Junior Indoor Touch Festivals to return this winter

Junior Touch Festival at Leeds Sports Centre

As part of the charity’s Rugby League Development plan sponsored by Mears to provide more opportunities to play Rugby League at grass roots level in the city, the Leeds Rhinos Foundation’s junior indoor touch rugby league programme will be returning to Leeds Sports Centre this November for the under 7 to 11 age groups from the charity’s Club Ambassador Scheme.

The touch tournaments organised by Leeds Rhinos Foundation Community clubs development officer Sam Horner, have been devised to provide a platform for rugby league players in the junior age groups to continuing playing competitive matches through the winter months, with the larger aim of improving the skill development of junior players aged six to 11.

The format of 5 a side touch rugby is designed to run alongside the 7 a side format that the community clubs play with in the local leagues and works on improving elements of the young players games such as; speed, agility, teamwork, communication and technique.

Despite the five-a-side format used in the programme, another advantage of the festivals is that more players from each club are able to be involved in the small sided games, with clubs entering as many as three small sided teams at each festival with 8 players per team.

The schedule will see each age group from under 7s to under 11s take part in two tournaments running until 27th February starting with the under 11s age group starting off the programme on the 14th November.

Sam Horner commented on some of the benefits of the programme:

“It’s the seventh year we have been able to run the junior indoor touch programme which as well as providing another rugby league development platform for the next generation of players under the Leeds Rhinos club ambassador scheme, provides a learning stage for our young volunteer referees as well as keeping the competitive rugby going during the winter months.”

There will be an entry fee of £2.00 per player for the festivals to cover the facility costs. All rules and regulations will be sent out to clubs once attendance is confirmed by email. 

Registration will be 9.15-9.30am with all games starting at 10am. The festival will finish at 12.30 including presentations; all players attending will get a certificate and a chance to see Ronnie Rhino, and Rhinos players at least once throughout the festival dates.

The dates for the festivals are as follows:

Under 11s – 14th November 2015 at Leeds Sports Centre, 1 Benyon Park Way, Leeds, LS12 6DP
Under 10s – 21st November 2015 at Leeds Sports Centre, 1 Benyon Park Way, Leeds, LS12 6DP
Under 9s – 28th November 2015 at Leeds Sports Centre, 1 Benyon Park Way, Leeds, LS12 6DP
Under 8s – 5th December 2015 at Leeds Sports Centre, 1 Benyon Park Way, Leeds, LS12 6DP?
Under 7s – 12th December 2015 at Leeds Sports Centre, 1 Benyon Park Way, Leeds, LS12 6DP
Under 11s – 9th January 2016 at Leeds Sports Centre, 1 Benyon Park Way, Leeds, LS12 6DP
Under 10s – 23rd January 2016 at Leeds Sports Centre, 1 Benyon Park Way, Leeds, LS12 6DP
Under 9s – 13th February 2016 at Leeds Sports Centre, 1 Benyon Park Way, Leeds, LS12 6DP
Under 8s – 20th February 2016 at Leeds Sports Centre, 1 Benyon Park Way, Leeds, LS12 6DP
Under 7s – 27th February 2016 at Leeds Sports Centre, 1 Benyon Park Way, Leeds, LS12 6DP
 
Please contact by email if you are interested in this event ASAP to ClubAmbassadors@LeedsRugby.com

X