LEDBURY RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB
YOUTH RUGBY POLICY AND PROCEDURES
MISSION STATEMENT
To organise, supervise and promote the playing of rugby at youth level (ages 6 to 18) within Ledbury Rugby Football Club.
To create and maintain a friendly and positive atmosphere on and off the field, in an environment within which players of all abilities can play rugby and an active part in the future development of the club.
COMMITTEE STRUCTRE
Youth Chairman
Representative from: Junior section
Mini Midi section
Tag section
Youth Secretary
Youth Treasurer
Club Fixtures Secretary
Youth Rugby Coaches Co-ordinator
Playing Development Lead
Youth Safeguarding Officer
First Aid Representative
CRB Representative
Youth Membership Secretary
FREQUENCY OF MEETINGS
Formal meetings are held at key stages throughout the season and immediately before and after the season.
Other meetings are called by the Youth Chairman or by two or more members of the committee, when necessary. In addition meetings of Coaches and Managers will be held before and after the season. Two further meetings will be held during the season
LEDBURY RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB
YOUTH RUGBY POLICY AND PROCEDURES
PLAYERS
All players must be registered members of LRFC and the RFU and have paid their subscription.
JUNIOR SECTION PLAYING POLICY
Age groups U13’s upwards, can play matches in September but they must be in a controlled environment as most of the those taking part will not have had any contact or contact training until the 1st Sunday in September . All those playing and being played against must be registered with the RFU if not they cannot play. The team management must assess whether this will affect those taking part / not taking part. Players should not be age group pre registered from the previous year. (Interesting statement as the system moves their registration up a year) Those organising a match should also take into account:
1. Preparation – are the players ready for a match.
2. what are the ground conditions – end of summer hard surfaces.
3. Are the match opponents wanting to be competitive or learn from a development / training session. Inter club matches are better put off until October. Also, all referees must be qualified and experienced.
4. Pre season Training is not permitted – Summer Leisure rugby activity must be limited to Touch / Tag only – No exception will be permitted. RFU / Sport England / CoachUK state- Summer training:- it is recommended by RFU Coaching Dept. and CoachUK that players should have a rest from their chosen sport in the closed season and learn other sports. There is evidence that by doing so players return with enhanced skills acquired from these other sports and a refreshed enthusiasm for rugby.
Note:These are RFU Regulations and the RFU insurance cover is provided on the basis of compliance with these RFU Regulations. Non compliance would be a breach of the Clubs RFU insurance cover.Similarly non compliance with RFU Guidelines and Policy could be regarded by the insurance company and the Courts as negligence.
LEDBURY RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB
YOUTH RUGBY POLICY AND PROCEDURES
RFU Regulations
- RFU Regulation15.1.1 “A player’s age grade is determined by their age at midnight on 31 August at the beginning of each Season and that age grade applies for the whole season.”
- So an Under 8 cannot be involved in contact training or playing until they become U9 at 1st September this applies during the summer months so they cannot practice tackling etc. as this a prohibited activity for U7s & U8s. Similarlypracticing active scrums in the summer by a season rising U10s who are still technically Under U9s is prohibited until they are U10 on 1st September.
- There appears to be some confusion on which Regulation re the Season and games therein applies to which Age group.
- RFU Regulation 11.6 “In Mini-Midi Rugby (U7 – U12) Fixtures and Festivals may only take place from Sunday 30 September 2012 and until Monday 6 May 2013 inclusive. “
- RFU Regulation 11.3 “Players in the Under 13 – U18 Age Grades may only play in contact matches from Saturday 25 August 2012 until Monday 6 May 2013 inclusive.” Soyour Under 13s to U18s can play matches in September but not your Minis and Midis.
- The Youth Structured Season is RFU Policy and sets out dates for in particular Representative rugby and National Youth Competitions designed “to go some way topreventing overplaying and overtraining of the most able,whilst providing meaningful coaching and fixtures for those who will progress no further than the club and school level”.Sanctions have been applied by the RFU for non compliance.
We ask that all who coach and administer the game of Rugby use common sense in their approach and bear in mind the welfare of those they are charged with looking after.
Insurance and the implications of being sued should uppermost in your mind!
LEDBURY RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB
YOUTH RUGBY POLICY AND PROCEDURES
MIDWEEK TRAINING POLICY AND PROCEDURES
1.Tuesdays and Thursday nights are when the Seniors and Colts train.
2.On Monday nights the club is closed.
3.Wednesday nights are available for training subject to agreement with the JuniorChairman and the Club Director responsible for Rugby.
4.All age group midweek training to be subject to the new RFU protocols on Youthtraining.
