Free courses for coaches and club managers

The Herts Sports Partnership is offering the following TWO FREE sport & leisure related workshops to anyone within the East Region.

Both workshops have been planned as part of the East Links Project with Acer (Association of Colleges in the East) and are open to all those who would like to develop their knowledge in the two subject areas below. Whether you work in the sector, are a volunteer/coach or just have interest in the subject areas these workshops could help support your current or future aims and aspirations.

Workshop 1. Using mentoring and coaching to help improve performance
Tuesday 7th August 2007
10am - 4.30pm

Workshop 2. Volunteer Management
Wednesday 22nd August 2007
10am -4pm

If you are interested in attending either workshop please ring 01480 468601 or reply via e-mail to jenny@acer.ac.uk.

Spaces are limited and will be allocated on first come first serve basis.

Girls Premiership Rugby Academy Summer Camp

The Sun shone as 30 Girls attended the Saracens Premiership Rugby Camp at Welwyn RFC on 24th and 25th July. At the end of the 2 days the Girls were tired, but buzzing! All those that took part have developed their Rugby knowledge and skills. This was the first time that Saracens have run a Summer Camp exclusively for Girls, and possibly the first time that any Professional Rugby Club has done so. England Women's Rugby Star Maggie Alphosi was one of the Coaches.

Peter Mccullough, Welwyn Warriors U15 Manager said 'Last Season Jackie Shutler and I discussed the fact that Girls have until now been denied the opportunity of attending a Saracens Academy Premiership Camp because above the age of 12 they are not allowed to play Contact Rugby with the Boys. The solution was a Girls only Camp. We wanted to ensure that as many Girls as possible were given the opportunity to attend, so I made a Grant Application to the Local Network Fund to cover the cost and am very grateful to Helen Doubal and the LNF for approving the application. The only disappointment was that Jackie's Daughter Clare (Herts Girls U15 Captain) was unable to attend as she was at her Grandfather's Funeral.'

Be a web celeb!

The 2007 men's Rugby World Cup starts in less than 50 days, and the Rugby Football Union has announced plans to launch a specially commissioned World Cup "microsite". The site will go live on Wednesday 29 August, five days before the squad head to France, and will be full of exclusive content and features.

This will include features on community rugby volunteers, and the designers are looking for:

• Bloggers: amusing, pithy, writers to log their rugby volunteering activity at home or abroad during the tournament
  
• Case Studies: short, heart-warming stories about rugby volunteers in a whole host of roles. We will be featuring a different role throughout the tournament. All ages, genders, backgrounds and abilities welcome!
  
• Video Diaries: 30 second to 3 minute clips that convey everything great about volunteering in rugby - what individuals and others get out of being part of the rugby 'family'.

If you know anyone who fits the bill or want to be a "webceleb" yourself, please get in touch with Laura Fear at RFUW.

First aid course for coaches and volunteers

FIRST AID FOR APPOINTED PERSONS

Sunday 29th July
9.30pm - 4.30pm
University of Hertfordshire, De Havilland Campus

£35 (inc. light refreshments and attendance certificate)

This is the minimum level of training recommended by the Health and Safety Executive for those acting in an emergency and is accepted by all sport and therapy governing bodies for insurance and CPD purposes. It has a sport and exercise bias making it practical, useful and will address many of the common issues and concerns you could potentially find in any sports environment.

If you would like to book onto this training please contact Graham Keen on 01707 281006. (Fax: 01707 284460) by Tuesday (24th July) at he latest.

If you cannot make this course but are still interested, the course will next be run on Sunday 14th October.

County Day and U18 Trials - 9th September

Details of the first county day of the new season have been confirmed. It will be at Welwyn RFC on Sunday 9th September starting at 2pm.

For U18s this will be the county trial. A squad of c40 girls will be selected, from whom two squads will emerge over the following weeks.

For U15s the session will be more of a development afternoon. There will be a mixture of County/ Regional level players together with a number of players that are relatively new so the primary objective will be to establish the number and different levels of experience/ ability of those attending and give them all a worthwhile Session.

In addition - for the first time - there will also be a U12 session. With the changing age banding it is important that girls in Year 6 and 7 are given more support, so girls from these two years - regardless of experience - are being invited to attend as well. They will have their own session and the afternoon will be important in helping the county decide on how best to take support for the age group forward.

Regional Programme Manager: applications please!

