continue in the right direction.
Excited to go
Sarah continued: “Zachary is far from perfect but he will follow the tasks now and he likes the routine. He is always excited to go to sessions.
“This process has given us some hope and makes you realise that there are nice people out there. Going through a process of trying to find out more about your son, can be very doom and gloom.
“But Jenny and Anita have gone above and beyond to help him and be the best he can be.
“Every children’s group you go to will claim that they are ‘inclusive’ but the reality of it is they that are often not. They simply believe that by allowing a child to attend, it makes them inclusive. That’s not the case and that makes it tough for parents.
Make families feel welcome
“didi rugby team have gone above and beyond for Zachary and they are always very welcoming. If Zachary meets more people like Jenny and Anita as he grows up, he will have a happier life.”
Jenny Burrows added: “I am so pleased that we were able to work with Sarah to find a way to help so that they felt they could keep on attending didi rugby classes.
“Seeing the process that Zachary has made is the best feeling. I truly believe didi is great for all children. We will always do our best to help families and make them feel welcome.”
Find a didi rugby class in Harrogate at Rossett Sports Centre
Introduce your children to rugby at a young age with didi rugby classes in Harrogate at Rossett Sports Centre. There are three age groups: 18 months to three years, three to four and four to six.
Our program is designed to get kids active, teach them new skills and improve their co-ordination, speed and balance. It will also help them learn social skills while they have lots of fun in a positive, safe and friendly environment.
These classes are ideal for children living in: Harrogate, Pannal, Beckwithshaw, Knaresborough, Birstwith, Follifoot, Hampsthwaite, Ripley, Leathley, Killinghall and Farnham.
Find a didi rugby class in Sutton Coldfield at All Saints Church Four Oaks
Introduce your children to rugby at a young age with didi rugby classes at All Saints Church, Four Oaks in Sutton Coldfield. There are three age groups: 18 months to three years, three to four and four to six.
Our program is designed to get kids active, teach them new skills and improve their co-ordination, speed and balance. It will also help them learn social skills while they have lots of fun in a positive, safe and friendly environment.
These classes are ideal for children living in: Sutton Coldfield, Hill Hook, Little Aston, Hardwick, Streetly, Four Oaks, Doebank, Meer Green, Wyndley
All Saints Church, Four Oaks
Belwell Lane
Four Oaks
Sutton Coldfield
Staffordshire
B74 4TR
While there is so much worry and uncertainty around about a second lockdown in England, I just wanted to reassure you that we will be right by your side throughout the next four weeks.
We are currently waiting for confirmation from the Government regarding our ability to deliver safe, face-to-face classes with you and your children.
didi rugby CEO Vicky Macqueen
It’s the outcome we ALL want to see and, if we are allowed to do so, we will carry on as normal.
BUT… if we are unable to do so, we will be moving to an online delivery to keep classes on and to keep your children engaged and active during the lockdown period.
Where possible, online classes will be delivered by your local coach or franchise holder from your local area so your children will see a face they recognise and can relate to.
Fantastic fun
We have had a huge didi meeting to share ideas and best practice to make our classes the very best they can be.
Our coaches are primed and ready to go. Sessions can be activated from any device. You just need to find enough space to have some fun and games in your own home!
The country may be locked down 🔐 – but there will be no ‘restriction of movement’ of our online didi classes. 🙌
As always, didi HQ as well as your local coaches, will keep you updated over the next few days.
didi rugby Worcester will launch at Worcester RFC on Saturday 5 December from 9am.
The original November date had to be postponed because of the second national lockdown in England.
Worcester Warriors and England star Alex Matthews will be at the helm of the new venture.
Alex, her coaching team, didi rugby founder Vicky Macqueen and Worcester RFC cannot wait to get going and start bringing the fun, games and values of didi rugby to the parents and children in the area.
Alex Matthews will lead didi rugby Worcester
Free taster sessions will be available for all age groups (18 months to 6 years) for those parents wanting to give us a try on the launch day.
“I have already seen the power of didi rugby and seen how children learn so much from it,” said Alex.
Worcester RFC
“It gets them active and they always have fun. It’s a tremendously well-run and well-organised programme at didi and I am really looking forward to getting involved.”
Worcester RFC chairman Steven Lloyd said: “It’s great to have didi rugby at Worcester RFC as another branch of the rugby family tree.
