U21 Match Welcomes 1000th Child as Guard of Honour

Friday night’s Wales U21 match against France U21s will see the 1,000th youngster make up the Guard of Honour at Rodney Parade.

Kath McCarthy | 14/03/2006

Friday night’s Wales U21 match against France U21s will see the 1,000th youngster make up the Guard of Honour at Rodney Parade.

New for this season Community Projects Manager Mike Sage has invited local schools and rugby clubs across the Region to be special guests at Rodney Parade for one of The Dragons or International U21 matches. The youngsters enjoy an hours rugby master class session from Mike Sage and Community Development Officer Janice Chappell before the aspiring young rugby players make their way to the main pitch where they form the guard of honour for the two teams to run through. This has proved to be a hugely successful venture with clubs and schools across the Region clambering to get on board.

Commenting on the venture Mike Sage said,

“We have received a fantastic response from clubs and schools in the Region who are very keen to get on board with the match day experience. As well as local rugby sides getting involved we have also welcomed additional interested group including touring teams, a football team and a Sunday school. We have received a tremendous take up and Friday night will see the 1,000th youngster form the guard of honour. We have also received overwhelmingly positive feedback from all the clubs and schools that have taken part and it has proved to be a great experience for the youngsters and they all really enjoy their time at Rodney Parade.”

Once the two teams have run through the guard of honour the youngsters then run across the pitch before taking their place in the Family Stand to watch the match.

Commercial Director at Rodney Parade Gethin Jenkins said,

“It is great to break through the 1,000th mark for the youngsters forming the guard of honour. It is an initiative that has really taken off and we have received lots of positive feedback. It is a way of attracting youngsters to the games and judging by the amount of vocal support the youngsters show during the match it is obvious they are certainly enjoying themselves. The players have also noticed the noise being generated and have commented on it so it is obviously having a beneficial effect on what is happening on the pitch!”

As well as introducing the match day experience all 50 clubs in the Dragons Region have been receiving complimentary tickets for all Dragons home games and the U21 Internationals that have been hosted at Rodney Parade.

All the places for The Dragons match day experience are currently taken for the remainder of the season. However, next year the initiative will run again and if any clubs or schools are interested in taking part then they should contact Mike Sage at Rodney Parade.

There is an opportunity for youngsters to develop their rugby skills over the Easter holiday’s as Skill Camps will be held at Rodney Parade. Following on from the roaring success of last year’s Dragons summer camps, youngsters will have the chance to brush up on their rugby skills from the Region’s community development officers plus have the opportunity to meet the Dragons players. This is a fantastic opportunity for youngsters to develop their skills, pick up tips and learn all the latest techniques from the game. More information can be found on the Dragons website (www.newportgwentdragons.com) where application forms can be downloaded