GHA Minis Section
ABOUT US
Providing a safe, enjoyable and inclusive experience for all P1-P7 children (currently includes children from 19 different primary schools), GHA RFC Minis aims to put the fun into rugby and help your child fall in love with the sport.
Welcoming boys and girls of all abilities, whether a regular attendee or a complete beginner, we strive to provide an environment where children can be active, develop skills and enjoy the camaraderie of their peers, whilst encouraging teamwork and most importantly having fun.
Set in the southside of Glasgow and led predominately by willing parents we train on Sunday mornings throughout the season at the fabulous surroundings of Giffnock.
If this sounds like something your child would be interested in then we’d love to hear from you.
Please read on for a bit more information about what you can expect in each year, our ethos and philosophy and the key information about our club.
If you have any other questions or then please just send and e-mail [email protected] and we’ll get back to you.
Our Ethos & Philosophy
We hope GHA RFC is the start of a long and proud association with our club for our players and our ethos and philosophy centre around our club values of ‘One Club. Together Stronger’.
We encourage our players to work together as a team, to support each other and to help each other to improve.
We believe everyone has a role to play in the team, and that everyone’s contribution is important. We encourage our players to respect their teammates, their opponents, the referee, and the game itself. We want our players to be passionate, determined and enthusiastic and love their time at GHA!
We are a members club and we all have a role to play in the development of these players and maintaining our values and our player, coach and parent responsibilities.
Each year group will predominantly be coached by a group of voluntary parents/guardian and we encourage all parents to get involved. If you cannot give some time to coach, then please consider supporting the club as a volunteer whether it is arranging fixtures, organising catering for visitors helping fundraise – every little helps and it all goes back to the players!
Key Information
Training takes place on Sunday mornings at Braidholm, starting in the middle of August and running until the end of May with a short break over the Christmas and holiday periods – normally 10.30am-12pm.
Tournaments and friendly fixtures take place regularly over the course of the season on Sundays and are generally focused on children in the P3 to P7 age groups. Tackling begins at P4 and detailed work and coaching is provided to ensure players can learn and apply this skill safely – sometimes extra sessions on a Thursday evening are provided to ensure preparedness.
We use the SPOND app as our primary communications tool to plan training sessions, organise team selections and communicate with parents/guardians while using e-mail to notify parents/guardians of any important news or action required via e-mail.
We are based out of Braidholm which is our clubhouse. All income at clubhouse ultimately goes to supporting GHA RFC so we would encourage parents/guardians to use the clubhouse, bring friends and family and generally add to the friendly and welcoming environment we maintain at the club.
Family Membership for the year is £190.
We always welcome new players of all abilities and are more than happy to offer a no obligation free trial period to come and give it a go!
Touring is encouraged from P6 / P7 and in recent years GHA RFC Minis teams have visited the London Irish international tournament playing teams from England, Wales, Ireland, France, Germany and Netherlands
What Can You & Your Child Expect Each Year?
The below gives a guideline as to what your child can expect in each year group with GHA RFC Minis Rugby. The focus is on fun throughout and you will see that live games/tournaments and tackling/contact are introduced in a controlled manner across years.
Year groups are led by voluntary parent coaches and we draw on a professional development officer to support them, particularly in later years to ensure kids have the skills to play the game safely. Every child and year group can develop differently and we also appreciate that kids like to try sports at different ages, so tailor our approach to kids that begin their rugby journey later.
• P1 and P2 – All Fun and Games!
• P3 – Learning the basics of the game
• P4 and P5 – Introduction to Competitions and Tackling
• P6 and P7 – Starting to Look More Like Rugby
The GHA Player
We believe that players have a responsibility to themselves, to their team, and to the game. We expect our players to be:
• Punctual and prepared for training and matches
• Hardworking and committed to improving their rugby skills
• Respectful of their teammates, coaches, opponents, the referee, and the game
• Positive and supportive of their teammates
• A good role model for other players
The GHA Parent
We believe that parents/guardians have a responsibility to support their children’s rugby experience. We expect parents to be:
• Positive and supportive of their children
• Encouraging and helpful at training and matches – respond promptly to SPOND invitations.
• Respectful of the coaches and other parents
• A good role model for their children
• Aim to be present at all training sessions / matches their child is attending
The GHA Coach
We believe that our coaches have a responsibility to ensure players play rugby in a safe and supportive environment. They are there to help each player to develop their rugby skills and to build a strong and inclusive team spirit. We expect coaches to:
• Be PVG checked and complete SRU UKCC Level 1 coaching course
• Be mindful of player safety at all times
• Ensure players are properly hydrated and not over-exerted
• Ensure players are wearing the appropriate protective equipment for their age group (i.e. mouthguards for all contact sessions)
• Teach the fundamentals of rugby in a fun and engaging way
• Help each player to develop their rugby skills at their own pace to the best of their ability
• Build a strong team spirit in a positive and supportive environment
• Encourage players to work together
• Give every player equal opportunities to play in competitive matches and tournaments
