B&S Mini & Junior Section Download Membership Form:

Land Rover is delighted to be the title sponsor of this year’s Birmingham and Solihull Mini/Midi Rugby Festival on Sunday 16th March 2008. Representatives of Stratstone of Solihull Land Rover will be at the festival showcasing their full range of vehicles, including the seven seater Discovery 3, whilst offering all supporters the chance to win some superb prizes. All the prizes and medals are going to be handed out on the day by stars from Gloucester Rugby club.
As the official vehicle of England Rugby and Premier Rugby, Land Rover will be giving parents the chance to win a unique coaching clinic from two of their main rugby ambassadors, England’s Josh Lewsey and Tom Rees. Their child’s team will be coached by the England rugby stars at a location of their choice as the players pass on the skills that they have acquired from some of the finest coaches in the world. To add to this fantastic prize the whole team will receive an exclusive set of Land Rover rugby kit.
Also on offer at the festival will be a 2007-08 Gloucester Rugby shirt signed by the squad. All supporters need to do is head for the Land Rover display or approach one of the Land Rover staff around the ground and complete one of the forms. The lucky winners will be announced at 3.00pm on the day.
The Birmingham and Solihull Mini/Midi Rugby Festival is one of several festivals around the country that Land Rover will be supporting this season. As part of Land Rover’s continued sponsorship within rugby, all twelve Guinness Premiership clubs receive a Discovery 3 to support their work in the community. Grassroots rugby remains a particular focus for Land Rover as it strives to not only support the top echelons of the sport but also provide funds to support its future development. For example, the Premiership Rugby Academy is a major new initiative supported by Land Rover where kids are coached at camps by top coaches from the Guinness Premiership clubs. For more information please visit www.rugbycamps.com.
To arrange a test drive with Stratstone of Solihull Land Rover please call 0121 745 5566 or visit www.stratstone.solihull.landrover.co.uk

WELCOME – Player, Parents, Spectators and Visiting Teams
A warm welcome is extended to new and existing members of our club and those looking forward to playing against any of our teams.
Detailed below is information relating to the M&J Section and advice on some of the things needed for players, parents, supporters and visiting teams. If you require any further information then it should be available on our website www.beesrugby.com under the Mini & Junior Section.

Mini & Junior Section
Our aims
Our aim is to provide rugby for the community by offering both boys and girls aged 6 -17 years old the opportunity to learn and play the game to the best of their ability in a safe environment. A great deal of emphasis is placed on safety, learning techniques and skills for the enjoyment and participation of ALL to help generate a strong team spirit and welcoming club atmosphere.

Bees Captain Mark Cornwall led out by M&J Mascot’s for National 1 game against Bedford, September 2006.

Playing & Training
The rugby season starts on 2nd September 2007 and finishes at the end of April. Player registration and training start in September with fixtures and festivals taking place from October to April.
Mini & Junior teams train and play at Portway at J3 M42. Training sessions and matches run from 10.30 – 12.00 on Sunday mornings; match details are published on www.beesrugby.com under the M&J section and in the club fixture card. These can be downloaded and subsequently integrated into most computer-based calendars.
Players are gradually introduced to the skills and rules of rugby football as they grow older. Tag rugby is played at U7 and U8’s, at the Mini stage tackling and uncontested scrums and lineouts are introduced at U9 with contested scrums and lineouts from the Midi stage of U10 –U12. It is not until the players reach their teenage years as Juniors that the complete game is played on a full sized pitch.
All the different stages and individual year group rules are explained in the Rugby Continuum which can be found on www.community-rugby.com followed by selecting Referee/Officiate and then Laws & Regulations.

Membership
Anyone can become a member as long as they observe the club constitution. There is a player category of membership and a family (details which can be found under the membership section of this website). Existing members need to renew their membership during Registration whilst new members can join at any time during the season - come along on a Sunday morning for a run out before making a commitment to join. It is a requirement for all children to be registered by the club and our constituent body, The North Midlands RFU Society. We will maintain a list of all Mini & Junior members on the club database; you have the club’s assurance that this information will only be used for administration purposes.

What is provided?
At Portway we have 3 full sized rugby pitches and individual pitches for the U7 – U10 age groups, clubhouse and changing facilities.
Each player receives:

• Coaching from fully qualified Coaches who have been CRB checked
• Opportunity to play in matches home & away.
• Use of training equipment and rugby balls.
• A year long loan of a playing/training club shirt
• Entry into relevant festivals and cup competitions.
• Opportunity to tour.
• Qualified referees where appropriate)
• Use of clubhouse and changing facilities.
• Post Match food for players at home games.

Bees U9’s on Tour in Bognor	Bees U10’s winning the 2006/7 Festival

Some of the many M&J Coaches who between them know most tricks in the book!!

Playing Kit.
As mentioned, shirts will be provided for match days. Players, parents or guardians are responsible for the cleaning of the shirt and returning it to the coach at the end of the season. We recommend the use of a gum shield and shin pads for all matches and training sessions. Boots can either be of moulded or aluminium stud but not longer than 21mm with no sharp edges or burring.
We encourage players to match their playing attire to the weather conditions and encourage the wearing of layers of clothing, beanie hats, mittens and tracksuits in the winter months as Portway is renowned for its wind chill factor!!!
Samurai are the club’s official kit supplier and a comprehensive range of rugby kit is available on Sunday mornings from the Kit shop. These include tracksuits, shorts, socks, undervests, gloves, gumshields, kicking tees etc. Should you want more information on kit then contact Lyn Perrin at nickandlyn@btopenworld.com.

Code of Conduct.
We also encourage all involved in Mini & Junior rugby whether player, parent, spectator, referee or coach to adhere to there individual conduct code, details of which can be found in the Administration section under ‘Codes of Conduct’ on the website.

Seal of Approval
Seal of Approval (SOA) is the accreditation the RFU give to clubs based on a number
Colin Major presenting Year 2 Seal of Approval Accreditation to Terry Powell.
of set criteria. These are: The Management of the Club, Safety & Child Protection, Facilities, Community Development, Player Development, Coach Development and Referee Development.
The club has been awarded it’s Year 2 accreditation from the North Midlands RFU being one of only a few clubs in the area to have achieved this standard

Getting the most out of the club!
Finally, rugby is a team sport not only on the field but off the field. Everyone is encouraged to help off the field to ensure that the players have the best time on the field. Remember the more you put in the more you get out and it is extremely rewarding for all.
If you have any questions please contact my fellow coaches, officials of the section or myself, details of which can be found in the Contacts section of this site.

Visiting Teams
A warm rugby welcome is awaiting you all.
Just a reminder we play at our Portway ground (directions can be found on the homepage). All the people you need to speak to regarding fixtures etc are listed in the Contacts section and if you have any suggestions how we can improve your experience of us as a club please drop me a line at daiphillips@btopenworld.com.

Dai Phillips
Chairman, Mini and Junior Rugby.
2007/8 Season