Haddington Rugby Football Club

YDO Report

Greig Munro:  Youth Development Officer - Season 2008-09

 

The Youth Section of Haddington Rugby Club is celebrating another hugely successful season with all the key target areas on the increase. A healthy rise in playing numbers has ensured the teams have become more competitive as a result, also several new coaches and referees have been enlisted to assist with the rise in players, which ultimately has had a very positive effect on the club as a whole.

I would like to pass on my congratulations to Alex Spence and Sam Atkin with their selection to the initial Scotland U18 training squad, I’m sure the whole club wish them well. Also on the subject of honours, congratulations must go to James Ferguson and Kyle Adams with their inclusion in the Edinburgh U17 Squad and an impressive eight players are in the East Lothian U15’s squad this year, the future of Haddington Rugby Club certainly looks to be on a solid footing.

Bryan Craig and Keith Logan have again built a powerful Colts squad with approx twenty-five boys training both nights. Only one loss in the league to Boroughmuir this season and the misfortune of meeting the favourites Stirling County in the Quarter Final of the Scottish U18 Cup, sadly put paid to the high targets set by the players and coaches this season, however, a large number of the current squad should be available again next season with Bryan and Keith already looking forward to setting new goals.

The Under 16 team has improved this year under the guidance of former Haddington 1^st XV player David Mitchell.  They have shown great commitment and enthusiasm throughout another arduous season with the players now looking forward to moving up to the challenge of the Colts next season.

The under 15’s have performed exceptionally well and having made it to the semi-final of the Scottish Bowl they will also finish in the top four of their Edinburgh & District league, which is a great achievement considering the slow start to the season they made.

This year’s Knox Academy teams have proved to be a great bunch of boys, the S2 team initially struggled for numbers but have rallied and now have a squad of around 17, an increase of 12 players from the beginning of the year! The S1 are showing the potential hoped for after the coming together of many of last seasons P7 Gifford and Haddington players. Some excellent performances and results have already been registered in their first season together.

Many thanks to Knox Academy’s sports and physical activity coordinator, Rory Couper, who continues to support the squads in their efforts this season.

 

Knox Academy’s ventures into the Bell Lawrie competitions has seen both teams have lengthy runs and produced some great games. With only the High School of Glasgow at U18 level and Lomond High School at U15 level stopping the teams from reaching the quarter-finals of their respective competitions.

The Mini section has had, without doubt, one of the most successful seasons in recent memory, with numbers improving yet again. Up to 80 youngsters now turn out on Sunday’s and with even more recruitment drives due in the coming months, we should continue to see a steady flow of these players into Midi Rugby.

One of the more difficult areas to fill has also proved fruitful with 4 new Foundation Coaches/Referees as well as 4 new Level 1 Referee’s being enlisted throughout the season.

Looking ahead, I’ll be holding a “bring a friend along month” where players will be rewarded for introducing friends to the sport, as well as new after-school clubs based at the rugby club.

Finally, a big thank you from the Rugby Club, all the players, and myself to everyone who already helps out with the youth section, from the occasional to a more full time commitment, your help is invaluable to the future of the club.

There are upcoming Refereeing, Coaching and Weightlifting courses happening towards the end of the season, if you are interested in any of these courses or just to volunteer your help anywhere in the club please contact me on: 07974613569 or greig_munro@hotmail.com

Y.D.O Annual Rugby Report

Haddington's Youth Development Officer, Greig Munro, has issued a glowing report as the end to his first year in the role fast approaches.

                      Youth Development Officer Report  ’07- ’08

This season has proved a great success overall for Haddington Rugby Football Club and especially the Youth section. I have been Youth Development Officer for just under a year now and although there has been a lot of learning by everyone involved, this year has surpassed all expectations.

Mini Rugby at Haddington (primary 1 through to primary 7) has excelled with playing numbers in this area alone up 50% on last year. This success has transferred onto the pitch with the Minis enjoying a clean sweep of trophies at a number of tournaments this season. The increase in numbers has come from hard work in the local primary schools where we have worked alongside various organisations such as Active Schools and Food Standards Agency Scotland (FSAS) to deliver Rugby programs within the schools.  The FSAS project was run in conjunction with the Scottish Rugby Union and delivered a healthy eating topic alongside fun rugby sessions. A new Partnership between Haddington Rugby Club and The Compass School has also helped with developing these age groups.

Girls’ rugby has increased in popularity over the last year, approximately 15 girls are now training and participating in festivals which may help put them on a path to become future internationalists, it is hoped that by next year we can get the girls playing regular competitive matches.

S1 & S2 Knox Academy - At the beginning of last season we were invited into Knox Academy Secondary School to deliver contact rugby to all S1 and S2 pupils in curriculum time, this proved instrumental in raising teams at both these age groups, whilst providing a valuable link between the Club and the School. The shared use of facilities, coaches and players now provide a great opportunity for the whole club/school community to become more involved.