“We now really do offer rugby for all ages from 18 months up. Our club is all about inclusion during these difficult times and we are proud to offer a safe, happy, experienced and welcoming space for all to enjoy what rugby has to offer. Welcome didi rugby.”
Local community
didi rugby founder and CEO Vicky Macqueen added: “There is a great team at Worcester RFC ready to offer all that didi rugby has to the local community.
“The club have been fantastic support in welcoming us and working proactively to get didi rugby up and running, while Alex has a huge amount of experience to bring to the party and is really keen to give something back to the sport.
“We are all looking forward to what should be a fantastic launch on 5 December with lots of fun and games for children – and their parents!”
More details of the launch day and classes to follow will be coming soon.
To book your child’s place on our didi rugby Worcester launch day, please visit: https://bit.ly/34lTETS
We all have a role to play in making sure our children recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, says didi rugby CEO, Vicky Macqueen.
Thankfully, the vast majority of children seem to only get mild symptoms, if any at all, if they get infected by the virus.
But they have most certainly endured long-lasting effects to both their mental and physical health by missing almost half a year of their schooling, as well as being cooped up inside for large parts of that time with few places to burn off their energy.
As a former teacher myself, I have seen at first hand for many years how physically inactive children can sometimes struggle inside a classroom, both with their attainment, confidence and behaviour.
Physical activity
Of course, I am generalising here. As the CEO of a company like didi rugby, I am also clearly biased. Hands up.
But there are few people who could argue that physical activity gets kids moving, gets their heart rate up, improves their fitness and can make them more alert when inside a classroom.
So it was no surprise to see some new research from Sheffield Hallam University showing just how much of a benefit activity can have on school age children.
At didi rugby and for me as an RFU Level 4 coach, qualified PE teacher and Early Learning provider, I really believe we do generally underestimate how much a young child can gain from being physically active from a much earlier age.
It becomes imbedded in them and, part of their DNA, to feel good, happy and confident after exercise. They don’t necessarily know why and they don’t know how, but they know they feel good.
It’s not only kids that benefit. Parents have reported the same feelings after didi classes themselves. One of our major aims across the UK is to educate and support families to all feel better, healthier and more confident in life by taking part in our sessions. The positive effects of physical activity are absolutely massive!
The huge Sheffield Hallam study was on more than 60,000 students and 4,000 teachers and surveyed attitudes to work, physical and mental health.
The researched showed, in many different ways, that helping young people get active can play a vital role in helping them catch up on work missed during the Covid-19 pandemic and in supporting their mental health too.
Fun and activity
The report shows that 92% of staff believed that being physically active helps with school work, while 91% of students felt that physical activity can improve their mental and physical health.
That is fairly unequivocal isn’t it?
Now the national lockdown has ended (and let’s hope it doesn’t need to return) and organised children’s educational sports classes are being backed by the Government, let’s make the most of it.
All of our didi classes are dedicated to getting children that fun and activity they need to keep them fit and active, to get endorphins flowing around their body, get them laughing, interacting with other children their own age and giving them quality fun time with parents, who have had a tough time as well over the last seven months.
My passion is to make everyone’s life a little bit better and even more so now!
Find a didi rugby class in Bracknell at Jennetts Park Community Centre
Introduce your children to rugby at a young age with didi rugby classes at Jennetts Park Community Centre in Bracknell. There are three age groups: 18 months to three years, three to four and four to six.
Our program is designed to get kids active, teach them new skills and improve their co-ordination, speed and balance. It will also help them learn social skills while they have lots of fun in a positive, safe and friendly environment.
These classes are ideal for children living in: Earley, Lower Earley, Whitley, Whitley Wood, Shinfield, Tilehurst, Caversham, Sonning, Woodley, Calcot, Twyford, Southcote, West Reading and Prospect Park.
Find a didi rugby class in Leicester at Oadby Wyggestonian RFC
Introduce your children to rugby at a young age with didi rugby classes in Leicester at Oadby Wyggestonian RFC. There are three age groups: 18 months to three years, three to four and four to six.
Our program is designed to get kids active, teach them new skills and improve their co-ordination, speed and balance. It will also help them learn social skills while they have lots of fun in a positive, safe and friendly environment.
These classes are ideal for children living in: Leicester, Birstall, Belgrave, Rushey Mead, Wanlip, Thurmaston and Humberstone.
