Aussie Community Rugby
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@Tim he's right. There are people inside the castle who have no idea what they're doing, but you get that with any corporate.
I was at training for my little 4th Division grassroots club on Wednesday, and a local U10s league side were using one end of the ground.
Got talking to one of the Dads (I was cheekily handing out our flyers to nearby parents), and he happens to be the President of one of the bigger junior rugby clubs in the area. We lamented the loss of direction and the break in the pathways here after a kid plays school rugby.
I'm sure we're not alone in this, but as a refresher course:
- Kid plays for local village / junior club
- Around 15 if they're at the right school, they might get good enough to play in one of the top XVs
- They're told by the school they can't play for their junior club any more
- Junior club's 16-18 age brackets start to fold because of a lack of numbers*
- A percentage of those players will go onto a top club's U20 program and even provincial
- Or they just leave the game
*Yes there is other attrition here as kids might simply get sick of rugby etc.
Continuity is important IMHO. Keeping those kids playing through to U18 at their village club helps the club and the kid, and then they're ready to join the local senior club's Colts U20/21 side for senior rugby if they're not on the pro pathway.
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@NTA Nail head mate, I was tied up for best part of 20 years with a subbies/ 2nd div club whist in Brisbane, and absolutely you have summed up one of frustrations we had at time. When there was the occasional really good player come through (we had a couple that became Wallabies), they got directed to private school (we have that here to) but then to an appropiate prem club. We had a couple in one year a few years later, that were pretty good, one ended up injurying himself the day he was named for Aus U20s & 7s teams, the other one actually packed in the prem club as it wasn't a rugby club as he wanted, came back to our club (were then playing 1st div just below prems) for a few months, and then came back and played in NZ made both HB and BOP, and Maori All Blacks. Always wondered is just sometimes a little more thought could keep a few more in rugby, as it is a couple of young fellas about 3-4 years ago, were playing 1st xv for a second tier 1st XV (didn't have school marks/brains for top college) and were playing 1st XV and then prem U20s in same day, I have no idea if they still playing as I haven't seen parents etc since I came home. Just needs to be a sort out I think.
Other thing I found was the disconnect between school/clubs etc was watching a few rep teams training at our club grounds one night and having a chat to one father who was almost boasting his 14yo son was training 4 nights a week, with school, club and rep team, I suggested in a friendly manner that burnout could result, he shrugged and said it what was required. I will be honest in my head I was thinking you absolute f***wit, it's you son, if the system isn't prepared to look at your sons longevity or fun etc , you should be!!Ok that's me Friday rant fellas, I so strongly dislike kids being overtrained and taking fun out of their sport no matter how good they are!!
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@Dan54 said in Aussie Rugby:
@NTA Nail head mate, I was tied up for best part of 20 years with a subbies/ 2nd div club whist in Brisbane, and absolutely you have summed up one of frustrations we had at time. When there was the occasional really good player come through (we had a couple that became Wallabies), they got directed to private school (we have that here to) but then to an appropiate prem club. We had a couple in one year a few years later, that were pretty good, one ended up injurying himself the day he was named for Aus U20s & 7s teams, the other one actually packed in the prem club as it wasn't a rugby club as he wanted, came back to our club (were then playing 1st div just below prems) for a few months, and then came back and played in NZ made both HB and BOP, and Maori All Blacks. Always wondered is just sometimes a little more thought could keep a few more in rugby, as it is a couple of young fellas about 3-4 years ago, were playing 1st xv for a second tier 1st XV (didn't have school marks/brains for top college) and were playing 1st XV and then prem U20s in same day, I have no idea if they still playing as I haven't seen parents etc since I came home. Just needs to be a sort out I think.
Other thing I found was the disconnect between school/clubs etc was watching a few rep teams trining at our club grounds one night and having a chat to one father who was almost baosting his 14yo son was training 4 nights a week, with school, club abd rep team, I suggested in a friendly manner that burnout could result, he shrugged and said it what was required. I will be honest in my head I was thinking you absolute f***wit, it's you son, if the system isn't prepared to look at your sons longevity or fun etc , you should be!!Ok that's me Friday rant fellas, I so strongly dislike kids being overtrained and taking fun out of their sport no matter how good they are!!
Same sort of problem in Cricket but it is split into a pre xmas where elite juniors play for their clubs and get selected for the Lord Taverners competion,Great comp if you are not at the GPS schools to be selected for the Rep teams.
Then after Xmas GPS and other school comps start up and all those juniors play school and not Club.
So junior Cricket at club level have a pre and post Xmas comp.Because as you can imagine the competitions shrink as clubs like my one drops from 35 junior teams to 14 after xmas. -
@NTA said in Aussie Rugby:
Continuity is important IMHO. Keeping those kids playing through to U18 at their village club helps the club and the kid, and then they're ready to join the local senior club's Colts U20/21 side for senior rugby if they're not on the pro pathway.
