Click on the question to see answers further down the page

• Can my son/daughter come along and play?
• What about pre-school children?
• My child is older, where can they play?
• Do I need to book in advance?
• What age groups do you operate?
• How much does it cost?
• What is the ethos of the club?
• Is it safe?
• Why are arrangements different for super-12s?
• My child has special needs, can they still play?
• When/where do you play?
• Do you play matches against other clubs?
• Do I need to buy any special equipment?
• Who can tell me more?
• How long is the season? When does it start?
• Can I leave my child unaccompanied?
• How will I know if a session is cancelled (due to bad weather, for example)?
• How can I get more involved?
• Do you run any special events or trips?

 

Can my son/daughter come along and play?

Yes – if they are of primary school age – we cater for children who are in Reception classes through to year 6. We also have our ‘Super-12s’ team who are in year 7 – which we run jointly with Saffron Walden Rugby Club and who train on Sundays at the SWRFC grounds at Henham. There is no waiting list and we are happy for anyone to simply turn up and have a go.
Boys and girls are welcome and we cater equally for both genders.

What about pre-school children?

If your children are pre-school, then we are sorry but our Rugby Football Union insurance does not allow us to accommodate them – but you might try ‘Ruggerbugs’ (www.ruggerbugs.co.uk) who run sessions for pre-schoolers at the Lord Butler Leisure Centre, Saffron Walden.

My child is older, where can they play?

Older children (year 8 and above) can play youth rugby at Saffron Walden or a number of other clubs in the area.

Do I need to book in advance?

It’s helpful if you call to let us know you’re coming, but it isn’t necessary, and you don’t need to ‘book’. If you are in any doubt, don’t hesitate to call/e-mail the contacts below to get more information.

What age groups do you operate?

Rugby age-groups are – like school years – based on a child’s age at the end of August/start of September. For the 2009-10 season, they work like this:

How much does it cost?

Subscriptions for the whole season are as follows:

• One player: £45
• Two players: £65
• Three or more players: £75

If one or more of your children is in the under-6 group, the subscription is reduced by £5.
This includes all training sessions and matches, attendance at the Christmas and end of season fun days. We do have some additional events or outings that are optional and where we have to charge a small additional cost, but these are kept to a minimum and the full cost is often subsidised from club funds.

What is the ethos of the club?

We want everyone to enjoy their rugby: players of course, but also parents and coaches. We also want everyone to be able to participate to the fullest possible extent. Some of our age groups are very large (in 2008-9, for example, both our under 10s and under 11s will be big groups) and we have to manage them carefully to ensure that everybody gets a fair go: we would encourage any parents who have concerns to speak to the coach and/or another club officer about any difficulties that arise.

We also believe strongly in the discipline and sportsmanship that characterises rugby: fair play, respect for the referee and the opposition are all central to that: we ask our players to abide by those principles and we ask our parents to support the coaches in instilling these virtues into our teams.

Is it safe?

Rugby is a contact sport and some bumps and bruises are inevitable – but with proper controls and responsible coaching risks can be minimised.
The Rugby Football Union has established a ‘continuum’ which sets out the stages by which rugby can be taught to young children. Up to and including the under-8s age group children play tag-rugby which is a non-contact version of the sport, from under-9s elements of contact (tackling, line-outs, scrums) are introduced to ensure that there is a smooth progression to suit children’s abilities and ages. If you want to know more about how this works, there is further information at:
http://www.rfu.com/regulations/PageContent.aspx?SectionID=344
All Wendens Ambo head coaches, and nearly all the assistants, are fully qualified RFU coaches. There is also at least one qualified first aider for each age group. All coaches are also CRB-checked as is any club official who has contact with the children.
The club – via its membership of the Rugby Football Union – is also fully insured for personal accident, public liability etc – again full details can be provided on request.

Why are arrangements different for super-12s?

Wendens Ambo MRFC trains on a Saturday morning.  We have found that many of our under-12 age group are required (and want) to play rugby for their schools on Saturday mornings and were often unavailable for Wendens Ambo training. In addition, we want to provide a good pathway for children to carry on playing as they get older, so providing a link to the youth rugby set-up at Saffron Walden RFC was the right thing to do.

My child has special needs, can they still play?

We certainly hope so, but please speak to us about it. If we genuinely feel we can’t cope we will say so, but more often than not it will simply be a case of ensuring that the coach knows about any issue and how to anticipate/address it appropriately.

When/where do you play?

