Three Day Rugby Camp Fantastic Success

For three consecutive days last week the club ran a summer camp for kids aged 5 to 12 years of age which was voted a resounding success by parents and kids alike.

Neil Oakley was the brains and organisation behind the day backed up by Jonny Neill and Dave Gillam and the aspiring coaching team Jordan Tucker, Callum Champain and Robbie Poole and lads from the U14's. Neil jumped into action in mid May shortly after the AGM when he saw the opportunity to bring back the summer camp to EGRFC.

The camp was a massive success evidenced by the kids appreciation and that as each day of the camp ran, more and more siblings and friends would attend at short notice having heard how great the previous day was.

"From a pure Rugby perspective the little ones (aged 5 to 8) learn so much more rugby than in their own silo age groups" said Sean Morgan Vice Chair. "The mixed age groups were a fantastic format to accelerate skill development and learning because the little ones watch their older peers so carefully emulate them. In return, the older kids (aged 9 to 12) were able to consolidate their knowledge and build confidence because they were teaching the others how to do it right".

Sarah Vanlint, a mother of three who signed her two boys for the whole three days but not her seven year old girl because she thought it would all be too "rugby, rugby, rugby' commented "My little girl loved it! I had a preconceived idea that a rugby camp would not be for girls, but actually the little ones spent most of their time playing active based games with running and coordination and having lots of fun. I would recommend this to young girls in future".

Neil Oakley the mastermind behind the three days commented "That was a fantastic three days of rugby for the kids. Our goal for the camp was to inspire them and we have achieved that - take a look at the highlights video which I think speaks for itself. I want to thank Dave, Jonny and Sean who were very supportive. The older kids are in awe of Robbie, Callum and Jordan who were such a great source of inspiration for the kids I am very grateful to them and the under 14's for being there to make the camp special. I am excited about more camps for the kids in the future".

Press this link to watch the video Neil refers to

Bob Marsh, EGRFC Chair expressed his appreciation for Neil and his team in his address to members on the Thursday evening on the final day of the Camp; "Neil and his team have put so much work into this summer camp they deserve all the appreciation as it was a massive success. It's people like Neil and his team that make our club so special. I am really proud of them. The parents I have spoken to say their kids loved it and the feedback has been fantastic and a great example of our 'Rugby for All' culture"