The Leicester Tigers Community team have been hard at work over the last several months, providing avenues into rugby for schoolchildren across the Midlands.
Helping hundreds of youngsters discover a love of the game, the team have utilised a number of channels to provide talks, coaching and demonstrating pathways to make a career from rugby.
In October, 140 students from Years 7 to 10 gathered at Knighton Tennis Centre, where they took part in an informative Sports Performance and Careers Day.
Featuring students from nine Leicester, Leicestershire and Derbyshire secondary schools, the club's partnership with Lionheart Educational Trust saw them host a Performance and Careers Day. This featured interactive sports sessions, in-depth careers talk and a discussion around the broad range of career opportunities within professional sport.
Head of Community Sport at Leicester Tigers, Dan Hemingway, lead the talk, joined by two players from the Tigers Academy (Jack Kinder and Monty Loggenberg) for a Q&A session at lunchtime.
Asked about the event, Physical Education lead at Lionheart Educational Trust, Rebecca Ardley, said: “We were thrilled to partner up with Leicester Tigers to run our very first Lionheart Sports Performance and Careers Day.
"We were also joined by two of the Tigers Academy players who spoke through their experiences in a Q&A session, giving an insight into playing elite level sport.”
Later in the month, Leicester held their Staffordshire Schools Festival at Burton Rugby Club. Aimed at children aged 7 and 8 from schools across the county, the festival helped introduced more than 50 kids to playing rugby who hadn't done so before.
Finally, Leicester Tigers rugby camps are in full swing, with the latest editions seeing 300 young rugby players welcomed to Camps and Masterclasses during the October half term.
While successful Camps took place at Burton RFC and West Norfolk RFC, the Masterclasses saw players pick the brains of some of the best in the business, including Tigers player Come Joussain, former Tiger Billy Twelvetrees and the club's men's head coach Michael Cheika.
Six local students were specially invited to the Girls masterclass, where they were coaches by Red Rose star Meg Jones and women's Head Coach Tom Hudson. All six students are all new to rugby this season and are regular attendees to the Tigers lead afterschool club led by community coach Hannah Faulds.
Whether your youngster is totally new to the game or already aspiring to grace the field at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, give the gift of rugby this Christmas with a Tigers Rugby Camp!
With upcoming camps in both the February and Easter half terms now on sale, you can also secure your spot on the next round of Masterclasses at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.
