Project Rugby: A success story
The team has placed a focus on encouraging girls to participate in rugby and has been working hard to deliver training sessions covering everything from tackle techniques to contact, using tackle shields, to Year 7 and 8. Following these sessions all participants were invited to a Newcastle Rugby session at Novos RFC.
Keni Mais, a Jesmond Park Academy Teacher spoke highly of our Community Development Officer, Chris Ure, who delivered these Project Rugby sessions: “Chris has been a fantastic coach while delivering Project Rugby sessions at Jesmond Academy. He builds and builds the sessions and questions the kid’s knowledge all the time.”
Speaking about the sessions one of the year 8 girls from Jesmond Park Academy said: “The sessions have been really enjoyable and fun. It’s great that we are finally getting a chance to get the girls engaged in rugby. When I was younger, I always wanted to do it, and never really got a chance to as it was considered a boy’s sport. Chris has been a good coach and has shown us what to do whilst making it enjoyable. We’ve done contact and tackling and been invited to Novos RFC to try club rugby.”
Project Rugby is a joint initiative between Premiership Rugby and England Rugby, designed to increase participation in the game between people from traditionally underrepresented groups.