5.Cancellation of midweek training due to pitch and/or weather conditions will be by the Club Director responsible for Rugby and the Junior Chairman.
6.Age groups should have a qualified first aider present.
SUNDAY MATCH/TRAINING POLICY AND PROCEDURES
1.Training and fixtures for Sundays will be decided by the Fixtures Secretary and inaccordance with the new RFU protocols on youth matches and training.
2.Fixtures Secretary and Junior Chairman agree Sunday matches/training on a Thursday evening. Facilities are informed of number of plated meals and hotdogs by Friday morning. Junior Chairman will confirm if we require the additional car parking across the road.
3. A pitch allocation will be e-mailed to managers and coaches during Friday together with any other relevant information.
4.Pitch 1 is reserved for the 1st XV and Colts. N. Mids Cup/Plate matches may be played on it subject to condition.
5.Age groups to have a qualified first aider present on Sundays whether matches or training.
LEDBURY RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB
YOUTH RUGBY POLICY AND PROCEDURES
CANCELLATION OF HOME MATCHES
a)If all matches are cancelled due to weather, facilities will be notified by the Junior Chairman as will Coaches/Managers.
b)If a specific age group match is cancelled then it is the responsibility of the age group manager to contact the Youth Chairman and facilities. This must not be later than 5pm on Saturday evening so that food orders can be amended.
CANCELLATION OF SUNDAY TRAINING
If training is cancelled due to the weather and pitch conditions, theJunior Chairman will inform Coaches/Managers by text message or e mail this will normally be by 6pm on the Saturday before. The Website will also be updated.
FUND RAISING/SOCIAL EVENTS
1.All events must be agreed by the Youth Committee first.
Facilities cannot be booked until this is done and will include risk and safeguarding assessments, and whether additional insurance is necessary.
2.Providing (1) has been complied with facilities can then be booked with the Facilities Manager. If pitches are required then this should be confirmed with the JuniorChairman.
3.If the age group is maintaining a tour bank account it should not contain the initials LRFC, otherwise it is a club account which will need to be accounted for by the club and maintained by the club. H. M. Revenue and Customs will fine £1,000 for each account not included within the club’s accounts.
LEDBURY RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB
YOUTH RUGBY POLICY AND PROCEDURES
COACH TRAINING COURSES
All Coaches should have at least a Level 1 qualification. Those doing tag rugby should have the appropriate tag qualification.
The Coaching Co-ordinator will book courses on application from the age group Head Coach following discussion with the Youth Chairman.
APPENDICIES
Coaching Ethos & GuidelinesAppendix 1
Coach Manager ProceduresAppendix 2
Anti Bullying PolicyAppendix 3
Safeguarding PolicyAppendix 4
Codes of conduct:
Coaches and OfficialsAppendix 5
Parents/CarersAppendix 6
PlayersAppendix 7
APPENDIX 1
Coaching Ethos
Guidelines
for
Ledbury RFC Juniors
Coaching at Ledbury RFC
Welcome to the coaching team at Ledbury RFC, one of South Herefordshire’s leading Rugby Union clubs.
This document is designed to give assistance in your coaching to enable you and your coaching team to progress and get the very best from your time coaching, and ultimately, from your squad and to ensure compliance in everything you do.
A Club Ethos
The vision that we share at Ledbury is for a united club committed to the development of all players to ensure retention and recruitment at all ages. As coaches we have a major role to play in delivering this vision.
The RFU core values of teamwork, discipline, respect, sportsmanship and enjoyment are recognised. In addition to these, as a club we are focused on:
- valuing all contributions,
- welcoming all,
- club unity,
- respecting each other and property,
- showing loyalty to theClub.
Ledbury is a family sports club with a commitment to the community it serves to provide a family friendly inclusive club where rugby players can be developed in an enjoyable and safe environment.
Coaching....A Commitment
As a club volunteer coach, you will very likely have joined the club at some point in the Mini ranks either as a parent or grandparent, or other relative of a child who is playing the game. Children bring a whole host of very welcome relatives when they join the club and many of those new faces go on to become volunteers within the club in many different capacities.
But the one area that generally has the greatest pull is that of a Volunteer Coach. This is almost always a parent helper who catches the “Bug” and as a desire to coach, initially in a casual manner and then becomes increasingly more involved. And that is exactly how Ledbury and every other Rugby club in the country grows and survives. It relies on the annual influx of eager volunteers to continue operating.
But coaching is a commitment of a huge magnitude. As you become increasingly involved in
coaching, the allocation of time and resources increases exponentially. There is never enough time in a session, the day or the week let alone the season.
Before committing to coaching, every volunteer coach should ensure they realise what a major commitment this is. Far from being a commitment to their own offspring in isolation, it is a commitment to around 10 to 40 children of all abilities. Your job as a volunteer coach is to service every one of these children in your group on an equal and fair platform...... period.