Midi level (Under 15, U16 and U18) - The teams performed heroically in the Edinburgh and District Leagues with the under 16’s winning the Edinburgh Cup before going on to Melrose and winning their 7’s tournament, the team also finished the season with a tour to Wales. The Under 18’s had another successful season with a very young team, the highlight of which was reaching the semi final of the East of Scotland Cup. 

With planning for next season well underway we are already looking ahead to continued success throughout:

·         Recruitment plans are already in place with the Active Schools team and there will be many visits to the local Primary and Secondary schools.

·         A New Gym is earmarked to be built at the Rugby Club which will provide much needed strength and conditioning to all players giving them every opportunity for Senior and Representative Rugby.

·         A continued partnership with outside agencies, such as Eddie Pollock, a lecturer at Edinburgh’s Telford College, FSAS, Baxter’s Soup and East Lothian Council.

·         The possibility of a new U18 Development squad to be added next season due to a high number of players at that level, ensuring everyone is kept involved and allowing equal opportunities.

Statistics for the Season

·         An increase of 40 new rugby players.

·         4 New Foundation (mini rugby) coaches.

·         4 new mini rugby referees.

·         2 new level one referee’s

·         353 sessions delivered as part of the Youth Development Officer program.

Overall, significant strides have been made this past season with many new players joining the Youth section and making the club a vibrant and enjoyable environment to be part off. This success, combined with the continued exposure of the senior teams’ reputation has increased the Clubs profile and standing both locally and nationally.

I would like to thank everyone who has assisted me with this post over the past season as I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead.

Greig Munro

Haddington Youth Development Officer

Youth Development Officer - Greig Munro

Greig Munro is now into his fourth month working as Haddington's Youth Development Officer and gives us an update on the progress that has been made during that time.

The first four months of the post have passed by with great success, working with Primary One children right through to Under 18 level. August was a very busy month with a record number of children attending our annual summer camp the week before returning to school, they were all put through their paces, learning new skills every day and culminating in a Scottish Highland Games event, where all of their new skills learned were put into practice.

Knox Academy has allowed me core P.E time to introduce Contact Rugby to all 1st and 2nd year pupils, which has proved highly popular and is clearly seen by the increased number of pupils coming along to training.  Their levels of performance are greatly increasing from week to week and have resulted in some great wins against local rivals in the core program Rugby on a Saturday morning. Many thanks to Knox Academy teacher’s John Fleming and Andrew Lambert for their continued assistance with the pupils.

The Haddington under 15's and 16's have developed into two very strong squads this season with both teams continually receiving in excess of 20 players at training sessions. Results and improved performances on the pitch are really pushing the development of these boys forward providing real hope for the future of the Rugby Club with the quality of the players coming through.

The Bell Lawrie school teams have gone well with both now through to the second round of the Scottish Shield after being knocked out by some very strong opposition in the Cup competition.

We have also set up this year a girls section at Knox Academy with good numbers coming along, especially with the core time rugby. The girls are training well and are soon set to start playing a number of developmental fixtures against opposition.

Haddington Colts have had a strong start to their season, producing some very good results with what is predominantly a young squad. They regularly have high numbers at training and with Bryan Craig and Keith Logan still at the helm the boys are progressing extremely well and will be more than capable of the step up to the senior sides in due course.

Mini Rugby is now stronger than ever with all the teams competing well and numbers continuing to rise weekly. Most Coaches are ex-Haddington players who are working with the youngsters and they will soon be receiving coaching updates that allow them to develop as Coaches whilst working with the children.


The next phase for the youth section is to help them progress through Developmental sessions that are now in place for specific training.  Some off the older players are already benefiting with six players being put through to the Edinburgh trials this season.

Well done to Colin Brand and Niall Fairgrieve on passing their level one refereeing courses, however, as a club we are continually looking for support in coaching, refereeing and just volunteers at matches.

If you are interested please contact myself (see below)

With continued working relationships in place and Clark Laidlaw (Jedforest) now in post as the East Lothian Development Officer along with Rory Coupar (Boroughmuir) as Physical Activity co-ordinator at Knox Academy, rugby in the community is set to continue going from strength to strength.

Youth rugby sessions

Mini Rugby (primary 1 - primary 7) - Sunday mornings 10:30 till 12:00 @ Haddington RFC

S1/S2 - Monday and Wednesday 4:00 till 5:30 @ Haddington RFC

Girls Rugby Monday and Tuesday 4:00 till 5:30 @ Haddington RFC

Under 15/16 Monday and Wednesday 6:00 till 7:30 @ Haddington RFC

Colts (under 18) Monday and Wednesday 7:00 till 8:30 @ Haddington RFC

For information on any of the above please contact myself on: 07828 131601 or greig_munro@hotmail.com

Sponsors Day

           Haddington RFC Sponsors

Haddington Rugby Club relies heavily on the kindness of all sponsors who donate funds generously towards the Rugby Club.

