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October 2016 Update

October 2016 Update

Sharon Fleming25 Oct 2016 - 10:25
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A summary so far....

Walking Rugby – Progress Report, Oct 2016.

Walking Rugby was started at Reading RFC in late October, 2015, in response to enquiries locally to the rugby club regarding the possibility of a game similar to Walking Football which seems to have taken off nationally with some success.

We started with a group of about 8 to 12 on a Wednesday morning, initially at the Rugby Club on grass for an hour, but soon moved indoors to a local sports hall at a small cost to individuals taking part. Our group consisted mainly of retired members of the Rugby Club plus others with the flexibility to manage their own working hours. The version of the game we started with was very soon modified, adapted, and has evolved into the current version which we have tried to make identifiably a version of the game of Rugby Football Union.

The time was ripe for Walking Rugby to be established and our efforts were soon noticed and reported on, see Rugby World magazine of February 2016. In response to interest shown by the RFU we have formalised and codified our rules into a set of Laws which, while not perfect, we believe can be readily taken up and used by others. We have found a referee to be essential and take turns during games so that as many as possible gain experience. Feedback between players and referees has helped in developing the game. The RFU has provided advice and encouragement, also some kit (bibs, balls and cones) and promised some funding. Our group has grown in numbers mainly through word of mouth, especially since we moved back outdoors in April at the Rugby Club. The RFU has also made a video of our Walking Rugby to be used to publicise the game and encourage its take-up in the wider community.

Since September we have been running an additional session on a Wednesday evening under lights at the Rugby Club for those who cannot attend a morning session. This is a growing group of players currently around 8 to 10 a side and contains several recruited from the various parents, even grandparents, who attend the Club regularly on a Wednesday evening with their youngsters who are training with various youth categories (U14 boys, U15 girls, U18 girls, Reading Ladies). Only two or three attend both sessions on a Wednesday although this may change when the two sessions are on different days. From the end of October the Wednesday morning group will be moving indoors locally to play on a Tuesday morning until April next year and these playing members will be paying a small charge again to cover the cost of sports hall hire. We hope the financial help from the RFU will help to keep the costs to individuals down.

Our two groups of playing members altogether total about 40 at present and we encourage all showing any interest to join in. We include players, ex-players, injured players and non-players of all ages from 14 to 75 and both genders. The morning group includes several septuagenarians, and others coping with medical issues such as major joint replacement and cancer surgery. Most are club members or are close relatives of club members, but we have been able to recruit an additional 8 to 10 new members to the Rugby Club so far. Consistent feedback from players refers to “a good workout”, “surprisingly competitive” and “it actually feels like rugby” with “a great social vibe”.

We are implementing plans to disseminate Walking Rugby locally. We have designed a poster, flyers and pop-up stands which we will be using to publicise the game via local doctors' surgeries, libraries, the local authority, health groups and other agencies to take advantage of the current political will to encourage a more active life-style among the general adult population. We intend to market the game more vigorously as we accumulate more resources.

Finally, the morning group have made a provisional booking for a Christmas Lunch to take place after our last session pre-Christmas thus providing evidence of the social benefits of Walking Rugby.

Anyone interested and wanting further information can go to the Club website www.readingrfc.co.uk where there is a link. Alternatively, contact Mike Wickson on 0118 969 5999 or Sharon Fleming on 07831 238784.

Mike Wickson. Oct 2016

Further reading