Our advice would be this, if you cannot genuinely commit adequate time and resource to do this job well and to the club’s expected standards, or you are not prepared to perform your coaching duties as the Club would expect you to in a fair and ethical fashion, don’t make the commitment in the first place. You will let down a huge amount of young players who will become reliant on you week in and week out.
Coaching Expectations
As a Club, we expect all youth members who are involved in Mini/Junior rugby playing, to be
included in every facet of play and social activity. Elitism is not part of the club’s ethos and it should not be part of any age group’s playing philosophy either.
Every player, coach and parent wants one thing from the sport being played, and that is to enjoy what they are doing after all. This is supposed to be fun...for everyone involved. The second thing is that all participants want is to achieve progress in Rugby and be part of a successful / winning team.
As a volunteer coach in particular, your capacity to balance “Enjoyment” with “Winning” is a very difficult task indeed. As a coach you will find that required balance, but only if you adopt a policy of full inclusion for all your players, no matter how good or bad they are or seem to be. Remember, today’s run of the mill Winger, is tomorrow’s star Fly Half and nobody knows where the next England Player is coming from, especially at such a young age!
At Ledbury we strongly believe that our coaches adhere to the RFU coaches guidelines, which provide a framework for best practice in the sport. The guidelines are reproduced below
Rugby Union coaches shall:
- Recognise the importance of enjoyment when delivering their coaching and that the best learning is achieved when players are engaged in active participation.
- Adopt a player centred approach to their coaching.
- Be a positive role model.
- Encourage players to take responsibility for their own behaviour at all times but especially when in the rugby environment.
- Clarify expectations for players, playing and administration staff, parents and spectators alike.
- Develop an awareness of nutrition as part of a more extensive life style management.
- Keep winning and losing in perspective - encourage players to win with modesty and lose with dignity.
- Respect referees, publicly support the decisions they make and ensure your players do the same.
- Promote “Fair Play”
- Insist players respect opponents and team mates alike.
- Provide positive verbal feedback in a constructive and encouraging manner to each of your players, both during and after coaching sessions and games.
- Adapt coaching practise to match the players’ ages and abilities, as well as their physical and mental development.
- Ensure all players are coached in a safe environment, with adequate first aid readily to hand.
- Avoid the overplaying of players.
- Advise players not to train or play when injured.
- Praise effort and encourage good behaviour and good performance.
- Recognise that players shouldn’t be exposed to extremes of heat, cold, or unacceptable risk of injury.
- Be transparent, trustworthy, fair.
- Be appropriately qualified and, through appropriate CPD, demonstrate a current knowledge of coaching practice, playing skills and Laws of the game.
- Strictly maintain a clear boundary between friendship and intimacy with players and not conduct inappropriate relationships with players.
- Not allow an intimate personal relationship to develop with any player under the age of 18 (who is coached or supervised by them either directly or indirectly). Such players may be vulnerable and an intimate personal relationship between a coach and such a player is never likely to be appropriate. It is strongly recommended that coaches do not allow intimate personal relationships to develop with players (coached or supervised by them) even if they are over the age of 18.
- Comply with all Regulations of the RFU.
- Abide by the policies and procedures of the RFU including “Safeguarding and Welfare of Young People and Vulnerable Adults.”
- Seek further guidance for age specific law variations if coaching Mini, Junior or Youth teams.
- Make it their responsibility and take actions to develop themselves as coaches
Game time / Winning ethos
It is the responsibility of the head coach of each age group to ensure that all players participate in friendly / match games and all players are given equal opportunities. The only exception promoted by the Club is for Cup matches and tournaments, where each age group should represent Ledbury RFC to their best ability. This may unfortunately result in not all players / squad members being selected or receiving equal game time. It is therefore crucial that the coaches clearly communicate this to all parents prior to the matches and parents / players fully understand the selection criteria, including how the team will be selected in a squad formation.
It is the responsibility of the Head Coach in each age group to provide training for all those players that are not involved in Cup matches / tournaments to ensure that all players are not left out.
Coaching Pathway
The RFU is adamant about raising the standard of rugby coaching within clubs to encourage the growth of grass roots rugby throughout England. To enhance this process, they provide a “logical” pathway for emerging coaches to follow.
Regardless of a coaching volunteer’s playing experience, coaching is a completely different animal indeed. Children are not small adults and should not be treated as such! Communication and coaching styles are quite different. There is a coaching philosophy and structure that has evolved over a considerable period of time and is a tried and trusted mechanism devised to enhance the development of coaches in improving their coaching abilities across all age groups.