THE BRITISH
ABERDEEN
AEROPLANE COMPANY
WANDERERS
ABERDEEN
WANDERERS
Aberdeen Wanderers RFC is now in its 86th year and
still maintains a tradition that its doors are open to
anyone who wants to play rugby, no matter their age
or ability. The Youth Section was formalised in 1991,
and has constantly grown over the years to such
a level where we now field teams at all age levels,
including Micro, Midi, U15 and U18. Consequently,
a number of Aberdeen Wanderers Youth Players
have been selected for the North & Caledonia District
Representative Squads.
The most notable success of the youth section has
been Jason White, who began playing his rugby with
the U13 team, and went on to earn honours with the
Scottish Schools team, the Scotland U19 and 21
sides and finally Captaining the National team. We
were pleased to acknowledge, not only his skill but his
continued interest in the club when we renamed out
pavilion in his honour in 2006.
As part of our development programme we felt that
there was a great need for a Youth Development
Officer within the area, and helped set up the
Aberdeen Youth Rugby Association in conjunction with
other city clubs and the advised by the Council. This
now supports street rugby and three Development
officers in the area.
The senior section now field two teams within the
Caledonia North League structure. This is relatively
recent development and is a reflection of the
dedication of our youth coaches who have developed
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players and encouraged them to remain with the
Club. It is also a genuine reflection of the friendly
ethos encouraged at the Club so our senior teams are
composed of ex youth squad players, their university
friends, children of ex senior players and their relatives
along with many a member of the transient oil industry
who finds a welcome to the Club when they are in the
area.
At the U18 level we have an excellent team who
recently dominated their Northern League with a clear
record. There has been a gradual development of
their skills over a number of years, but we have also
benefited from some new players who have been
encouraged to join having heard of us through their
schools and experienced the level of commitment from
players, coaching staff and the backroom support.
With some sixty players between S1 and S3 we are
hoping to build on the U18 experience and continue to
develop these teams. We have actively encouraged
development of rugby in local schools where our SRU
trained coaches offer both taster and development
courses in conjunction with the Aberdeen Youth Rugby
Associations Development Officer. This has led to
an increase in our numbers but has also meant that
teams have now developed in at least two schools
where rugby was never played before, and also
meant that both girls and boys have been able to try
something new.
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