On Saturday there were several new Sponsors down for the first time to enjoy the hospitality laid on by the Rugby Club prior to the new season kicking off with a Home match versus Cartha QP.

These included the Sponsors supporting the Youth Development Officer, Greig Munro. Seen below is Greig(centre) meeting some of his new sponsors.

We trust they had a memorable day and that we’ll see them down again in the not too distant future.

Sportsmatch

Tesco Stores

Cala Homes

MacTaggart & Mickel

Morhamburn

Rotary Club of Haddington

East Lothian Physiotherapy Centre

Lemac

Johnny’s Cabs

 

Cala supports youth rugby in Haddington

CALA Homes has announced sponsorship support for Haddington Rugby Football Club, which will contribute towards a Youth Development Officer to specifically develop the sport at a junior level. The contribution from CALA has been matched by funding from Sportsmatch Scotland.

Les Hamilton, Director of Rugby at Haddington RFC, said:
“Haddington RFC is almost a century old and has been a focal point in the local community for many years, with success in developing a number of youth grade international players.

“Our promotion this season to Premier Two of Scottish Rugby, along with this support from CALA, has meant we have been able to employ a Youth Development Officer to work with local schools in and around Haddington. At Haddington RFC we are always looking to get youngsters involved in sport and increase their numbers at the club and we believe that this new post will play a big part in this.”

CALA has long been committed to supporting initiatives within the communities in which it builds, which has included sponsoring the Melrose 7s for the past three years. The housebuilder has been responsible for a number of developments in Haddington including its current development at Briery Meadow on the south bank of the River Tyne and previously at Alderston Muir, Alderston Meadow, Somnerfield, and Hilton Court.

Kevin Whitaker, Managing Director at CALA Homes (East) Limited said:
“At CALA we have a long standing reputation for putting something back into the local communities in which we build. The homes we design and build often focus on the ever changing needs of the family, and we believe it is important to support initiatives such as this which encourage families to take an interest in a local sporting tradition. Haddington RFC has a strong heritage and history and we are delighted to be able to make this investment in developing rugby at grassroots level.”

Haddington RFC Community Coach

Haddington RFC are delighted to announce the appointment of Greig Munro as their new Youth Development Officer.

Greig has come up through the Youth section of the club and is currently part of the 1st XV squad. He already has experience working within the local schools as part of his SVQ and will no doubt prove a useful acquisition to the rugby clubs' long term vision.

Greig will start his new role in August and will liase closely with the local schools sports co-ordinators, ensuring opportunities will be available for all school children keen to take up rugby.

The Rugby World Cup will be held in France this year and the Club are hopeful this event, along with Greigs hard work, should help produce the next generation of Haddington rugby club players.

We wish Greig every success in his new role.

Community Coach

Dear All,

The following letter should be received by all members and selected businesses throughout East Lothian this week. The main purpose of the letter is to reach as many individuals and companies as possible in the hope of raising the necessary funds to make the project worthwhile. 

Please give the letter your full consideration and let me know of any assistance that you can provide towards this venture.

Regards

Les

Community Coach – Haddington Rugby Football Club

Haddington Rugby Football Club, in partnership with the Scottish Rugby Union and Sportsmatch, are intending to employ a full time community coach to work within Knox Academy and its feeder primary schools ensuring all children are given the opportunity to experience rugby as they progress through school.

All East Lothian Rugby Clubs are currently looking at similar community coaching roles in their own catchment areas to guarantee the continuation of rugby as a sports activity within the school curriculum on a council wide basis.

The main role of the new community coach would be to co-ordinate, organise and develop the local youth program whilst liasing with all the schools and local authorities to ensure continuity and help implement a professional development structure. 

As an identified business within the Haddington area we would be keen to establish your views and possible financial support to enable the Rugby Club to generate the necessary funding to employ an experienced person to fill this position.

The position will be part funded by the Scottish Rugby Union, however, Haddington R.F.C., as project partners, need to raise the sum of £9000, which would guarantee this project for three years and allow a long-term strategy to be put in place.

We would gratefully accept any size of donation toward the community project, which I hope you will agree, is essential to ensure the long-term future and stability of Haddington Rugby Club.

In return for your sponsorship we will ensure publicity within the programme at every home fixture as well as in the Clubhouse, on the Website and with the local Press. Other recognition of your partnership that we are hoping to introduce next season would be pitchside advertising if all goes according to plan.

As you may be aware the Club has just been promoted to Premier Two with several mouth-watering clashes expected at Neilson Park next season, therefore, there has never been a better time to ensure the next generation of children can aspire to the players of today and emulate what they have achieved this season.

 

We are keen to push ahead with this venture and an early response would be appreciated to discuss your potential support. Please contact me on the number below or via e-mail at your earliest convenience.

Best Regards

Les Hamilton

Director of Rugby

Haddington RFC

Tel:01620 829171

E-Mail: les.hamilton@hotmail.co.uk