Inclusive Rugby at Wimbledon RFC: Where Every Child Finds Their Place
My nephew loves Rugby, more specifically he loves kicking and catching any sort of ball and has done since he could walk. Being a Rugby & Football family it was the natural progression to take these skills he has developed to a local Rugby or Football club.
Henry, now 10, has special educational needs and whilst interacting with other children has never been a problem, finding an appropriate place for him to be able to develop these skills further was a concern. After a great deal of googling my Mum and Sister found Wimbledon Rugby Club Inclusive Rugby Team.
Once I was told, by him, about his new club and seeing his increased enthusiasm for kicking and catching anything, if that was even possible, I had to witness it for myself. Attending one of their Sunday morning sessions I had a to find out more, so that more families and children can benefit from this brilliant and inspiring initiative.
I spoke with the coaches on the day and afterwards as I had many questions:
What is Inclusive Rugby at Wimbledon RFC?
IR is a Rugby session for children with special educational needs and disabilities (and often their siblings) run on Sunday mornings at Wimbledon RFC alongside normal mini and youth rugby. The objective is that the children have fun, burn energy in a team environment, and want to come back next week.
How long have Wimbledon held children’s inclusive rugby sessions?
IR has been running for 10 years since 2014.
How does an inclusive session differ from the mainstream sessions?
After a warmup and game of Bulldog we run typical rugby drills to develop team and physical skills, adapted as necessary for the participants. Sessions end with a game of tag rugby officiated in a manner that ensures everyone is involved.
The big difference is needing a lot more coaches. 1 coach to between 3 to 5 children, depending on their individual needs and learning styles. Flexibility to adapt to the needs of the children is key.
How many coaches run these sessions and how many children do you have attending regularly?
Coaches have grown from 2 to an amazing 6 (depending on Saturday evening ‘commitments’!) with the occasional guest appearances of England coaches and players (Chris Robshaw and Eddie Jones).
Over the years we have held sessions with anywhere between 2 and 20 boys and girls. Depending on the weather, we have been averaging around 12-14 regular players.
How did your coaches come to get involved with Inclusive sessions?
Ed – I have a son with Downs Syndrome. He and I coached U6 for many years. When we started IR I moved to coach them, and my son remained coaching U6 for a couple of years until he went away to college.
Steph – Personally I was “bullied” convinced by John Woods (club secretary) and told that after a glittering and successful career as a PE teacher, player, coach, referee, Director of M&Y rugby and dad since 1992, I was going to run the IR sessions!
Matt/Badger – I had coached with Stef before and having an autistic son myself I was happy to get involved. I couldn’t imagine my life now without being a part of this incredible group.
How do I know if this is right for my child?
The only way is to give it a try.
One thing that was highlighted to me by the coaches, is that these children are often provided with transport for their schooling, Sunday mornings provides their parents the school-gate conversations they otherwise miss. A chance to share experiences, advice, concerns with other parents living similar lives, something that parents of mainstream school attending children may take for granted.
This is grassroots rugby at it’s very best, Wimbledon RFC Inclusive Rugby have a massive fan in me, in case that wasn’t clear! In the interest of full disclosure, I am not a member of this club but I am an avid, albeit aging, social rugby player with a keen interest in keeping our sport going and these guys have my upmost respect and admiration.
If you are interested finding out more check out their website wmrfc.co.uk/inclusiverugby
Or send an email to inclusiverugby@wmrfc.co.uk so they know to look out for you, and join them at Wimbledon RFC, SW20 0ET.
Sessions start at 10 every Sunday during the rugby season (to end April 2024, restarts September 2024).
