North Bristol RFC have a growing and successful Junior Rugby Section. As a club we do not underestimate the importance of encouraging the young people of the 5 Stokes, Almondsbury and surrounding areas into our sport. It is important to us that we are regarded as a family club, offering fun both on and off the pitch. We offer a warm welcome to children (and their parents) from a very early age - we accept players from 6 years of age to play competitive Rugby but will however accept 5 year olds into the Unicorns, as long as they have started school and are able to accept instruction, until the age of 17. Hopefully therfore the relationship with the club will be a long one. The philosophy of Junior Rugby can be viewed as a development pathway, introducing the rules and skills of the game slowly, so that children can learn the basics properly and at their own pace.Sport teaches us so much about life and ourselves in general. Being competitive, not at the expense of enjoyment and teamwork, we aim to develop the children's rugby skills as much as possible. We also, through our coaching, develop teamwork and social skills - all very useful for later on in life. We do like to win however, but we do not focus on winning for winnings sake. If children learn the game as it should be played, including the sporting ethics, whilst understanding the rules and codes of conduct then success and confidence should follow - both on and off the field. In addition to the playing framework the Junior Section is organised to reflect both rugby development and the preparedness of players to integrate into the broader social life of the senior element of the club. The Chairman with the Mini and Youth Coordinators arrange fixtures, recruitment of players, coaches and oversee the development of the age group teams. A Junior Committee has been established to develop and arrange social events, tours and to support the progress of the Junior section. NBRFC run teams based on school years - this relates to a child's age on 1st September, the beginning of the season, and the child remains in that age group for the whole season even if he or she has a birthday during that period. There will be training or Fixtures every Sunday morning between 1st September and 30 th April, except for Christmas and Easter. The fixtures and weekend training schedules are published on the website. Short notice changes due to bad weather or other cancellation will be notified to players and parents, wherever possible by the coaches, by email or telephone. However we ask parents and players to regularly visit the website for up-to-date information. Coaching is on Sunday mornings, 10.30 hrs – 12.15hrs approx. Coaching training involves rugby handling skills, moves, non-contact games and contact games for the older children. Sessions have been introduced on a Thurs evening between 1900hrs and 2000hrs for the Junior teams and we are trialling the Mini age groups who are either playing with or being introduced to contact. As a parent, please ensure that you know whether there is a match or training on any given date. If you are unsure, please contact your age group coach or check on the club website. If your child is unavailable for whatever reason please can you let your age group coach know - Clive Woodward doesn't send his teams out with players short!! Please ensure you know the times of training or the time and location of fixtures. It is frustrating for coaches if lateness impacts on the team training or the selection of sides. Whilst we recommend gumshields at all ages, the wearing of a gumshield is compulsory from Under 9 upwards. Orthodontic mouth guards are recommended particularly when reaching the Under12 level. Proper winter clothing is essential for players during the winter as every Sunday - whether training or playing matches, there is always an amount of standing around and a player must have proper clothing. Please be aware that studded boots and ANY muddy kit are prohibited from the clubhouse bar. Please ensure the players put a clean tracksuit on or change before entering the bar. All players are required to be registered with both the club and the RFU - the club will inform the RFU of players registered. Part of registration is that each player must pay a club membership fee. These subscriptions are used for the upkeep of the clubhouse and the pitches as well as the provision of equipment. As a member of the club, the player is also insured whilst playing or training. Registration forms will be available from the Mini or Youth Coordinators, players must be registered, both with NBRFC and with the RFU who run a national scheme for all young players. All players and/or guardians are required to complete a medical consent form that must be submitted with the subscriptions and registration forms. These forms are required every season and provide the coaching staff with up-to-date information on their players and the consent to obtain medical assistance should the players be injured or taken ill. Although a player can join at any time throughout the year, annual registration and re registration takes place on the 3rd Sunday in September. Subscriptions do not always meet all of the costs of running the club, we are always willing to accept further donations or sponsorship!! At NBRFC we have a wonderful site, the clubhouse, the 3 full-size rugby pitches, balls and equipment - unfortunately they do not pay for themselves, all of these things need to be paid for. We also work hard to raise funds to go towards the annual junior events. We therefore ask parents who use the club or attend events or functions, either in their own right or with other members of the family, to consider social membership as, in most cases it is only the players who are members. a) Sponsorship - some willing parents or firms may wish to sponsor age groups. A contribution of team kit is much appreciated. It is possible to have some advertising logos on these. b) Social events and fund raising, for both children and parents. We will be holding a children's Xmas party in mid December as well as running raffles, wine evenings, quiz nights, race evenings, discos etc all in order to help raise funds - your support is much appreciated. c) Willing volunteers are always sought to help organise these functions. Donations for raffles and prizes are always welcome. Your help is much appreciated. d) We are aware that the cost of subscriptions and seemingly a raft of equipment may prove difficult for some families. The club is willing to assist with the provision of kit and the payment of subscriptions on a case-by-case basis. If you wish help from the club please contact the Chairman, your approach will be dealt with in strict confidence. What we expect from parents a) we would like parents to get to know their age group coach and let him or her know if their child will be absent on Sunday, whether there is a fixture or 'merely' coaching. Coaches cannot prepare the side properly for matches if only half the players turn up on training days b) it is nice if parents can watch their child, both during coaching sessions and at matches, even if you know nothing about the game! This does not need to be every week but it's great for the children to know they have support, it also makes life much easier for the coach to know that he or she has the parents' support c) in the younger age groups, mums and dads are encouraged to help with the 'coaching'. Don't worry! - all coaching means at the basic level is encouraging the children to catch and throw the ball and run. There are a number of basic courses available to help parents - even if you don't want to go through the whole coaching programme. Details of these courses are available from the Mini's Coordinator, please ask if you are interested, more coaches are always needed and always appreciated. To help you stay, the clubhouse breakfast bar is open - selling hot tea's, coffee's, breakfast rolls and hamburgers. The main bar opens at noon if you would like to stay for a quick chat and a drink. d) Spirit of the Game - Winning is nice but the objectives of the junior section are to teach the skills of the game to as many players as possible and for them to enjoy the fun of rugby, whether it is running or tackling as an individual or working together as a team in scrum or lineout. When the team comes off the field, we want our children to be able to say 'That was fun, we want to come back'. Players are encouraged to support each other (even when mistakes are made), to applaud opponents and to recognise the limits of aggression. This approach applies to all - players, parents, coaches and spectators alike. Please observe it.