Training sessions are held on Saturday mornings at Friends School, Mount Pleasant Road. We start at 10.30 and continue till 12 noon for most groups. Under 6s play for only one hour (till 11.30) since this is as much as we find they can benefit from.
Other venues we use from time to time include:

• The Wick, Wendens Ambo – where the club started, and still the venue for our December and April fun days;
• Carver Barracks, Debden – which provides a perfect venue for our festival in March.
• Newport Grammar School – which we have used on occasion when Friends was not available.

Do you play matches against other clubs?

Yes we do – we have established relationships with many of the neighbouring clubs and have a full programme of fixtures in addition to our training sessions. We also participate in the Cambridgeshire County Cup competition which is held in early October and run our own Mini Rugby Festival at the end of March.
Matches are played on Sunday mornings – either at Friends or at the other clubs grounds. Players should arrive for 1000 to enable a prompt start. Unless you have been specifically told otherwise, all players are welcome to attend matches and will get to play for at least some of the matches.
Under 6s do not play matches against other clubs, though we will occasionally try to organise joint training if we know that the other club has sufficient under 6s to make that worthwhile.

Do I need to buy any special equipment?

Only to a very limited extent:

• Children at under-9s and above must have a gum shield. These are inexpensive (and we can sell you one at the Friends pavilion on Saturday mornings). The kind that you put in hot water and then mould in the mouth (‘Shock Doctor’ or similar) are perfectly adequate, and there is no need to line your dentists pocket any further.
• Children will need to be appropriately dressed for the conditions they are playing in. The pitches at Friends are very good and drain very well – the same is not true of all the clubs we visit. However, Friends Playing Fields are the windiest part of Saffron Walden so appropriate outer layers are required – particularly in the winter months. Remember – as Billy Connolly said: “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes!”
• The club provide shirts for the children to use in matches, but you might wish to buy or provide your own club shirt or other rugby top as you see fit.
• Footwear must be rugby-appropriate. For the younger children and in dry weather, trainers might do, but as they get older and as the ground gets wet, you will need to get boots with studs. For under-8s and younger, moulded studs will be fine, but as they progress to the ‘contact’ age groups, proper rugby studs will be required.
• Studs for rugby boots are kitemarked as such and while they are acceptable to play soccer in, the reverse is not the case. Similarly, ‘blades’ that are currently fashionable in soccer boots, are not safe for rugby and cannot be worn. Your coach, or the club, can provide advice if you are not clear on what is needed. (We agree with these rules, but we don’t make them: the RFU provide the guidance on safety and we have no choice but to apply them).
• Scrum caps, headguards, body armour etc – are not required, (and in the view of some experts, counter-productive) but they are a matter of personal choice and the club has no difficulty with whatever choice you make.

Who can tell me more?

The coach of the relevant group and/or any club official can provide more information. Key contacts are given below on your club fixture list or on the website. Similarly, during training sessions, please come and see us in the pavilion if you want to go over anything.

How long is the season? When does it start?

We start at the start of the school year in September (in 2009, the first session is on Saturday September 5) and we continue through until the end of the Spring Term or perhaps slightly into April.

Can I leave my child unaccompanied?

We are a rugby club not a child-minding service and while we will do all that we can to ensure safety and that children are counted in and out (we do take a register every week for example), we expect parents to be responsible for ensuring children arrive and depart safely and to ensure that they can provide their child with any support that might be needed during the course of a session (which is of course much more of an issue for the younger children – who might be four years old – than our eleven year-olds). If the club has concerns, we will speak to the parents directly.

How will I know if a session is cancelled (due to bad weather, for example)?

We will do what we can to get the message out: it will be posted on the website, and if possible we will send out an e-mail/text to parents. Given the possibility of a late change in circumstances, there is always the chance that someone will have a futile trip to Friends or to another club and we apologise in advance for that. If you are in any doubt, please contact your coach.

How can I get more involved?

Like any club, we survive on the work of volunteers – to coach, to staff the barbecue, to erect and strike the marquee, to perform various administrative tasks. The thinner these tasks are spread, the less everyone has to do – which is particularly important on match days when parents want to watch their children play – so if you are asked to help, please say yes if you can. If you want to volunteer – please let us know, we are always in the market for help.

Do you run any special events or trips?

We do: and these will be specifically advertised to you. We are affiliated as a community club to Wasps RFC, and we have visited them for coaching and to watch the senior side play on a number of occasions. We have also benefited from Wasps coaches visiting us at Wendens Ambo to run sessions for our players – and to allow us all to pose with the Heineken Cup (the rugby union equivalent of the Champions League trophy) for example. Watch out for messages from us during the season about these exciting opportunities.

 

 

 

Wendens Ambo Mini Rugby Football Club Founded in 1994