Find a didi rugby class in Coventry and Warwickshire at Old Leamingtonians RFC
Introduce your children to rugby at a young age with didi rugby classes at Old Leamingtonians RFC in Leamington Spa. 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: Earlsdon, Stivichall, Tile Hill, Whitley Walsgrave, Chelysmore, Canley, Cannon Park, Coundon, Allesley, Allesley Green, Eastern Green, Foleshill, Keresley, Green Lane, Stoke Aldermore, Ryton, Leamington Spa, Leamington, Baginton and Solihull.
Old Leamingtonians RFC
The Crofts Bericote Road
Blackdown
Leamington Spa
Warwickshire
CV32 6QP
didi rugby classes in the Coventry and Warwickshire areas are coming back with a bang.
Andy Fox, the Mini & Junior Chairman at Old Leamingtonians RFC will be rekindling old classes and starting plenty more new ones in the area too.
To begin with, didi sessions previously run by Kiri Bennett before she moved out of the area, will start again at Old Leamingtonians RFC as well as St Martin’s Church Hall in Finham.
Andy is currently working with several venues across the Coventry and Warwickshire area to launch further classes during the rest of 2021.
Group of friends
His passion for didi rugby could not be stronger, not only because of his role of encouraging youngsters to play the game at his club but for the role the sport has had in bringing his own son out of his shell.
Andy always enjoyed rugby as a child but really got back into the sport when his son Henry joined the U6’s at local club Old Leamingtonians RFC.
“He absolutely loved it and quickly made a good group of friends,” said Andy.
From starting in the Under-6s, Henry is now 12 and still loving his rugby. He is not the only one with Andy’s other son, Isaac (8) now playing in the younger age groups.
Junior sections
Andy’s involvement in the club has grown as his sons have progressed and he is now the chairman of one of the largest mini and junior sections in Warwickshire, made up of over 450 children and 70 coaches covering age groups of U6-U16s.
It’s a position that has enabled him to build links with many other clubs’ mini and junior set-ups in the area and Andy hopes that will enable him to spread didi classes far and wide.
didi rugby is always keen to build partnerships with local clubs so that there is clear pathway for a child to keep playing the game when they turn 7.
“I have got good connections with the clubs in my area from my time at Leamingtonians. There are lots of positive conversations being had already as we start to grow didi rugby in the area.”
Launches
Details of re-launches and new classes will follow soon and launches at Old Leamingtonians and St Martin’s Church Hall are expected in mid-June.
For more information and to book your child in for a free taster session at any of these classes, please contact andy.fox@didirugby.com.
Find a didi rugby class in Worcester at Great Witley Village Hall
Introduce your children to rugby at a young age with didi rugby classes in Worcester at Great Witley Village Hall. 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: Worcester, Hindlip, Tibberton, Warndon, Black Pole, Wall Meadow, Great Meadow, Long Meadow, Brickfields and Berkeley Alford.
Great Witley Village Hall
Worcester Road
Great Witley
Worcester
Worcestershire
WR6 6HR
Find a didi rugby class in Lichfield at Lichfield Rugby Union Football Club
Introduce your children to rugby at a young age with didi rugby classes at Lichfield Rugby Union Football Club in Lichfield. 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.
The owner of didi rugby Burntwood knows a thing or two about coaching.
Graham Smith earned a World Cup winners medal after being an assistant coach with England Women when they won the tournament in France in 2014.
Safe to say, any children that come to the launch of his new didi rugby classes at Burntwood RFC on Saturday 24 April, will be safe hands.
Graham will also lead the launch of didi rugby Willenhall the following Saturday (1 May) at Willenhall RFC.
didi rugby Burntwood
Strong local clubs
“The two clubs we are running the classes at are two very strong local clubs with a good following and a good place in the community,” said Graham. “They have been very supportive in the build-up to the launch and know the value of attracting young children to play the game we all love.”
As a player, Graham enjoyed his time at the Moseley club and became involved with rugby’s governing body, the RFU as a youth development officer in 1993.
He became involved with women’s rugby at Loughborough University in 2003 where he met the eventual World Cup-winning head coach Gary Street – who is also a didi rugby ambassador.
Moulding an England women’s team which involved the likes of a 17-year-old Emily Scarratt and a 19-year-old Sarah Hunter, not to mention the likes of Natasha ‘Mo’ Hunt, Maggie Alphonsi and Katy Daly-Maclean, was hard work but good fun.
Founder of didi rugby
The success of that squad was built on a strong work ethic and culture and it left an indelible mark on Graham who is rightly proud of his achievements.
His early days with the England set-up also introduced him to Vicky Macqueen, a tough and talented back who is now the founder and CEO of didi rugby. The two are back together again with another common goal – to bring sporting fun and activity to as many young children as possible.
“I had always kept an eye on what Vicky was up to with didi rugby when I was coaching CN Poble Nou in Barcelona before the pandemic struck so it is great to now work together on trying to bring didi rugby to families in the Burntwood and Willenhall areas,” said Graham.
didi rugby Willenhall
“I am hoping it is a very positive reaction to the launches,” he said. “I am sure there are loads of parents who are keen to get their kids outside, moving around and having fun after what we have been through with Covid.”
Vicky Macqueen said: “Graham’s record as a coach speaks for itself but he also has a real passion for getting youngsters, not only playing the game but encouraging them to be active and running around.
Local community
“It’s a strong rugby area around Burntwood and Willenhall and I am sure we will get a good reaction from the local community. We can’t wait to get going.”
