This Saturday 15th February sees Mini’s and Under 7’s given a chance to shine at another of the Leeds Rugby Foundation’s (LRF’s) highly successful Junior Touch Festivals which takes centre stage at Leeds Sports Centre (formally known as Soccer City).
The festivals are run on small indoor 3G surfaces with a quick turnaround of games, each seven minutes in length. There are no restrictions with regards to side-lines with all mistakes being classed as a turnover, because at this stage it is all about development.
The festival allows two teams to be entered per age group with an entry fee of £1.50 per player to help cover the cost of the facilities. The events will be run as a 5 a-side festival with 8 team members, meaning 3 players will rest at all times. Registration will be 9.15-9.30am with all games starting at 10am. The festival will finish at 12.30pm and will include presentations with all players receiving a certificate and a chance to see Ronnie Rhino, Harry Hawk and Leeds Rhinos/Hunslet Hawks players at least once throughout the festival dates.
It is now 5 years since the start of these rugby league festivals and coaches have seen a clear change in the players' mindsets. Even at the younger age groups, players are now looking for space, communicating more, making use of their speed, carrying the ball in two hands and looking for offloads. The fact that Minis and U7s will be attending a festival is really encouraging and reflects the LRF's 3 year plan of giving every child in Leeds the opportunity to get involved with rugby league.
High profile names in rugby league have been very supportive of these events with the New Zealand team stating that it is a fantastic concept when they were over in the UK for the recently passed Word Cup in 2013. Leeds Rhino's Head Coach, Brian McDermott, has also been very vocal in his support of the scheme, he said: “When I deliver coach education problems for the Leeds Rugby Foundation, I try to focus on the importance of early age development by running small sided games in a fun environment. This is exactly what the Junior Touch Festivals offer, a place for youngsters to develop their rugby league skills whilst enjoying the experience.”
The driving force behind the LRF's Touch Festivals is the Community Club Development Officer, Sam Horner, who said: “It is great to see how successful that these touch programmes have become. It offers local children the chance to give rugby league a try and, also for those already in the sport, to develop their skills in a more relaxed environment before taking those skills on to full contact games. Having been a part of this scheme since the beginning it is really encouraging to see how far that children in Leeds are progressing with regards to rugby league.”
The dates for the next Indoor Junior Rugby League Festivals are as follows:
22nd February – U10's
1st March – Mini and U7's
If you are interested, please email: LRCABooking@leedsrugbyfoundation.org.