Cobham RFC is proud to announce that it is the first rugby club in Surrey to acquire a didi rugby franchise which will be launched at the club later this month. didi rugby was founded by former England women’s rugby international, Vicky Macqueen in May 2015. Its objective is to encourage physical activity and self confidence in young children, aged 18 months to 6 years old, by utilising core rugby values and skills in a fun and engaging way. It will operate through the provision of structured classes, clubs and camps building on our existing links with community partners and developing new ones.
didi rugby was invited to consult on the production of the RFU's new Early Years Guidance document and all of its work in schools is based on Ofsted guidelines as well as being strongly aligned to Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Cobham rugby is very keen to build upon our existing community programme. This goal is a major factor behind the recently announced plans for constructing an artificial grass pitch at the club, allowing more intensive use of our first-class facilities by our members and the wider public in the Borough of Elmbridge.
Now, through the launch of didi rugby, we are able to target an age group currently untapped by our activity offer. It is very clear that the earlier children become involved in sporting activity the healthier the population becomes and their expected commitment to sports becomes longer in duration. Some of the earlier didi rugby franchises opened in the UK have regularly seen in excess of 70% of their participants moving on to join local mini and youth rugby clubs. Cobham rugby has a proud history of success in its junior rugby programmes, now being successfully emulated by many other local clubs. It is hoped that this step will help ensure Cobham rugby keeps itself at the leading age of mini and youth rugby in Surrey.
The Cobham didi rugby project will be managed by Vicky Alexander. Vicky started Cobham Women’s rugby and has been a key part of our local community engagement programme over the last four years. Through her friendship with Vicky Macqueen, our Vicky learnt about didi rugby and decided this was a natural fit for Cobham rugby and our work in the community. She has developed, with the support of didi rugby UK, a launch programme which will see the first sessions commencing on 20th May and she is working hard to raise the profile of the programme through various forms of social media.
More information about didi rugby will follow shortly and can be found at www.didirugby.com