If your child is between 18 months and six years of age, they can find out more information or book a place at Burntwood RFC on 24 April or Willenhall RFC on 1 May by emailing graham.smith@didirugby.com.
You can also book direct via our website’s ‘find a class’page.
Book a didi rugby birthday party in the Burntwood and Willenhall area
Are you looking for somewhere to celebrate your child’s birthday in a safe, fun and sporty environment?
Do you want your little ones to be active, involved and having a laugh with their friends?
didi rugby birthday parties are a great way for us to put a smile on your child’s face on their special day in the didi rugby Burntwood and Willenhall area.
Your choice of venue anywhere in the Burntwood and Willenhall didi rugby area
Find a didi rugby class in Burntwood and Willenhall at Willenhall Rugby Union FC
Introduce your children to rugby at a young age with didi rugby classes in Burntwood and Willenhall at Willenhall Rugby Union FC. 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: Burntwood and Willenhall.
Willenhall Rugby Union FC
25 Bognop Road
Essington
Wolverhampton
West Midlands
WV11 2BA
Find a didi rugby class in Burntwood and Willenhall at Burntwood Rugby Club
Introduce your children to rugby at a young age with didi rugby classes in Burntwood and Willenhall at Burntwood 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: Burntwood and Willenhall.
Burntwood Rugby Club
The Sportsway
Chasetown
Burntwood
Staffordshire
WS7 3PH
didi rugby classes have been given the green light to return to outdoor sessions from March 29.
Provision for schools and nurseries will start three weeks earlier on March 8.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the decision to allow children’s outdoor sport classes when providing the Houses of Parliament with his ‘Roadmap out of Lockdown’ speech on February 22.
didi rugby founder and CEO Vicky Macqueen said she was delighted with the decision.
“This has been an incredibly hard time for our members at classes around the country,” said Vicky.
Local coaches
“Our little didi stars have missed seeing their friends both at school and at our classes and they have missed interacting with our local coaches who they are used to seeing and having fun with every week.
“And, as a parent of two young boys myself, I know exactly what parents have been going through during this latest lockdown trying to work and homeschool at the same time.
“I am delighted that my own children can return to school from March 8 and I am delighted that our didi rugby classes can re-start outdoors from March 29.”
didi rugby classes saw a huge uplift in numbers after the first national lockdown in 2020 came to an and Vicky says she – and her coaches around the country – are expecting an even bigger uptake this time around.
Sporting activity
“It came as no surprise to us that after being stuck inside for so long during last Spring and early Summer, children and parents were desperate to get back to some organised sporting activity,” said Vicky.
“We made sure that, as soon as we got the green light to return, we had safety procedures in place to offer security to children, parents and our incredible band of coaches.
“When parents saw what we were doing to make our classes as safe as possible, the support and trust we got in return was incredible. Our classes filled up again and we made sure that our part of the bargain also included having lots of fun.
“We have been through the process of starting again from lockdown before so we are primed and ready to get our sessions back up and running again and we can’t wait to see our didi stars and their parents back having some fun and learning with us.
Online activities
“I just want to personally thank our wonderful local coaches, members and ambassadors who have stuck by us during lockdown and supported us by attending the range of online activities we have provided.”
All local coaches will be in touch with current members to inform them of the dates of times of their upcoming classes.
Indoor classes are allowed to resume from April 12.
Anyone parent wanting to book a free taster session for their child can find their local class online at www.didirugby.com under the ‘Find a Class’ tab.
Professional rugby referee Sara Cox is didi rugby’s latest ambassador.
And she is keen to support classes that will teach youngsters the ‘valuable social skills’ to help them grow as individuals from an early age.
Sara first got involved in rugby when she was 14 and represented local clubs Exeter, Saracens and Cullompton before she retired from playing the game at the age of 17.
Undeterred, Sara qualified as a rugby referee, officiated her first international when Italy played Ireland in 2014, added the World Cup in France to her CV and, in 2016, became the first female ref to be centrally contracted by the English RFU.
Career
In 2020, she was assistant referee at the Bath v Wasps men’s game in the Gallagher Premiership, with her first appointment in the middle of a top tier English game surely only a matter of time away.
While’s Sara’s professional career goes from strength to strength, she is also studying for a MSc at Edinburgh Napier University and is determined to encourage as many youngsters as possible to get involved in didi rugby and learn skills to help them succeed in life.
didi rugby ambassador Sara Cox
“Getting involved in didi rugby at an early age teaches children lots of different things,” said Sara. “It’s less about the rugby at that age and more about the interaction with other kids and learning social skills along the way.
“In all walks of life, at any age, you will always have to deal with other human beings and the earlier you start to learn the skills required to do that, you can carry that on into adulthood.”
Sara Cox
Having been a shining light for women’s progress in rugby, Sara is obviously keen for young girls to take up a sport that has been very good to her.
And she is encouraging girls of any age to take on the challenges that may come their way.
“Humans have challenges in all walks of life and in whatever they do,” said Sara. “We all have hurdles to get over and the challenges do not stop. You have to keep moving with the times and embrace what comes your way.”
Role model
didi rugby founder and CEO Vicky Macqueen says the whole didi rugby team is excited to have Sara on board.
“Not only is Sara a wonderful referee and a great person, she is an inspiration to any youngster taking up the sport,” says Vicky.
“Sara has decided to become a didi rugby ambassador and support our efforts to get young people active and having fun. Her determination is a great example to young people and she is a fantastic role model too. ”
