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The past two weeks saw the return of the IRFU Coaching Children and Youth Courses across Connacht!
Coaches from clubs around the province took to the pitch in two Children's coaching courses and the first night of the two-day Youth course in Ballina RFC.
First up for the Children's course was Ballinasloe RFC and Sligo Rugby on Saturday, 14th September with coaches from 9 clubs represented on the day. These courses are part of the continued drive to support our clubs and attain 100% coaching qualifications for those involved in coaching our mini rugby players.
Coaches were put through their paces by coach development staff with a mixture of on pitch practical sessions and indoor presentations and workshops. Courses cover a wide range of topics including coaching the tackle, coaching through gameplay as well as session planning for mini rugby.
Connacht Coach Development Officer Gavin Foley says, "What we did was we met early in the morning and did some session planning. Then, we transferred that out onto the pitch and all the coaches from the clubs that were there took the session then with the U7 and U8 [Sligo players] which was really good. It gave them the opportunity to translate what they did in the planning session of the course out onto the pitch, especially the organisational part focusing on smaller-sided games and more touches on the ball."
A huge thank you goes out to both clubs for hosting as well as the club volunteers who gave up their time to work on their coaching and attain their qualification. A special thank you to the Sligo U7 and U8 players who were there on the day to help with drills!
"I found the course very enjoyable. The interactive nature of the course getting to put theory into practice and having coaches partake in session drills worked really well. From someone not from a rugby background, I found the content really valuable and would highly recommend it" - Sligo U8 coach
"The coaching course was very informative. I especially liked Gavin's delivery style, using plenty of practical demonstrations. It was also great to connect with other coaches and get their experience and input" - Sligo U8 coach
October will offer further chances for coaches to attend a course, with events spread across the province in Castlebar RFC, Corrib RFC, and Galwegians RFC for the Children's course and Corinthians RFC, Creggs RFC, and Westport RFC for the Youth course.
To see all available Children's and Youth courses and to book your place, just head to the Become a Coach page on the website!
