Newport Gwent Dragons’ Community Department have taken their mini & junior skills camps to 10 different regional rugby clubs so far this season as part of a brand new "Region On The Road” Campaign. The decision to take the skills camps out into the heart of the region has proven an extremely popular one, with over 350 mini and juniors from all over Gwent having attended at least one day.
Most recently, the Easter skills camps took at Rhymney RFC, St Julian’s HSOB RFC, Talywain RFC and Newbridge RFC. Over 130 mini & junior players from around the region enjoyed putting their skills to the test and having the chance to meet some of the Dragons’ star players.
Community Skills Camp Coordinator Matt Williams said:
"For us at the Dragons, it’s a huge positive to see so many boys & girls around the region being active & playing rugby. By taking these camps around Gwent, we get the chance to connect with far more youngsters who perhaps wouldn’t be able to get to Rodney Parade in time for an early start."
During the camps, the Community Department’s coaches put the players through their paces working on everything from handling & passing to tackling and evasion skills. After lunch, they then get the chance to show off their skills in front of some of the Dragons’ players before getting to meet them and find out what life is like as a professional rugby player.
The Community Department would like to thank Nick MacLeod, Leon Brown & Elliot Dee (along with Wesley the dog!) for being a part of this Easter's camps.
The Community Department take great pride in delivering fully inclusive skills camps for boys and girls aged 8-14, whether they have picked up a ball before or not. Community manager, Mike Sage added:
"The most important thing for us is that each child goes away having learnt something new but enjoyed themselves in the process, I think we can safely say that we’ve achieved our goal in that respect!"
Kirsty, one of the parents from Newbridge RFC Skills Camp added:
"You may have guessed that Jack has never played rugby before and I was anxious dropping him off, we had absolutely no reason to worry. The first thing he said when we picked him up was "Can I join a team?". Jack is feeling very inspired by you all so a big Thank you from us."
