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.
Find a didi rugby class in Leicester at South Leicester RFC
Introduce your children to rugby at a young age with didi rugby classes in Leicester at South Leicester 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.
South Leicester RFC
Welford Road Ground
Wigston Magna
Leicester
Leicestershire
LE18 3TE
Find a didi rugby class in Harrogate at Harrogate Grammar School
Introduce your children to rugby at a young age with didi rugby classes in Harrogate at Harrogate Grammar School. 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 Wokingham at Cantley Park
Introduce your children to rugby at a young age with didi rugby Reading classes at Cantley Park in Wokingham. 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.
Young didi rugby coach Caitlin Clark is the star of a new feature article in the Daily Telegraph.
The 17-year-old daughter of didi rugby Reading franchise co-owner Donna Clark tells the story of how she has always had to battle against the system as a young female rugby player striving to be able to develop her skills at the same pace as boys.
Having played the game side-by-side boys as a youngster, things changed dramatically when mixed sexes were not allowed to play together from the age of 12.
All of a sudden, boys were playing on bigger pitches, playing longer matches, allowed to push in the scrum and hand-off, while girls were not.
Caitlin Clark in the Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
Caitlin, who has ambitions to reach the England national team as a player, said she felt held back and put down.
She told the Telegraph: “I actually questioned whether rugby was a sport I should be doing. It was almost as if us girls weren’t worthy enough of playing because the rules were – and still are – so different, especially physically. Things were and still are so simplified for girls at that level.”
As a teenager, Caitlin was always bigger than most other girls in her under-13 age group, yet she was forced to train with nine-year-old girls nearly half her size. While boys were allowed to play up an age group, the rules didn’t allow Caitlin to move up into the under-15s.
Changes in the rules
The Telegraph feature goes on to outline Caitlin’s frustrations as a female rugby player and cites other discrepancies and inconsistencies in the grass roots game facing girls, as opposed to boys. With the numbers of girls playing the game increasing, it will be interesting to see if the game’s governing body (RFU) make any changes in the rules and structure in the coming years.
Whatever happens on the playing front, Caitlin is a hugely-respected member of the didi rugby Reading coaching team and is loved by dozens of youngsters she coaches on a regular basis.
Reading co-owner Craig Hunter said: “When didi rugby Reading launched in early 2018, Caitlin came along with Donna Clark, her mum and my business partner, to help us out. She has been with us ever since.
didi rugby Reading coach Caitlin Clark in action
Confidence
“She has developed her confidence and coaching skills throughout this time and is everything we look for in a coach. She has excellent rapport with all the didi superstars and parents alike and is a great role model for them all – but in particular the girls.
“With the development of the girls game at club level going from strength to strength, we are really keen to progress the didi players into club rugby when they are ready to join the Under-6 age groups. As soon as we can get Caitlin on an RFU Level 2 rugby course, we will, and she can then look to lead sessions on her own and build a team of coaches around her to help didi rugby Reading grow.
“Caitlin is also very keen to deliver kids didi rugby parties as soon as we are able to so safely and in line with Government and RFU guidelines, something she will be excellent at I have no doubt. If we could clone Caitlin we would.
didi rugby coach
Mum Donna added: “As a parent, I can’t put into words how proud I am of Caitlin, she has been playing rugby since she was six years old and has always shown great tenacity and passion for the game.
“With such determination, she has gone from strength to strength both on and off the pitch. She never ceases to amaze me with everything she has achieved whether it be at club, county and Centre of Excellence level.
“I have also seen her blossom as a didi rugby coach, she has such patience and can instantly spot a child that might be struggling or needs a bit of extra support and just knows how to make them smile and helps them gain their confidence.
“Her years as a rugby player have helped bring her expertise to a coaching role and through creating her own session plans ensures that every child progresses with the fundamentals of the game, whilst having fun!”
Two of Leicester’s most popular clubs will be hosting the launch of new didi rugby venues during October.
Oadby Wyggestonian (Wyggs) and South Leicester are opening their doors to join the ever-growing didi family and will become part of the didi Leicester set-up which already includes Birstall RFC.
Well renowned in a rugby-mad county, South Leicester will be hosting classes from Saturday 10 October, while Oadby Wyggs will begin a week later on Saturday 17 October.
didi rugby is expanding to Oadby and Wigston in Leicester
“Oadby and Wigston are huge population areas with loads of children who we hope will come and join us for a taster session to see what didi rugby has to offer,” said Jenny.
“Both clubs have got big minis and juniors sections and we can hopefully, over time, provide a conveyor belt of children from our didi age groups, into those who start with tag rugby.
“It’s a great opportunity for us and them to offer our programme in the area and hopefully get children and parents along to join in and have some fun with us.
“There will be lots of parents involved at those two clubs on the playing side and they will want to get their kids involved in rugby from a young age. didi provides that opportunity and enables children to start learning new skills and confidence.
Covid-safe
“While there are extended lockdown measures currently in the Oadby and Wigston area, didi rugby is not adversely affected by that and all classes will be covid-safe and will operate social distancing. As our classes at Birstall have shown, having lots of fun while being safe is perfectly possible!”
didi rugby CEO and owner Vicky Macqueen said it was fantastic to have two more well-respected clubs involved to help promote fun, activity and didi rugby values in such a strong rugby area.
“We have built up relationships with rugby clubs all over the country because we want didi rugby to be merely the start of children’s journey with our great sport,” said Vicky.
Local clubs
“Our idea has always been to host classes at local clubs, get local parents and children involved in the set-up and feeling proud of what they are a part of. Then, when the kids become too old for didi classes, give them a natural progression into the minis section of clubs they already feel home at.
“Oadby Wyggestonian RFC and South Leicester RFC have 150 years of history between them and both are committed to building strong links with their community. We are delighted to become a part of that.
“Jenny Burrows has been doing an amazing since launching at Birstall RFC and she will bring enthusiasm, knowledge and passion to our new venues in Leicestershire.”
*** Contact jenny.burrows@didirugby.com to book your child on for a free taster session at the launches of didi rugby at South Leicester RFC (Oct 10) and Oadby Wyggestonian RFC (Oct 17). ***
Find a didi rugby class in Nottingham at Wilford Church Hall
Introduce your children to rugby at a young age with didi rugby classes at Wilford Church Hall in Nottingham. 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: Nottingham, Wilford, Lenton, The Meadows, Lenton Abbey, Ryelands and Clifton.
Wilford Church Hall
St Wilfrid’s Church Drive
Off Main Road
Wilford
Nottingham
NG11 7AJ