The first regional post for 2007/8 is to be advertised shortly. Regional Programme Manager is the main co-ordinator and organiser of the regional programme - involved with finding trial, training and match venues, co-ordinating coaching and support staff, and so on. Its an important job and can either be a single post covernig both junior and senior rugby, or can be divided into two.

A job description appears below. If you are interested contact Amanda Bate for more information. There is no formal closing date yet, but the work of the RPM would notmally begin in November so the need to be in place by then.

Job Description:

Responsible for: Delivery of the Regional Programme and directing Regional Squad Members

Post Purpose: To co-ordinate the members of the Regional Squad for training and matches.

Main Duties:

• To develop and maintain the communication pathways regarding the Regional Programme between squad members and deal with issues which may arise
• To attend trials, training and matches and ensure the smooth running of the day in accordance with RFUW guidelines
• To produce and distribute standard letters for selected and non-selected players at regional level. Also to complete the feedback matrix and send to the relevant club coaches
• To communicate training/match venues and directions to players
• To caretaker regional strip (including laundry)
• To collect and bank regional trial and match fees completing the Income Sheet
  To act as the first local point of contact for players, coaches and parents when issues arise.
• To ensure that venues, transport, referees etc are booked and confirmed for all aspects of the regional Programme through the Regional Programme Manager.
• On Home matches, to complete the Match Report Form (6R) and send to Julia Hutton
  On Home matches, to complete the Match Details Form (6D) and send to HQ Administrator
• To complete any pre-match squad sheets if required for any Programs.

Additionally:

• To ensure that practice is carried out in accordance with the RFUW/RFU Equal Opportunities and Fair Treatment Policy, and RFUW/RFU Child Protection Policy
• To uphold the principles of the Union as defined in the elected and volunteers’ handbook, the constitution and other relevant policy documents, including the Code of Conduct, Conflict of Interest and Fit for Officer criteria
• To attend the Regional Programme Staff Training Day / Evening

Skills and Experience:
(Below are desired skills but post holders without listed skills will have the opportunity through internal training to acquire skills and knowledge)

• Good written and communication skills
• Leadership and delegation skills
• Planning skills
• Enhanced RFU CRB Disclosure less than 3 years old
• Internal RFU/W training on good practice and child protection/equity and ethics

Rewards and Benefits:

• To contribute and influence a growing governing body
• Training – vocational
• RFUW clothing
• RFUW International tickets

Expenses:

• Out of pocket expenses will be paid for activities within the task description in relation to coaching the event: (current rates and extent of cover can be obtained from the RFUW Office)
• Car travel (up to £15 per journey)
• Train fares (up to £15 per journey)
• Telephone calls and postage

50% funding for coaching courses - and FREE referees courses!

Amanda Bate (WRDM East & SE Regions ) has secured funding from the WORKFORCE Development Fund to provide for 50% of the costs of fifteen level 1 courses and fifteen level 2 coaching courses. The courses must be completed by 31st MARCH 2008.

People wishing to make use of this funding will need to:

• agree to do a certain amount of coaching of girls and women, a service level agreement will need to be signed.


• book themselves on the course in the usual way and pay for it, and I will refund half the cost once they have COMPLETED the course before 31st March 2008

If you are interested then please e-mail Amanda BEFORE you book yourself onto a course, with your name, address, club, what coaching you do now, and which girls/womens’ team you would be involved with, as well as which course you wish to do - course details are on the RFU website.

This funding opportunity is open to both male and female coaches.

Women in refereeing.

Amanda is also able to offer 20 females aged 16 plus the chance to do an ELRA refs course for Free!

Again contact Amanda if you are interested - you will need to pay for the course and will be refunded, once the course has been completed, before the 31st March 2007. You will also be required to sign a Service Level Agreement , agreeing to referee a certain number of matches.

Reminder: National Women’s Refereeing Conference

The RFU and RFUW will also be holding its National Women’s Refereeing Conference on the 14th and 15th of July at the Staverton Conference Centre, near Daventry. Apparently last year was very good and this year it is promissed will be even better.

The cost of the weekend is £30 (including all meals and overnight accommodation) and will include workshops around female specific fitness, nutrition, lines of running, controlling the game, psychology and much more. There is also a formal dinner for all delegates.

If you are interested in going please email David Rose on davidrose@rfu.com for more details - ideally as soon as possible. Although there is no bar on under 18s attending, younger referees are advised to bring their age to the attention of David Rose before booking.