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to bring forward proposals to address them. Contained
later in this report are examples of some of the initiatives
which have been trialled in an effort to address these
challenges.
This report also demonstrates the breadth of work that
is carried out across the Domestic Game by countless
volunteers in clubs and schools with the support of
our Domestic Rugby Staff. Without this joint approach
it would not be possible for us to deliver the level of
activity that we see throughout the year.
Rugby Committee
At the start of the season the Rugby Committee
established three working parties to investigate and
make recommendations for 2017/18 around the three
key strategic issues of (1) Coaching (2) Volunteering (3)
Player Transition and Retention. Each of the working
parties was made up of a combination of Ulster Rugby
staff, members of the Rugby Committee and volunteers
from clubs and schools. Their recommendations were
as follows:
—
—
Coaching.
Support to student teachers within
teacher training colleges; introduction of a stage
4/5 coaches’ forum to provide opportunities for
senior club and schools coaches to share good
practice and to identify areas for further support.
Implementation of the U12 game regulations to
enhance the support of core skill development with
players at this age.
—
—
Player Transition & Retention.
Establish transition
as an area of priority within clubs. Development
of trust & collaboration between schools & clubs
to successfully migrate players from one to the
other. Ensuring that young participants receive a
‘Quality of Experience’ that will keep them coming
back. All stakeholders must do more to promote,
market and sell Domestic Rugby.
—
—
Volunteering.
Long-term investment in specific
programmes of support. Build capacity of clubs and
schools to recruit and retain volunteers. Encourage
clubs and schools to work together through
initiatives such as Duke of Edinburgh or GoldMark.
Player Welfare
Player welfare continues to be the most important
issue within the game. In May 2016, the IRFU (Ulster
Branch) established a ‘safety of the game committee’
to oversee player welfare in Ulster. The committee is
made up of staff from across the organisation as well
as representatives from the club and school game.
Over the course of the last twelve months the Ulster
Branch has produced a Provincial Player Welfare Plan.
This has linked together various national and provincial
initiatives to ensure that activities are delivered and
communicated in a co-ordinated way. The plan is
also closely aligned to the existing IRFU coach and
referee education pathways. The number and range of
activities, as well as the number of participants, is listed
in the table below:-
Area of
Activity No. of
No. of
Focus
Courses Participants
Concussion
IRFU
11
419
Coaching
Courses –
online
modules
Concussion 10
196
Seminars
First Aid
SAFE Rugby 7
151
Courses
Medical
Medical
1
59
Professionals
Conference
(club & school
doctors and
physios)
Rugby Operations
Rugby Operations staff are responsible for all aspects of
the administration of the game, supporting the various
committees and working with clubs and schools to
develop their off field capability and capacity. Over the
course of the season members of staff have delivered
a co-ordinated programme of club information seminars
and workshops across a range of topics including:-
—
—
Online Safety
—
—
Volunteer Succession Planning
—
—
Goldmark Awards
—
—
Officer Training (Volunteer Co-ordinator, Grants
Officer)
—
—
Updates on the IRFU Clubhouse system
—
—
Safeguarding
—
—
Club Support Scheme
—
—
Funding ‘State of Readiness’
—
—
Child Welfare Officer Training
—
—
Safe Rugby
The IRFU (Ulster Branch) recognises the burden on
all club volunteers and wishes to extend our thanks
to everyone who has taken time out of their busy
schedules to attend. The content is specifically
designed to assist clubs in improving their own practice
and to share experiences. This season, three hundred
and eight volunteers across forty seven clubs engaged
in at least one workshop, with twenty eight clubs
engaging in three or more programmes.
Following on from last season’s successful Club
Development pilot, funding was secured from the IRFU
to put in place a full time position to continue the work in
this area. Matthew Holmes was appointed as the Club
Services Officer and as well as supporting the initial
eight pilot clubs, he has also been able to support other
clubs in the areas of (1) club development planning, (2)
accreditation in Club Excellence and (3) support with
submitting funding applications.
The Rugby Operations staff has also been involved in
co-ordinating a number of trial programmes specifically
targeted at transition and retention of players. These
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