M&J RUGBY WELCOME
A warm welcome to all - players, parents, spectators and visiting teams - from all at Birmingham & Solihull Rugby Club Mini & Junior section.
On this section of the website you can expect to find all the information you require in order to get the most out of the M&J section. There is advice for players, coaches, parents, referees, volunteers, visiting teams and supporters.
OUR AIMS
Our aim is to provide the opportunity for each and every player aged 6-17 years of age to play to the best of his or her ability. To achieve this we aim to provide the best coaching, equipment and playing and training facilities in both a safe and encouraging environment.
A great deal of emphasis is also placed on developing skills and techniques that will enable players to enjoy playing rugby for years to come. We play with the approach of ‘we want to win but we don’t need to win’ - firmly appreciating that winning and losing are part of both developing and enjoying the game.
We also encourage players, parents and supporters to get involved, to help generate a strong team spirit and create a welcoming club atmosphere for the enjoyment and benefit of all.
HOW TO JOIN
Everyone is welcome to join Birmingham & Solihull Rugby Club M&J Section. Whether experienced or a beginner, just come along on a Sunday morning at 10.30am in playing (or suitable outdoor activity) kit and have a go. However, it might be best to give your Age Group Coach a ring first to find out what might be happening that weekend (see contact details on this website).
We encourage new players to have a go for a few weeks and if you like it then you can join the club and start playing games. If you wish to join the club or play for the club you will be asked to complete a Membership form, a Consent form and a Rugby Football Union Registration Form - see Resource Bank for further information.
PLAYING RUGBY
The teaching of rugby is broken down into 3 stages: Mini U7-8, Midi U9-U12 and Junior U13-U17.
The Mini stage is all about having fun and developing the core skills of running, evasion, passing and team skills by playing TAG Rugby. Tackling is introduced at U9 level with uncontested scrums and lineouts which become contested at U10 level. The full game of rugby is played from U13s upwards.
The emphasis at all age levels is on continual development with focus on core skills, running, passing, evasion and kicking at the Mini and Midi stages with the additional emphasis on positional skills from U13 onwards.
LINKS TO SENIOR RUGBY
At Birmingham & Solihull we are fortunate that the M&J section benefit from being part of one of the top 24 rugby clubs in the country, our professional men's side - the Bees - play in the RFU National 1.
Two Bees players are assigned to each age group (each year) and help coach and train that age group during the season. In addition, the Bees coaching team of Russell Earnshaw (Assistant Coach, England Sevens) and Eugene Martin (former New Zealand Maori international) are available to hone the skills of individual age groups' coaches and players.
Upon leaving the M&J section (post-U17’s) there is a natural progression to our Colts rugby .
WHAT EXTRA DO WE PROVIDE?
In addition to the normal training and playing sessions should a player, coach or referee wish to progress and develop their skills further then the section provide these opportunities. For further information see the Development sections.
We also encourage a high level of volunteering with the intention of providing qualified volunteers for the 2012 Olympics. To find out more about how to get involved click here.
PHYSIO
No doubt various knocks and bruises will be picked up whilst playing rugby, the majority of which will require no more than a bit of rest to recover from, however the club has access to the services of Lorcan McGee, Bees' qualified physiotherapist who will – for a small fee – treat more serious or long-standing injuries. Lorcan can be contacted at lorcan.mcgee@beesrugby.com.
CODE OF CONDUCT
We also encourage all involved in Mini & Junior rugby whether player, parent, spectator, referee or coach to adhere to their individual conduct codes, details of which can be found in the Resource Bank section under Codes of Conduct.
SEAL OF APPROVAL
Seal of Approval (SOA) is the accreditation the RFU give to clubs based on a number of set criteria. These are: the Management of the Club, Safety & Child Protection, Facilities, Community Development, Player, Coach and Referee Development.
The club has been awarded the Year 3 Accreditation from the North Midlands RFU making Birmingham & Solihull one of only a handful of clubs in the area to have achieved such a standard.
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF THE CLUB
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to get in touch with any of my fellow coaches, section officers or indeed myself, details of which can be found in the Contacts section of this site. In addition, should you have any suggestions as to how we might improve your experience of Birmingham & Solihull Rugby Club please don't hesitate to drop me an email: lou.lupoli@blueyonder.co.uk
Lou Lupoli
Chairman
Birmingham & Solihull Rugby Club M&J Section
