Growing Cainscross’s minis and juniors
Cainscross Rugby Club has played a large part in members’ lives since its founding in 1894 but over the past five years, it has had more of a positive impact on players of every age.
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With a long history of running successful senior men’s teams, they recognised the need to bring in younger players, develop them as they grow through the age groups and expand their club membership and volunteers. With a lot of hard work and determination, they did just that.
Building a club
In 2018, the club decided to rejuvenate their lapsed mini and junior section to help achieve their most important mission: building a club, not just a side.
The section started with just 12 children but, thanks to their dedicated coaches and volunteers, free taster sessions and positive first impressions, has expanded to over 160 this season. Sessions for children from tots up to U12s have been hugely popular, as well as mixed-ability rugby, all creating a welcoming environment.
Sadie Newman, the communications manager at Cainscross RFC, says: “We offer free taster sessions for all children who want to try rugby. We’ve done lots of work reaching out to local primary schools, but I think the main reason we’ve grown so much is because people who come down like the club and the atmosphere, and they tell other parents. So, it’s the word of mouth that people trust. Our club is a place where everyone can come together, regardless of their level of experience or skill.”
The benefits of their mini and junior sections have been far-reaching for the club. As well as seeing increased revenue, the club has also gained many new volunteers.
“There are a lot of parents at the club every week and so we’ve capitalised on interested parents and offered them coaching roles. Over the summer, coaches have done RFU coaching courses to make sure everyone is delivering really good sessions for our children,” says Newman.
Inclusive community
The club recently received a local community award for Sports Team or Club of the Year from local paper The Stroud News & Journal. The award, earned through nominations from parents and supporters, recognised the club’s hard work to create an inclusive community.
“It was lovely to get the recognition for all our work in getting the mini and junior section set up. So many people give up their spare time and winning the award was huge for the club, especially as we were up against some other great organisations. It was a fantastic bonus to highlight what a great job all our volunteers do.” adds Newman.
“We have worked hard to instil rugby’s core values—Teamwork, Respect, Enjoyment, Discipline, and Sportsmanship—within our players. Our unwavering commitment to these values is clear in the behaviour and character of our children.”
Newman hopes that the mini and junior section will continue growing, building to teams in every age group and eventually starting to feed their senior teams.
With their current level of growth, it’s clear that there are big things to come from Cainscross rugby club.