That's the problem. If they aren't selected for colts, they are gatekept out of fourths by senior prems and 2nds players who no longer want to go to training twice a week. So without the ability to play they leave. And they're the type of player that should and would become clubmen given the chance.
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on field pre season training started this week, nice big turnout for the boys, making the final last year may have raised our profile a little
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@Kiwiwomble said in Aussie Rugby:
on field pre season training started this week, nice big turnout for the boys, making the final last year may have raised our profile a little
I'll take "things i do not miss" for $500 thanks Alex
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@mariner4life thats definitely how i feel when these guys trail off with their carriers, signing several 1-2 year deals, plays for a few different clubs around the world so easy to lose track of them, not the same as someone like one club Mccaw
also just looked it up, he's been playing at the top level since 2001 (must have only been 19)...thats a long carrier
@mariner4life said in Aussie Rugby:
@Kiwiwomble said in Aussie Rugby:
on field pre season training started this week, nice big turnout for the boys, making the final last year may have raised our profile a little
I'll take "things i do not miss" for $500 thanks Alex
only managing so not only do i not need to turn up until we break into squads...when i do turn up its not exactly strenuous, the most i do is throw a lineout or feed the scrum
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@Kiwiwomble said in Aussie Rugby:
on field pre season training started this week, nice big turnout for the boys, making the final last year may have raised our profile a little
Definitely helps. Not sure how we're travelling just yet. Had around a dozen to our pre-pre-season and hopefully numbers build from here.
Looks like our women's program will fold, unfortunately. I got a few new bites but the coach has had enough I reckon and won't be back, particularly after some of our star players defected to a bigger club who do things like Dubai and Las Vegas 7s.
Wanted Colts U21 this year but not enough cohesion with local schools who barely want to know us.
It's a shame because we've got a pro-grade field and a great pub. But we're deep in Western Sydney and there are no organised pathways to funnel 3rd and 4th XV school kids into amateur rugby, and the good guys go play league for money anyway.
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Running a club fucking sucks. I've been either President or Secretary for just over 5 years now and it's the same fucking shit every year.
There has been some help offered via particular personnel at Rugby Australia, but they just don't get the challenges we face as a small, newer Western Sydney club versus the big, traditional Eastern Suburbs nuffies.
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@NTA said in Aussie Rugby:
@Kiwiwomble said in Aussie Rugby:
on field pre season training started this week, nice big turnout for the boys, making the final last year may have raised our profile a little
Definitely helps. Not sure how we're travelling just yet. Had around a dozen to our pre-pre-season and hopefully numbers build from here.
Looks like our women's program will fold, unfortunately. I got a few new bites but the coach has had enough I reckon and won't be back, particularly after some of our star players defected to a bigger club who do things like Dubai and Las Vegas 7s.
Wanted Colts U21 this year but not enough cohesion with local schools who barely want to know us.
It's a shame because we've got a pro-grade field and a great pub. But we're deep in Western Sydney and there are no organised pathways to funnel 3rd and 4th XV school kids into amateur rugby, and the good guys go play league for money anyway.
sorry to hear about your womens and colts
We haven't had a colts team for years and couldn't field a womens team last year, but both are back this year which is great
Had over 40 for the first session on tuesday with quite a few new faces, fingers crossed we can keep the numbers up
Ive mentioned before we dont have a club room, well...we do but its over a km from our field so there is very little to attract old mates back and too easy to lose people going between the ground and the dungeon, i'll admit to more often than not opting to heading home after the songs are sung and a couple of beers have been had in the changing room...my aim is to hang around at least until we fund/build our new club rooms, all consented etc...just need the final cash
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@Kiwiwomble said in Aussie Rugby:
Ive mentioned before we dont have a club room, well...we do but its over a km from our field so there is very little to attract old mates back and too easy to lose people going between the ground and the dungeon, i'll admit to more often than not opting to heading home after the songs are sung and a couple of beers have been had in the changing room...my aim is to hang around at least until we fund/build our new club rooms, all consented etc...just need the final cash
Good plan.
Our pub is a 10 minute drive from the ground but given it is the first time we've been at the same ground for 3 years, it is a matter of taking the victories on offer.
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thats a great pitch!
ours is about to have a tent village and temporary stand established for the F1.....
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@Kiwiwomble said in Aussie Rugby:
thats a great pitch!
Definitely more fun getting tackled on that compared to a cricket pitch
ours is about to have a tent village and temporary stand established for the F1.....
Awesome timing with pre-season underway.
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@NTA said in Aussie Rugby:
Awesome timing with pre-season underway.
yeah every year....often have to play the first few games away from home as the pitch hasn't recovered yet
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This is our training ground in use for the U18s trial
Our game pitch is better.
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@booboo said in Aussie Rugby:
@NTA said in Aussie Rugby:
@KiwiMurph badly needed promotion though.
Until, like, you know ... results ...
We're in Schrodinger's Wallabies period right now - they are both dead and alive until the box is opened.
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