Minis

A very warm welcome to the Minis Section – this is the section of the club for all players, boys and girls, aged under 12 on 1 Sep 09.

I welcome you on behalf of our Minis Committee whose names and details can be found on pages 11 and 12.  We are fortunate to have a very strong and committed group of volunteers which includes age group managers and welfare officers as well as our Fixtures Secretary Jules Williams and our Festival Director Mark Broome who last year between them organised the club’s most successful Minis festival ever. 

The Minis are an integral and vital element of the wider rugby club.  Starting with the U-6s, we act as the first point of contact with the sport for many players who later move successfully into Junior and Senior Rugby either with the club or beyond.  We take this responsibility seriously – our approach follows the strict code and guidelines laid down by the sport’s governing body, the RFU.  We endorse these codes fully and ensure our rugby is safe, fun, inclusive and competitive.  The RFU publish a Continuum which is a subset of the Laws of the game aimed at each Mini age group and we follow its guidelines strictly.  It is available on the RFU website and most coaches will have a copy to hand as well.

Each age group has a dedicated coaching team.  Our policy is that every Coach is RFU qualified to a minimum of RFU Level 1, with many achieving further qualifications.  An active coach development program is run through the course of the season.  Contact details for each of the age group managers can be found in this handbook or on the website.  All our Coaches are volunteers and play a vital role in running the club for the benefit of our children and the enjoyment of the game.  We are always looking for new recruits to our coaching numbers so if you would be interested in joining in please contact your age group manager or me directly.

Coaching sessions run from 10am to 12pm on Sunday mornings (10.30 for the U-6s) and we also play a variety of fixtures and festivals across the season.  This year we have increased the number of fixtures, especially for our B and C teams to ensure that all players get as much competitive rugby as possible.  Most age groups also organise a tour to another part of the country or overseas.

Effingham & Leatherhead is one of the strongest and most respected clubs in Mini rugby in Surrey.  All of our age groups enjoyed success in a variety of festivals last season and this year we are looking to move forward and capture a significant share of the silverware at the Surrey Championships in 2009 – not only at A team level but B & C teams as well.  But we are also a warm and welcoming club where enjoyment of the game, regardless of ability, will always come first.

As befits a vibrant and successful club, we have a first class bar which is open after training every Sunday and the club runs a number of social events during the year.  These are always sold-out and are tremendous fun.  We also rely on volunteers to keep things running smoothly each week from car parking, catering and the bar through to coaching assistants and first aiders – at some point you will be asked to help out so please volunteer as much of your time as you can – it will always be appreciated. 

This just leaves me to say that I wish you the very best for the season ahead.  You can contact me at any time at mini@eaglesrugby.co.uk

 

David Armstrong

Mini Chairman

P.S. All materials, policies, procedures, fixtures, events, rotas and club news can be found on this website at, please check it regularly.

The Eagles Mini section is sponsored by:

Judd Associates are a well established brand & digital web design company operating across the South East of England, principally in London, Surrey, Sussex & Kent & Hampshire.

We promote our client's products and services 24/7 through comprehensive digital communications design & technology backed up with printed media, brochures, posters, etc., TV & radio commercials, exhibition stands amongst others.

SPECIAL RATES for friends of Eagles Rugby.

Contact Jake Judd via the website http://www.juddassoc.com