Vulnerable youngsters to learn from top rugby coaches
Vulnerable youngsters from Bath and Bristol to learn from top rugby coaches
28 July 2008
 
The local community rugby organisation, Bath Combination, which encourages 'rugby for all and opportunities for all', has teamed up with two local charities to offer places to vulnerable children from Bath and Bristol on its inaugural rugby summer camp (4-8 August 2008).
 
The not-for-profit summer camp welcomes all local junior players and will involve some of the best coaches in the region. Players will be joined by young people from Mentoring Plus, a charity which encourages local organisations to take an active role in youth crime prevention work, and Bristol-based rugby charity PROPS, which develops sporting, vocational and educational initiatives to help those with special needs.
 
Kevin Moggridge, Head Coach at Bath Combination, said: "We are really pleased to be working with Mentoring Plus and PROPS. As an organisation our aim is to support grass roots rugby and provide everyone with an opportunity to participate in the game. By working with these two charities we are widening the access to a sport which is loved by so many people in the region."
 
Briony Waite, Project Manager at Mentoring Plus, said: "Many of our kids who are excluded from school find it hard to cope with rules and procedures but they respond very well to rugby - it's a tightly structured game and if you don't want to get hurt you need to work well within the team. It will be very empowering for our young people to learn from top-class coaches and mix with children from different backgrounds.
 
"Although young people respond very well to the structure of team activities there is a shortage of these kinds of initiatives in the Bath area, compared to larger cities such as Bristol. This makes the Combination camps an even more valued opportunity."
 
David Reeves, Chairman of PROPS, said: "PROPS is delighted to team up with Bath Combination. The camps bring rugby to the whole community with an emphasis on fair play, developing skills and a positive attitude to players and opponents alike. Inclusion is our main charitable aim, and this certainly fits that philosophy.
 
"We hope to work with Bath Combination for the long-term, and wish to see the camps thrive in years to come. Many of our Junior Props Barbarians will be attending and are looking forward to sharing skills and experiences with young players from the breadth of Bristol and Bath."
 
On Friday 8 August (4.30-6.30pm), as the summer camps conclude, Bath Combination has organised a Coach Education session, aimed at junior and senior coaches from the region. This is a free event and enables participants to learn from the experienced coaches leading the camps, as they provide fresh ideas for the season ahead.
 
Bristol Rugby's Geoff Moon, James Farndon and Ben Sturnham will be focusing on scrummaging, back line attacks and ball retention respectively, using the Bath Combination Under 20s squad for the session.
 
The culmination of the summer camps will be a barbeque laid on by Combe Down RFC from 6pm on Friday 8 August, to which all boys, girls, parents and coaches are invited to attend.
 
For more information about the inaugural summer camps and the Coach Education session, and to request an application form, use this website, or contact Kevin Moggridge on 07809 512429.
 

Useful links:
 
Bath Combination: http://www.bathcombinationrugby.co.uk/
Mentoring Plus: http://www.mentoringplus.net/
PROPS: http://www.props4ward.org.uk/