We had a fantastic turnout yesterday with a huge total of 35 children participating in training. The focus was on tackling, a vital component of the game. Rugby is a physical game and requires commitment and intensity from the players. We are now transitioning towards full contact in open play and eventually set pieces so the physical demands will only increase from now on. Hence the importance of ensuring that the children are properly prepared for contact rugby in a competitive environment.

Our players of the week were those that demonstrated the greatest improvement in physical commitment. Well done Ruben, Sam & Wilson! Must be something they are putting in the CPS lunches!

We are also grateful to the children (and parents) for their impeccable observance of the minutes silence in tribute to the late Queen.

We have a large training group of 45 players with a wide range of abilities therein. Training such a large group requires coaches and our player:coach ratio could be better. As a result we are always keen to welcome any new volunteer coaches. Experience is not important as there is a training plan prepared every week and we can "buddy-up" inexperienced coaches with those who are more experienced. Both mums and dads are welcome to volunteer and if it suits you there will be access to RFU coaching training and qualifications. DBS certification will eventually be required for obvious reasons. Let me know if you are interested, or simply turn up with your boots on Sunday.

The wide range of abilities means that we also have to stream training to ensure that all players are accessing the game at a level commensurate with their ability. To facilitate this we will now asking parents to use Pitchero to confirm their child's availability for training sessions. This will allow the coaching team to prepare groups of players of similar abilities in advance of each session. New parents can register for Pitchero on the club website homepage by clicking the button in the top right hand corner. We also recommend downloading the app on your phone for convenience.

The club will be hosting its infamous comedy night on 07 October. This is usually a riotous evening which is strictly adults only. Top of the bill is Dominic Holland, apparently father of Tom Holland. I hope that we can fill a couple of tables, support the club and have a fun evening. Tickets are available from Jennie Cahill.

Finally, we have our home festival on 09 October, into which we will be entering two teams. Each squad will be 13 players strong and this will obviously require some difficult selection decisions. For those not making the squads we will endeavour to run a parallel training session or a separate fixture with a nearby club but this will be subject to coach availability. Please indicate your availability for the festival on Pitchero. Please note that the U11 age group will be responsible for supporting the "snack-shack" team on the day and I will be preparing a rota in which each players' family will be required to spend 30 mins on duty.

See you all next week, where training will include a 45 session with Matt Allen. Let me know if you have any questions.

Regards,

DC
U11 AGO
A&C RFC
07929 019133