15th December 2009
By Julia Hutton
England full back Delon Armitage is lending his support to the Rugby Football Union’s ‘This is Rugby’ campaign when it comes to Berkshire next week.
The ‘This is Rugby’ workshop takes place at Wellington College on December 21st as part of the Berkshire County RFU’s Nutrition, Strength & Conditioning, Psychology, Lifestyle, Drug & Medication Seminar presented by representatives of London Irish, English Institute of Sport, an Olympian and two Loughborough graduates working at Wellington College.The event is aimed at young players within the county U13s–U16s Schools of Rugby and CB squads, their parents, constituency body representative and club volunteers – just short of 200 delegates have registered for the day. This event is part of Berkshire County RFU’s programme of enhancing the player’s county experience by covering these important topics in a professional way and assisting them in their player development. The ‘This is Rugby’ campaign is about protecting the game’s core values, Teamwork, Respect, Enjoyment, Discipline and Sportsmanship, and by targeting a whole host of people it’s hoped it will attract more new faces to the game, and spread the game’s important messages. RFU Rugby Development Officer for Berkshire Dan Whiteman said: ‘We are pleased to have the opportunity of conveying the game’s core values to this important group of promising players at this stage of their young careers’. The aim of the ‘This is Rugby’ campaign is to spread the messages of which are the core values that underpin rugby. It’s also a chance to get more volunteers into the game, particularly from the parents of the young players. There are a lot of parents that drop off their sons or daughters and maybe go into the bar for a drink but don’t do a lot more. Many of them may like to contribute in helping to run the club rather than just be a spectator. Rugby is the fastest growing major sport in the country, attracting more people than ever to enjoy a vibrant game as professional and amateur players, volunteers and supporters. But the expansion brings new challenges to the game and a need to sustain the standards that are its strengths. Two years ago the RFU put together a task group to run an extensive consultation exercise. The Core Values project is the first time a sport has set out to define its value system in formal terms. ‘These five values are what brought us into the sport and what keep us part of it, they are what rugby has to offer and go way beyond the pitch and the clubhouse,’ added RFU President John Owen. ‘Rugby can be proud of its unique spirit but it’s important to make sure that is protected for the future.’
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