Swords Minis Up and Running

Mini rugby is the latest sport to hit Swords with the launch of Swords Rugby Club's juvenile section last Saturday. The weekend rain held off just long enough for the long-awaited blitz day, which took place in Brackenstown, just off Swords Main Street. Swords' Youth Development Officer, Jamie Gormly, and Leinster North East RDO, Wayne Mitchell, were on hand to put the next generation of players through their first paces.

Mini rugby is a conditioned form of full rugby, with smaller pitches, adapted rules and an emphasis on fun and participation. With a broad mix of children from the different schools in the town involved, the launch was a great success and an important day in the development of the club. There were plenty of freebies for the participants too, with Leinster key rings, Swords mini jerseys and fresh fruit, courtesy of Keelings.

‘We're delighted with how the launch went,' Club President Richard Cowman said.‘Thankfully, we had the weather for the day and the interest and enthusiasm shown by the kids was infectious.‘We're ideally located to cater for the rugby needs of the town and I look forward to seeing more and more youngsters pulling on the green shirt in the near future.'

Recruitment for the Under-10 and Under-12 sides is the next step with training set to continue every Saturday at 10am in Brackenstown. ‘We are hoping to start our Under-12 and Under-10 teams before Christmas,' Mr Cowman continued. ‘We've invested heavily in youth rugby, appointing our first ever Youth Development Officer (Jamie Gormly) in September.‘At least eight schools in Swords have already taken part in the tag rugby programme, with more to follow. Meanwhile, our youth teams are going strong up at ALSAA.'

For more information on Swords RFC underage rugby, contact Jamie Gormly on ydo@swordsrfc.com or visit www.swordsrfc.com.