U11

Welcome to Under 10’s rugby at Tunbridge Wells RFC, a local rugby club that prides itself on community, inclusiveness and fun for children of all ages and ability. We have room for more players so if you are interested in joining please read on!

The U10’s is our age group for girls and boys starting Year 4 in September 2021. Everyone is welcome, whether or not you have picked up a rugby ball, and everything we do is built around having fun in a friendly, enjoyable and safe environment – we continue to have over 60 players moving up from under 8s. Our training sessions focus on rugby-related activities and games as we move away from tag-rugby and introduce tackling to the players’ rugby skillset! We will continue to develop foundational skills of teamwork, ball handling, catching and passing through tag games…all of this builds to taking part in rugby festivals!

For players, parents, guardians and supporters who were with us last year – welcome back! For any prospective new joiners, here is some information to get you started:

Covid:

  • Please bear with us as we work our way through training in a Covid environment – everybody is working hard to make the return to rugby as enjoyable and effective as we can.
  • If any players show Covid symptoms in the lead up to the session, they must NOT attend. This is for the health of everyone else and is important to limit the risk of being quarantined through the NHS Track and Trace programme.
  • Please bring all the usual items to training but also your own hand sanitisers.
  • When at the club please try and maintain social distancing.
  • Please make use of the clubhouse café and bar when they are open.

New this year:

  • Contact – as we head into our first season of contact rugby, TWRFC requests that all players wear a gumshield for contact. The emphasis is on safety, so we will be introducing the principles of tackling (and being tackled) up to December alongside continuing to play tag and develop the players’ rugby skills.
  • We hope to be back to playing festivals against other clubs soon – at this age grade, we move to 7-a-side, and play up to 15 minutes each way on a 60 x 30m pitch…hope you’ve kept up the pre-season fitness training!

Training timing & location:

  • The 2021/22 season will start on Sunday 5th September 2021 and will continue every Sunday morning (time and pitch to be confirmed each week, but usually at 9am for an hour and a half) until the end of April 2022, with the exception of a few weeks off for Easter and Christmas holidays. To cultivate a team ethic and rugby spirit, “through wind and rain, TWRFC always train”.
  • Sessions primarily take place at the St Marks Ground on Frant Road. However, we may also use the 3G pitch at the Tunbridge Wells Sports Centre on St. Johns Road, or the 3G pitch at Skinners’ Kent Primary School in Knights Wood.
  • Please arrive 15-20 mins early for registration and team talk
  • There is very limited parking space available at the club, and these fill very quickly. Please do not park in the top car park next to the club house as this is reserved for head coaches (with kit) only. It is important that we keep these spaces free to changeover quickly. You can park on Forest Road (around the corner from the club), but we ask that you are sensitive and respectful to TWRFC’s neighbours if you do so.
  • All players must have a parent/guardian/carer in attendance during each session. We appreciate it can be difficult for those having to spread themselves between pitches if they have children in other age groups, but please do ask other parents to help if you need to run into the clubhouse or to another pitch.
  • All parents will receive weekly communications confirming start times, locations, and any other club information. We use an app called Spond, and will provide you with the age group code once you have completed all the necessary sign up steps (https://twrfc.com/mem/player).
  • We will create weekly events for both training and festivals to which you will be able to confirm attendance. You will need to be registered on Spond to receive updates and invites, and priority will be given to paid members for sessions. Please continue to reSpond to the weekly events as it really helps with preparing a session plan to know how many players we’re going to have!

Membership registration

  • We do require membership registration and payment of subscription fees by the end of September if your children are going to remain for the whole season. For new starters, this allows some time to ensure both players and parents are happy before committing. This year, family membership (one child) is £160 or £200 (for multiple children) and includes social membership for parents. A step by step guide for what to do is here: Membership Schemes
  • In order to pay your subscription/membership at TWRFC please sign-up to Spond for membership: https://twrfc.com/mem/player

Kit & Club shop

  • Your children’s safety is our biggest priority. We therefore have a few golden rules for clothing and equipment.
  • TWRFC request that all players wear a gumshield for contact rugby
  • At the rugby club, we are very exposed to the elements; wear appropriate clothing for rugby and bring a drink and snacks. Remember that this is the first year when the players will be tackling and likely to be on the cold, wet ground a lot more than before!
  • In cold and wet weather, please remember “layers for players”. Base layers are a great idea; so too are vests and t-shirts plus fleeces or hoodies. It is better to have too many layers on the day rather than not enough. A waterproof top is recommended over big coats that restrict movement. Hats and gloves are also really important!
  • There is a club shop online if you want to buy branded clothing / kit for your children, or for those cold & windy days supporting from the touchline! Please go to https://akumashops.com/twrfc.
  • Trainers can be worn in warm, drier weather, but rugby boots are recommended as pitch conditions get wetter and softer. Trainers or moulded studs are allowed at the 3G.

Coaching and Volunteers:

  • All the coaches at TWRFC are volunteers. If you are new to the club or even the area and would like to get involved please get in touch. We also regularly need help from parents for non-coaching roles such as helping with parking on certain days, and support managing a team on festival days so please let us know if you would like to get involved, as a community club this is how we thrive – we have been known to run the occasional social event with the u9 coaches as well in case you need the added incentive!

If you any questions, please do not hesitate to email either myself or any of the coaching team below. No question is a silly one, and if we don’t know the answer then we will make sure we find the right person at the club who does!

We look forward to seeing you all back on the pitch.

Steve Daly – Head coach TWRFC u9’s

Iain Bartley & Nick Darbyshire – Lead coaches TWRFC u9’s

Jeff Roberts – Kit manager TWRFC u9’s

Chris Lawton – Festival & Fixtures manager TWRFC u9’s