What is The Rugby Project
The aim of this project, which is now in its fourth year, is to build life skills and to find more ways to get involved in rugby. The course is designed to help young people to get their first insight into refereeing, first aid, and coaching, giving them the skills to safely build confidence in doing so and to support their clubs and the community with volunteering and fund raising
If you are based in Kent, aged between 14-16, and want to learn new skills in coaching, refereeing, and first aid, and help out by volunteering at your rugby club or school, and fund raising for charity then this is perfect.
The Rugby Project ran in 2021 for the first time. Twenty participants graduated in April 2022 year having completed all the course modules and demonstrated they had put the skills they learned into practice by coaching and refereeing at their clubs – collectively raising nearly £1000 for charity, logging over 300 hours of volunteering. In September 2022, over 50 took signed up to take part in the 2022/23 programme, raised more than £3000 for charity and logged over 800 hours of volunteering in their clubs and schools. By the end of the 2024 cohort, over 100 kids have graduated, from 20 clubs in Kent, have volunteered over 2000 hours and raised over £13.000 for charity.
To graduate each participant must complete three core training modules and two participation modules. If a module is not completed, then you can just do that module the season after to finish the course.
TRP was set up and is led by a group of people who give up their time voluntarily to handle the management, organisation, and finances. We formed ourselves into a not for profit, community sports club to ensure that the programme is run solely for the benefit of the young people who take part.
The three core training modules
Coaching
Each participant will take part in a “Kids First” style contact course. This will be run by RFU-accredited coaches with deep experience of working with young people.
This course will teach participants to safely coach the contact areas of the game giving them ideas for game-based coaching and how to instill the basic codes of conduct of rugby into sessions
Time: 2 hours
Refereeing
This course is a “basics of refereeing” course run by members of the Kent Society of Rugby Football Union Referees and/or RFU-approved referee trainers.
Participants will learn: How to run a rugby match safely and effectively. How to communicate correctly with players. Basic signals and whistle tones
Time: 2 hours
First Aid
This RFU-approved and accredited (Level 3 Emergency First-Aid at Work) course provides participants with a sound level of knowledge and understanding of first aid, relevant to both coaching and refereeing rugby union
Participants will learn defibrillator use, resuscitation, concussion awareness, and basic first-aid skills
Time: 5-6 hours
The two participation modules
Fund Raising
Participants will be required to raise a minimum of £100 each. This means everyone contributes at least £60 to our chosen charity once the £40 has been taken to cover the rest of your course fees. Last year the highest fund raiser was £763!!! So that’s your target. Anyone raisng over £200 gets special recognition with different stash. In 2023/24 the biggest individual fundraiser was £763
Total funds raised to date – £13,000
Volunteering
A minimum of 14 hours will be required to complete the course which is the same as DoE Bronze. You can do anything you like as long as it has something to do with rugby!! You can referee or coach the minis or even help in the club shop. We really like people to use the skills they have learned in the courses. Anyone that records over 25 hours of volunteering gets different stash!
Participants will be required to record volunteering hours which will be verified by the course facilitators prior to course completion
In 2023/24 over 700 hours of volunteering were recorded. Over the three years to date we have recorded over 1500 hours of volunteering in clubs and schools.
Why do it?
Do 3 rugby-related courses and learn new skills
UCAS Points for First Aid Course
Content for GCSE PE and/or Duke of Edinburgh
Find more ways to help your club or school and help to develop other players
Amazing to have on your CV and your UCAS Personal Statement
The Rugby Project STASH!!!!!!
The Rugby Project 