Ulster Rugby Annual Report 2015

Willie Anderson. With playing and coaching accolades

too long to mention, Willie will provide an edge and

technical expertise to the young forwards coming

through the Academy system. There continues to be

a close synergy between the Academy and Domestic

rugby in an aim to continue to identify and develop local

talent from all areas of Ulster in which Michael Black

and Johnny Gillespie have been instrumental. The Elite

Player Pathway and the Academy Programme continue

to work closely with the Domestic Game Regionalisation

Programme. This engagement between the domestic

and professional game staff has shown the benefit

of having an integrated system for developing and

delivering talent. There has also been close liaison with

schools/clubs and positive relationships have been

developed with them and they are fully engaged in the

programmes as well.

THE DOMESTIC GAME

The 2015/16 season has yet again been a busy year

within the domestic game. We have continued to see

growth on a number of fronts in particular in age grade

and female participation numbers whilst also facing

ongoing challenges around the adult game. It should be

noted that these challenges are not unique to rugby in

Ulster, and are being faced by a significant number of

team sports across the UK and Ireland for a variety of

reasons as people’s lifestyles and preferences continue

to change. Over the course of the season a working

party has been established to look at these issues and

a number of initiatives will be rolled out during season

2016/17.

The breadth of work carried out in the domestic game

through development staff and in conjunction with

various Ulster Rugby Committees and countless

volunteers in clubs and schools is outlined later in this

report. It is critical to highlight the importance of all the

parties working together for the common objective of

growing and developing the game. With the imminent

release of a new strategic plan for the domestic game

in Ireland there is an opportunity for us to refocus our

efforts on a number of key areas. Ulster Rugby must be

prepared to react to the changing needs of the clubs

and schools whilst at the same time focusing on the

core elements of increasing participation and improving

standards on and off the field.

Club Development Pilot Scheme

Over the course of the season 8 clubs (Ballyclare

Ballynahinch, Banbridge, City of Derry, Coleraine,

Malone, Newry and Virginia) have been working closely

with Ulster Rugby staff as part of a club development

pilot. The purpose of the pilot is to offer practical

assistance to clubs in order to analyse current practices,

share good practices and develop a clearer sense of

future purpose for clubs. As a result of being involved

in the pilot, a number of the clubs are now developing

long term club development plans that focus on a small

number of areas each of which is key to ensuring the

long term sustainability of the club. Key issues which

have been identified include a lack of an agreed club

vision, poor governance, poor financial planning, lack

of volunteers and poor player recruitment and retention.

With assistance from the IRFU it is hoped that additional

resources will be made available in season 2016/17 to

further develop the pilot and provide additional support

to clubs. Information gathered in the pilot scheme on

good practices will be shared with all clubs. The pilot

scheme is very much a case of helping clubs to help

themselves.

Player Welfare

Player Welfare continues to be the most important issue

within the game and work has continued in terms of

ensuring an integrated approach to raising awareness

amongst players, coaches, officials, referees,

spectators, volunteers and medical professionals.

Over the course of the last 12 months a range of

measures have been delivered in terms of player

welfare. These have included:-

—

Delivery of concussion workshops to coaches,

players and parents throughout the province

—

Mandatory completion of the World Rugby on-line

concussion certificate for all those attending a

coaching course

—

Delivery of SAFE Rugby Programme to clubs and

schools (Standard Approach to Field Emergencies

in Rugby)

—

Specific workshops for doctors and physios working

in the club and school game

—

Ongoing training to referees in relation to the

management of injuries and concussion

—

Distribution of ‘Recognise and Remove’ materials to

all clubs and schools

—

The IRFU have developed a series of short videos,

aimed at players, parents, coaches and referees

highlighting concussion and reinforcing key

messages. This information is available on the Ulster

and Irish Rugby websites.

—

Ulster Rugby and the IRFU have worked with DCAL

and the Department of Education in Northern Ireland

to develop generic information on concussion in

sport and school. This was distributed to every pupil

in Northern Ireland. Subsequently an online learning

tool for use in school was also developed which

both the IRFU and Ulster Rugby contributed to.

It is important that player welfare is to the front of all of

our thinking and that we are taking every opportunity to

educate and inform all of those who have an interest in

the game.

Volunteers

A considerable amount work has been carried out by

Branch staff to help the volunteers in clubs through a

number of initiatives. The #URthedifference campaign

was launched at the annual Ulster Rugby Volunteer

Recognition Event in December. This was designed

to highlight and encourage volunteering through a

series of resources for clubs, social media engagement

and events. Addressing the 100+ volunteers in

attendance, Bobby Stewart and Les Kiss reinforced

the importance of volunteers in rugby in Ulster.

Volunteers from 28 different clubs attended the event

along with Ulster Rugby volunteers who participate in

a range of programmes including Ulster Rugby Crew,

Representative Squads, Charity Action Team and the

OUR Club programme.