Cotham Park RFC The closest Rugby club to Clifton in Bristol

Aspiring Jonny Wilkinsons and Daniel Carters are set to descend on Cotham Park Rugby Football Club to compete in the club’s second annualy Tag Rugby Festival which returns after the phenomenal success of last year’s inaugural event.

More than 100 young players from schools in South Bristol will gather at the Failand-based club between 9.30am and 12 noon on Friday 2 December to take part in the fast-moving and non-contact version of the game which is being hosted by Cotham Park in partnership with Ashton Park Sports College.

Due to the success of the 2004 festival, organisers have increased the number of participating schools to seven. Players from Birdwell School in Long Ashton will join Ashton Gate, Ashton Vale, Christ Church, Luckwell, Southville and South Street primary schools as teams bid for the title of Festival Champions.

The festival is part of a Cotham Park initiative to encourage young persons of all ages and abilities from the local community to take part in rugby.

Ashton Park Sports Leader students will supervise the teams as part of their Sports Leaders' course accreditation. Referees from the Bristol Referees' Society will be on hand to ensure fair play for all, while members from Cotham Park will also encourage players to hone their skills by leading specialist workshops throughout the day.

Festival Organiser Chris Meechan, who has been holding coaching sessions in three local junior schools, said:

This is the second year for Cotham Park, following an exciting and wonderfully received tournament last year. It is part of the club’s outreach programme of taking rugby to the young people in South Bristol.

Tag rugby is a fantastic sport which allows children to enjoy all the excitement of the full game with no physical contact or tackling. Last year, some young people were a little nervous about playing rugby for the first time, but the majority said how much they enjoyed it afterwards, and several have continued playing. That can only be good for the game.

Introduced five years ago, tag rugby is a fast-moving, non-contact and vibrant version of rugby suitable for boys and girls to play together. Players wear a tag belt around their waist, and a tackle is made when one of two Velcro strips attached to the belt is removed, forcing the player to pass the ball. Each team has six phases or ‘tags’ in which to score a try. A match is made up of two halves, each of five minutes duration, with a one minute interval at half-time.

Earlier this year, Cotham Park gained the prestigious RFU Seal of Approval, awarded to clubs whose youth section satisfies the rigorous criteria set by the RFU in providing a safe, effective and child-friendly environment. It aims to increase and sustain the number of young people participating in rugby at grass roots level.

The club’s successful youth policy has been further demonstrated in 2005 by the appointment of 22-year-old Dom Carroll and 21-year-old Will Kite to the positions of 1st XV captain and vice-captain respectively. The former has risen through the junior ranks while the latter is a former member of the club’s successful under-nine squad.

Cotham Park runs sides in the senior, junior, midi and mini sections. Training for the junior sides is held at the club on Sundays between 10.30am - 12.00pm. New members of all ages and abilities are welcomed.

For more information on the Tag Rugby Festival, call Cotham Park RFC Secretary & Festival Organiser Chris Meechan on 01275 393697. Alternatively contact Ashton Park Sports College, Schools’ Sports Co-ordinator Beth Jones on 07919 368584.

For further information, write to Cotham Park RFC, Upper Farm, Beggar Bush Lane, Failand, Bristol, BS8 3TJ. Telephone 01275 392501 or visit www.cothamparkrfc.co.uk.

Photos and news stories from last years festival.

Read the full article on the RFU Community website