Wolverhampton coaches and their winning team spirit
The new season’s U16 young men at Wolverhampton RUFC are a great combination of old pals and new players, as one of their coaches, Gareth Price, says: “A real blend of abilities, personalities, cultures and religions.”
In a West Midlands multicultural area, Gareth's coaching team all played for a club that has served its community since 1875 and all are determined to give young players the benefits they gained from rugby union.
He said: “We try to create an inclusive and safe environment where they can enjoy their sport with friends. Our approach is hugely based on respect. That’s respect from us as coaches towards them, them to us, each other, match officials and opposition players.
"We also have several players with additional needs such a diagnosed autism and ADHD. These players are welcomed in and we adjust our style where necessary to ensure everyone feels part of the team.”
As the boys enter the U16s some have been together since they were six and some joined the team a few weeks ago.
“It’s a real mix of abilities and backgrounds making up a really tight team,” says Gareth.
The coaching set up is a pretty tight team too. Gareth has played for the club himself as have brothers Lloyd and Garth Bridges, as well as Jay Guest and Richard Drewett. All have sons in the team, apart from Lloyd whose nephew is a team member.
“We all know how much we got out of the club and the sport, and we want the players to have those lifetime friendships, those fun times. We have a real social side to the squad as well. We tour every year and every player who was not away on holiday was recently on our tour to Prestatyn. Where a parent couldn’t come along others stepped in as chaperones to ensure inclusivity for all.
“The players and parents show tremendous commitment and we want to offer this opportunity to as many as possible so we have sent coaches into local schools. We try to recruit through social media and always try to ensure there’s a real connectivity within the club.
“Ultimately, we as a group hope to see the players stay in the sport, either playing into Wolverhampton’s seniors or elsewhere if they move away. We hope we are helping to develop well rounded people who take rugby’s values with them throughout their lives.”
That’s why this group of coaches who love working with a team which includes players who have experienced challenges at school and do all they can to ensure that rugby is a game for everyone has been nominated for the Game for All category in the Honda Volunteer of the Year Awards to be held at Twickenham Stadium at the end of August.
