sessions Archives

February 23, 2021

didi rugby classes are given the green light to return outdoors

A traffic light with a green light on show

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.

Watch More: Can you complete Vicky’s Lockdown Challenge…?

November 3, 2020November 3, 2020

A letter about lockdown from didi founder Vicky Macqueen

Dear didi family,

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.

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.

Having put on some fantastic fun sessions during Lockdown 1, we have now got plenty of experience.

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.

Thank you and stay safe.

#didifamily

Vicky Macqueen (didi rugby CEO and founder) 😀

Read more: BLOG: We all have a part to play in helping our kids recover from lockdown

WATCH: Helping our parents get fit and fight Covid…

August 24, 2020August 24, 2020

Extra sessions laid on for didi rugby Harrogate launch

Mike Barnett wearing a didi rugby hoodie

The numbers of excited children and parents attending the launch of didi rugby Harrogate on Saturday 19 September have gone through the roof!

With all scheduled classes across the three didi age groups filling up at a tremendous pace, franchise owners Mike and Lucy Barnett have added another class for their minis (18 months to 3 years old).

And they have promised that if numbers continue to rise, they will not see anyone left out of what promises to be a fantastic day at Harrogate RUFC.

“The response we have received so far has been overwhelming,” said Lucy. “We are really looking forward to welcoming everyone and introducing lots of children to our fun didi rugby sessions.

“Over 40 children have already booked in to the three taster sessions we are offering and, due to the high demand, we have now added another one too.

“If this becomes full, we want to assure parents and children that we will add further classes if necessary. We don’t want anyone to miss out.

“Our aim at didi rugby Harrogate is to get children active as young as possible to aid their development, confidence and skills so we are thrilled that so many little ones want to come along and see what we have on offer.

“It’s going to be a fantastic fun day and we can’t wait to get started on our new didi journey.”

The launch will be didi rugby’s second new area launch since the end of blanket lockdown restrictions. didi rugby Suffolk opened its doors in Leiston last month.

Barnett family

The Harrogate team of Lucy, Mike, Maisie and Martha Barnett will make it very much a family affair with a team that is dedicated to helping children have fun, stay active and grow in confidence.

Mike and Lucy have an extensive background in both rugby and teaching and their popularity in the local area is proving obvious with the amount of interest shown in their launch day and future classes with didi rugby Harrogate.

didi rugby CEO and owner Vicky Macqueen says she is delighted not only for Mike and Lucy and all of the hard work they have put in so far, but also because of the response to didi classes returning across the country since the end of lockdown.

“I am confident that Mike, Lucy and Maisie will do an amazing job spreading the values of didi rugby right across the area in and around Harrogate,” says Vicky.

“They have worked incredibly hard to let people know about didi rugby and the response has been absolutely wonderful from the public.

“We have seen parents flocking back to didi rugby in recent weeks with one of our areas doubling their membership in just six weeks. Parents are keen to get their children active and have responded to our safely-delivered, outdoor classes in numbers.

“We are all really chuffed that didi rugby – and our newly-launched didi cricket sessions too – are thriving after such a tumultuous period in everyone’s lives.

“I cannot thank our children, parents, carers and supporters enough for continuing the spread of didi sports around the UK and beyond.”

Keep up to date with the latest news from didi rugby Harrogate by following their Facebook page.

April 3, 2020April 6, 2020

didi rugby online classes prove popular during coronavirus lockdown

A laptop computer shows an online didi rugby class

didi rugby’s online classes are proving to be a massive hit with parents and children across the UK.

While the coronavirus has led to schools closing and even a lockdown on all but essential travel, didi rugby coaches across the country have reacted quickly and are providing their ever-popular classes online instead.

didi rugby HQ is committed to keeping children active and having fun during the most testing time for families across the country.

The reaction from children and parents has been incredible with huge support coming from households in terms of both engagement and positive feedback to the classes.

Because of their success, didi rugby is now ramping up the amount of sessions they are offering which cover three age ranges from as young as 18 months up to 6 years of age.

It has been great to see older siblings joining in the activities too.

Online classes

Easy-to-use online platforms have made the delivery of the classes simple for coaches, parents and children alike and attendance numbers are increasing all of the time.

didi rugby founder and CEO Vicky Macqueen, who has been delivering classes to her didi stars while home-schooling two children, said she has been over-joyed with the response.

“During tough times for families across the UK, it has felt amazing to be involved in something which is able to give so many people, so much fun,” she said.

“We all miss our regular classes terribly and can’t wait to get back to them when things become safer for all of us.

“But, until then, we will keep providing for our members via a fun, friendly and energetic online delivery, as well as making sure that our ethos of ‘fun, confidence and activity’ remains at the heart of everything we do.

“Because our classes are being delivered by the local coaches who usually run their sessions, it has been amazing to see the children’s response when they see a face they recognise.

“Obviously, that has helped get the kids engaged from the very first minute and the rapport between the group has been great to see.

Book a class

“We have enjoyed some amazing responses from parents who say they are not only happy to get their kids active but to give them a structured focus during the day.

“Meanwhile, our coaches have found online delivery very rewarding and have been full of stories about brightening up people’s day.”

NON-MEMBERS Book your child a place on our national online classes by visiting our booking page

MEMBERS: For options of classes local to your area with the coaches you usually see at your face-to-face sessions, visit the Find A Class Page and click on your local link

VIDEO: Watch didi rugby South Wales coach Robyn Lock challenge you to a Lockdown Challenge

What is didi rugby?

didi rugby has been devised to get young children active and to teach them new skills while having fun in a safe environment. Classes have been designed by former England Women’s international Vicky Macqueen and are aimed at kids in three separate age groups from 18 months to six years old. These age ranges offer flexible boundaries and are based on each child’s ability and confidence as opposed to a strict age structure. didi rugby has franchises across the UK.

October 24, 2019

New didi rugby classes starting at Old Newtonians RFC very soon

New didi rugby classes will be starting at Old Newtonians RFC in Leicester Forest East soon.

Steve Carter will be driving the sessions at what is a real family club whose junior section has grown at a rapid rate in recent years.

Old Newts (as they are better known locally) have an under-7s and 8s tag set-up, a thriving under-11s and a good micros set-up too.

“There has been no junior rugby at Old Newts for 25 years and we are growing our academy for 4 to 11-year-olds all the time,” said Steve.

“We have had a lot of young children starting with us at the age of four or five and many of them have younger brothers or sisters with them so we wanted to get something set up so they could play too.

Feeding the academy

“didi rugby is perfect for that and it will hopefully go on to give us a pipeline of children feeding the academy.

“We are all looking forward to getting didi classes up and running. We are a real family club with a family feel to it and there is a great atmosphere here with lots of members of various families being involved in the club from seniors down to juniors.”

Didi rugby founder and CEO Vicky Macqueen said: “Steve is very keen to get things up and running at Old Newtonians and we are delighted to have such a lovely club involved in hosting didi rugby classes.

“There is a really good family feel about Old Newts and I am sure it will be an ideal place to host didi classes here in Leicestershire.”

Details about when they new classes will be held will be announced soon.

Watch more: VIDEO – Super Tommy Oliver is thriving at didi rugby despite suffering from Hypermobility Syndrome