Rugby Club ISSUE 83 | Page 99

Haringey Rhinos the club now they’ve finished university, which has had a really positive impact. “Youth rugby is absolutely critical to the club! It’s how we’re building the next generation of Rhinos. I was watching a men’s first XV match a few weeks ago and seven of the starting fifteen had come up through our youth section. Last season, we had thirteen girls playing for county which is a great achievement, considering we only started our girls’ teams the year before. “63% of our kids are from BAME backgrounds, which makes us one of the most diverse clubs in the union and it’s great to see kids from such a huge mix of backgrounds playing rugby. “We’re part of the RFU All Schools programme which has been absolutely crucial in growing our youth side. We’ve built great relationships with local schools, which we will continue to develop to make sure more kids are playing rugby at the Rhinos. “Our older youth teams train at the same time during the week as our senior sides, which helps build relationships between players. Our Director of Rugby, Dan Quinn, has developed transition plans for the older youth players and works really hard to make sure youth players transition smoothly into the senior teams. We provide the players with lots of support and one-on-one coaching to improve their skills. Dan also works with our youth coaches to make sure everyone is coaching the Rhinos style of play. “We are absolutely a community club! We work closely with schools, Haringey Council and other local charities and partners to recruit players and volunteers from the community. We want to be a force for good in Haringey, particularly as the borough has so many challenges. “We use the club’s network to help our youth players get jobs, internships and work experience and we also help them with their CVs, university applications and prep for interviews. Wherever possible, we want to make a difference to the lives of our players, volunteers and the wider community. “Like any club, I think the biggest challenges we face centres around recruiting and retaining players, so that’s our big focus. I also want to grow the number of volunteers in the club, so it’s really important volunteers feel well supported in their roles. Our ambitions for the next five years are for more players, more teams and league promotions all round!” www.rugbyclubmag.com 99