Trust Rugby International earns Positive Coaching award

Trust Rugby International, also known as TRI or The Clan, are the most recent rugby outfit to earn the prestigious Positive Coaching Scotland accreditation, in association with the Bill McLaren Foundation.Based in Kilmarnock, TRI are currently the only unified team in Scotland, meaning both disabled and non-disabled athletes compete in the same team.Their vision is to bring individuals, communities and cultures together through rugby and to instil empowerment, trust, teamwork and confidence into their participants.As well as the exciting news of the coaching award they have also appointed Scotland 7s international, from Ayrshire, Colin Shaw as their ambassador and they will play a showcase game at half-time during Scotland’s final viagogo Autumn Test match v Tonga this Saturday (22 November, Rugby Park, Kilmarnock, kick-off 2.30pm). The Clan have also been invited to represent Scotland at the 2015 Inclusion World Tournament in August 2015 in Bradford. This tournament is being held as part of the legacy for the 2015 World Cup and will be contested by ten countries including England, Wales, Ireland, Italy, France, Spain, Serbia, Romania and Belgium. Jamie Armstrong, TRI Development Director, said: The whole process has inspired us all at TRI and helped us clarify what we’re already doing and what we want to improve on.”This process will undoubtedly improve the quality of what TRI delivers to our members.Linda Lawson, daughter of Bill McLaren, said:”It was a real privilege to attend the meeting at Kilmarnock Rugby Club and to welcome Trust Rugby International into the PCS family.Enormous credit goes to Jamie Armstrong and his wonderful coaching staff for all the work they do and then to all the parents, supporters and carers, without whose help their pleasure of training and playing rugby would not be possible. “The work of TRI is remarkable and apart from playing rugby the life skills that these players have developed and the confidence that goes with being part of this special family epitomises the values that makes rugby such a special game. My dad would have heartily endorsed that.”I have always known that rugby is a great game and The Clan have now proved that it is also a great game for all.” TRI join Alloa, Berwick, Bishopton, Cartha Queen’s Park, Caithness, Currie, Dundee Wasps, Dunfermline, Duns, Ellon, Forrester, Garnock, Hamilton, Highland, Hillfoots, Irvine, Langholm, Lasswade, Lochaber, Melrose, Mull, North Berwick, Peebles, Perth, Ross Sutherland, Stew-Mel Lions and  Strathendrick by earning PCS accreditation.The Positive Coaching Scotland programme in association with The Bill McLaren Foundation operates as a partnership between sportscotland, the Winning Scotland Foundation, the Bill McLaren Foundation and Scottish Rugby and has the main aims to build and sustain a strong and positive rugby culture in order to develop young rugby players and develop young people through the sport.  This programme forms part of sportscotland’s national roll out of the Positive Coaching Scotland programme through governing bodies and local authorities.