Girls Rugby Kicks Off In Fife

The first event of  this  year was hosted by Glenwood High School in September , involving thirty girls representing  five High Schools  from across  Fife.The session, led by Graham Smith and Paul Hunter (Fife Rugby Development Officers) allowed girls from across the region to take part in developing their skills at a range of levels.  Due to the increase in the number of girls  participating in the game last year, this  year’s programme  will have  a different approach. This month’s group were split into a ‘Development’ (beginners) group and ‘performance’ (experienced) group. Those who were new  to the game developed Tackle Technique  and Hand Catch, whilst the more confident and established players developed their rucking skills. The session concluded with 7-a-side full contact games.”It  was great to have the girls back together after the summer break (N Burge GRDC, Tayside and Fife). Some of the girls were involved in the summer pathways camps at Murrayfield and Aberdeen and it will be interesting to see how they bring  their experiences and skills back into our regional programme. This event was  the first since the programme  started in August 2010, where we have had a very even split in the age of girls attending (from S1-S6) which shows that the development team are getting it right and making the events attractive to the full range of girls in Fife. This is the first year that I will be working with both Fife and Tayside and I am very much look forward to taking this Fife model and delivering it in some parts of Tayside.”Burge added: “These events would not be possible without the dedication and professionalism of the development team, the girls that keep coming back and the teachers and families who support them. I very much hope that this  will continue and that as we work towards  raising the profile of the girl’s game in Tayside we find the same enthusiasm for the sport”.The Girls Cluster Events in Fife take place once a month and move around different locations (schools and clubs) with the aim of giving girls a chance to have ‘on your door step’ rugby at least once a year.The Tayside Girls in Rugby launch is Thursday 27th October 2011, 4.00 – 6.00pm at Morgan Rugby Club, Dundee. We continue in Fife with the next event at St Columba’s High School, Dunfermline on Wednesday 26th October 2011, 4.00pm – 6.00pmGirls of all ages (in secondary education) and abilities are welcome to attend these events and there is no minimum number of girls  who have to come any one school. There will be the opportunity for girls in P6 andP7 to attend events from March 2012.If you would like any more information on Girls ‘ Rugby in Tayside and Fife please contact Nicky Burge on 0777 3794965 or [email protected]