History

Taking Part

Warning ! - Rugby is addictive - once you are part of the game - it's hard to leave the friends you make.

Boys and Girls, Men and Women can be part of our Rugby Community as a Player, Coach or Team Manager, Club Volunteer, Referee, Spectator, Sponsor or just come along and be a Supporter

"Rugby Union is an inclusive game, for all shapes and sizes, in which teamwork, respect, enjoyment, discipline, and sportsmanship provide a healthy, physical sport, which develops life skills and lifelong friendships, whilst providing fun and enjoyment for all its participants"

Rugby is the game for all - the 5 foot tall 16 stone Prop, the 6 foot six inch 9 stone 'beanpole and everyone in between'.
- There is a place for you in your local Rugby Club.
- Rugby has no place for social, religious or racial differences, and you don't need to have gone to a posh school.
- Sussex Rugby is made up of all sorts - all you need is a sense of fair play and appreciation of good sport.
- Of course, Rugby is a contact sport - but despite its reputation, serious injuries are more likely to occur in Ice-hockey, Swimming or Horse-riding.

A word of warning - Rugby can be addictive - the friends you make - the games you play, referee or watch - once involved its hard to leave !

Taking part as a Senior Player

PLAYED BEFORE ?

Experienced players are of course the Number One requirement for any Club,and whatever your Age, Shape, Size or Skill, there's a Club near you - go on to the 'Clubhouse' tag and click on 'Club Contacts' to give you an idea of the size of the Club, how to find it, and their website.

If you have played before, you will have some idea of the level that you want to play at - remember, the higher the League level, the further to travel, but every Team in every Club in Sussex will have a League and a Knockout programme, and below level 9, the matches will be against fairly local teams.

Find a local Club and contact them to find out about Training and Coaching - better still go down on a Saturday afternoon and watch - and test the Clubhouse atmosphere for yourself.

Taking part as a Junior or Mini Player

Boys and Girls play Mini- Rugby together from Under 7 to Under 12's, and then progress separately to Junior Rugby - the Boys to Under 13's - Under 18's, and the girls to Under 13's, Under 15's and Under 18's.

There are 23 Clubs in Sussex that run Mini and Junior Rugby, so there is bound to be one right for you.   Have a look on this website(Clubhouse>Club Contacts), and go down on a Sunday morning and watch the enthusiasm and fun that is to be had.
Parents too should get involved, the majority of Junior Coaches are Parents - many having never played the game themselves.
We like to stress that Mini/Junior is not a Sunday morning baby-sitting service - but a chance to have fun with your Children and help instil the values that Rugby is rightly so proud of.   Most Clubs offer 'Family Membership' so that costs are kept fairly modest.

Rugby takes Child Welfare very seriously - A Club with the Rugby Union 'Seal of Approval' has been very thoroughly vetted, and this of course means that people involved with the players have to be CRB vetted, and the Club has to comply with strict codes of conduct.    These codes also apply to those on the touch-line - encouragement within reason - and don't blame the referee !

Mini Rugby

NEVER PLAYED BEFORE ?
Rugby can seem a complicated game - but its easy to pick up the rudiments at a training session. Then it all fits into place and you can play your first match with confidence that you won't be made to look silly. Pick your Club, watch a match or two - and contact the Club Secretary or Coach and explain that you are new to the game - remember that Rugby has traditionally been the game for everyone - and that could include you.

You won't know if you never try it - give it a go and find out!

iRB Beginners Guide to Rugby

Taking part as a Coach or Manager

Coaches are an essential part of Rugby, from the non-rugby Dad (or Mum) out with their son (or daughter) on a Sunday morning Mini-Rugby session, to ex-players who want to Coach older Juniors, and Senior Players, there is a Structure of Coaching courses held throughout the Season. We have a full time Sussex Rugby Development Officer, supported by four Community Rugby Coaches, part of the National Rugby Coaching schemes, recognised as one of the best of all Sports.

Detail of these courses can be found on the Community Rugby pages on this site.
For safety reasons, if you want to Coach players under 18, you will have to complete a course and provide a CRB check - Rugby takes Child Welfare very seriously, and a Club with a 'Seal of Approval' will have passed very stringent tests of its policies.

Taking part as a Volunteer

Every time a Rugby match takes place, an army of volunteers has made it happen.

Rugby does not just happen, Clubs need people to help administer and plan, collect and distribute, make fixtures, transport Juniors and Minis, clean, tidy, make phone calls, pay bills, and do the 1001 things that make a Rugby Club.

Rugby has had a 'value the Volunteer' campaign running for several seasons - you will be able to decide how much time and involvement you can offer - and by doing so make your contribution to something worthwhile.

By volunteering you will not be committing yourself to hours of work - but you may well be helping to keep a young person on the right track. Rugby teaches more than a game - it teaches fair-play, respect for the Referee, opponents and team-mates, teamwork and self control - by giving a few hours to your club, you can be part of it.

Taking part as a Business Partner or Sponsor

Virgin Atlantic Sussex Rugby's Strategic Business Partners

Like all modern sports, Rugby relies on the commercial support of strategic partners or as sponsors at all levels - from a set of Shirts for the Under 7's to Strategic Partnership of Club or County.

If you would like advice without obligation, contact the County Sponsorship and Marketing Manager

Taking part as a Referee

Referees are a vital part of our game

No referees = No game

There are now two complementary routes to Refereeing - The 'Society' Referee, and the ' Community' Referee.

For nearly 80 years, the Sussex Society of Rugby Football Union Referees has been providing Officials for Sussex Rugby, and has built up a well-deserved reputation for well-trained, competent members. They provide training, regular monitoring and assessment and support, look at their website - www.ssrfur.com and make contact.

The Society now has several female Referees - appointed solely on ability at all levels of Sussex Rugby.

There has often been someone at a Club, who is prepared to Referee a game in emergency, but who does not want to become a fully-fledged 'Society' Referee. The Community Referee scheme, launched in 2008, gives these volunteeers support and recognition. You will have to take the 'Entry level Referee Award' course, and have a CRB check, and you will then receive the Community Referee's Shirt, a Law Book, and a County Handbook. By arrangement with the Referee's Society you can also get their Newsletter. You wont be pressured to join the Society or to Referee away matches - although if you want to help at a Tournament or Festival, you will be warmly welcomed.

Sussex Rugby Football Union Limited, County Office address to 1, Ryefield Close, Eastbourne, BN21 2XJ
Registered under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 29136R

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