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Ontario Rugby

(4 posts)

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    Posted 1 year ago

  2. CanNZ
    Member

    Honestly not quite sure where to put this thread, but I do think it is about the future of rugby in Canada. Just wondering what does the board here think of this news:

    $50 K ANNOUNCED FOR GRASSROOTS ONTARIO RUGBY

    Wednesday, July 7, 2010 - Submitted by Rugby Ontario Communications

    Rugby Ontario is excited to announce the launch of the STARTRUGBY program, funded by a Sports Priority Grant from The Ministry of Health and Sport Promotion.

    The goal of this program is to enhance the continued development of Rugby at the grassroots level across the province and increase the numbers of age 8 to 14 year olds playing for our clubs. “This is a great opportunity to provide our clubs with additional tools and resources to help grow their junior programs” Allen Piggott, Rugby Ontario President.

    This program is targeted at introducing 10,000 elementary school children over the next twelve months to Rugby in their local areas. Rugby clubs in Ontario will be actively involved in the program to help grow the their junior programs and further develop quality coaches.

    Rugby Ontario is partnering with HIGH FIVE, Canada’s only quality standard for children’s sport and recreation founded by Parks and Recreation Ontario. HIGH FIVE provides training, resources and tools to help organizations ensure positive and quality experiences for children participating in sport.

    “Our partnership with HIGH FIVE will see Rugby at the grassroots grow by providing coaches with extra tools and awareness of children’s needs as well as continue our commitment to Long Term Athlete Development at the Active Start, Fundamentals and Learn to Train stages,” said Andrew Hall, Rugby Ontario Rugby Development Manager.

    HIGH FIVE and Rugby Ontario will train five individuals from across Ontario as STARTRUGBY Trainers, which will include becoming a certified HIGH FIVE SPORT Trainer. These trainers will then organise clinics with clubs to accredit 408 coaches/volunteers as STARTRUGBY ambassadors. It will then be important for those individuals to work with local elementary schools and provide either in-school or After School Programs in Flag/Touch Rugby. Clubs will be able to use STARTRUGBY as a link to their local elementary schools as a part of the Seal of Approval program and promotion tool to enhance recruitment to their clubs.

    Through STARTRUGBY, clubs will be provided free of charge with essential equipment and resources to run the sessions in schools. These will be in the forms of manuals, flag sets, cones and balls.

    Rugby Ontario’s next step will be seeking application for trainers from across the province that will be fully trained in STARTRUGBY (including becoming a HIGH FIVE SPORT Trainer). Applications and information packs will be sent to clubs on June 25th 2010.

    For more information contact Andrew Hall - Rugby Development Manager for Rugby Ontario - 416 426-7181 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 416 426-7181 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or flagrugby@osrc.com

    http://www.rugbycanada.ca/leagues/newsletter.cfm?clientID=3817&leagueID=0&page=45473

    Posted 1 year ago #

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  4. Harry Craig
    Member

    Great news anytime you can get government grants take them. It puts a lot of onus on the clubs to do something, which is good.

    Posted 1 year ago #

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  6. Toothlesstiger
    Moderator

    I not being a member of the Board or part of the Game anymore however I am sure like Harry, the Board will be over the moon.

    Previously, a couple of seasons ago, the Board secured funding for the introduction of flag rugby into the elementary schools and those monies covered the cost of hiring a series of young men and most recently an exceedingly bright kid / guy from NZ.

    His particular remit was to follow the trail of requests from clubs to put on introductory sessions of Flag Rugby all across the Ontario Rugby domain. There is no doubt that Andrew Hall covered a lot of miles and schools, and for CanNZ sake, you have to remember the geographical size of this Province where cities like Thunder Bay are so far west that they come under the jurisdiction of the Manitoba Rugby Union.

    Year two the government monies had expired and so his duties were modified and additional responsibilities for developing junior age grade game officials from the Unions u17 & 18s boys and girls. The coverage of the elementary schools suffered due to the lack of funding for the travel.

    The major flaw with this type of funding is that there is not sufficient oversight or outcome reports demanded by the government and to the same extent the rugby governing body either at provincial and most definitely the National body unless you have been successful to pitch for say quarter of a million which would be paid out over 3 - 4 years with annual audits.

    These monies if applied diligently should be productive and the program has to be sustainable without the aid of further government funding.

    In the past, government funded programs, there has been no capacity for Rugby Ontario to generate the revenues that would sustain such programs in their original format and intent beyond the initial year.

    No doubt, although you have not commented on my observations, as to the continuing ignoring of the many foreseeable pitfalls, I am sure you will have read them.

    I suggest that the $50,000.00 would be great if the Rugby Community could match these same funds and support the program through a 3 - 5 year time span, being supported by a realistic business plan with goals that are realistic and achievable,then the program could be an outstanding success.

    I sincerely wish and hope that it is ongoing and successful when you compare Rugby Ontario's flag program for kids under 12 amounts [just over] 1,000 registrations while compared to the Ontario soccer association has in these very same age categories somewhere in excess of 5,000 boys and girls registered.

    Harry, when is the next meeting of the club members of the ORU and do you think that now that the season is well underway that the Clubs will attend a stakeholders meeting for a strategy meeting supported with a business plan going forward before say October / November of this year, just as the kids programs wrap up and when the season closes here in Southern Ontario for 2010.??

    Posted 1 year ago #

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  8. trentrugby
    Member

    I think this program is great! I hope that it is a success. It seems like a huge undertaking.
    Caleb

    Posted 1 year ago #

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