Southwark Tigers Rugby Club’s schools ALL-STARS team will take part in their first fixture this Sunday.
The team consists of players selected from eleven secondary schools who take part and compete in the club’s community coaching program. The schools program was created five years ago to proactively encourage local pupils to try rugby. What started with just four schools has expanded to eleven with over 600 pupils taking part each season.
Big Yellow Storage CEO Jim Gibson has generously funded the project and allowed the club to provide close to 200 rugby coaching sessions this season alone through their partnership with London Irish RFC. The partnership allows pupils to learn and develop under the guidance of top-quality professional coaches while further developing through regular playing opportunities at the many school festivals held at the club.
PE teacher James Bower at Sacred Heart School explained: “The rugby programme has been fantastic for the Year 8 students involved. It has improved their confidence and teamwork skills as well as giving them experience competing in a sport they may not have had the opportunity to play.”
The ALL-STARS project has been in the pipeline for the past three seasons and has only been made possible by the construction of the new 3G floodlit pitch at Burgess Park. Weekly sessions have been taking place on Wednesday evenings in a bid to allow local students more development time. The reality is that urban students face a huge gap in development as many Grammar or fee-paying schools will train at least three times a week.
Chris Callaway from Southwark RFC said: “Maidstone RFC under-14s are visiting this Sunday to provide the ALL-STARS with their very first fixture. The ALL-STARS are an unknown quantity but they have been training really hard each week under the tuition of London Irish coach Jacques Senechall, Tigers coach Andrea Nalio, and RFU coach Chris Spedding. It’s a really exciting journey for them and we can’t wait to see them in action this Sunday.”
The match will take place this Sunday at 10.30am at the club’s pitches in Burgess Park (Cobourg Road, SE5 0JB). Please come and cheer them on.