Mixed touch rugby training will be taking place at 7pm every Thursday evening at Clwb Rygbi'r Bala, starting this Thursday 5th April.
It's open to anyone over the age of 15 years, from complete beginners to experienced players. One of the organisers, Harry Guttridge, said “Touch rugby offers something for everyone, whether your goal is simply to have a bit of fun, get fit, learn a new sport, or play a high standard of rugby against elite teams from all over Wales.
It’s a completely different sport to rugby union because it’s mainly about exploiting space and looking for gaps to run into. There’s no contact so you don't have to worry about being smashed by a big farmer and the rules are easy to pick up.”
Harry added “Experienced rugby players often find it hard to 'reprogram' themselves and we're finding that newcomers to the sport tend to pick it up quicker. I'd encourage anyone that's interested to turn up to one of our Thursday night sessions to give it a go. All you need is a pair of boots!”
Touch is one of the fastest growing sports in the United Kingdom and is well established in South Wales. However, it is only just beginning to take off in North Wales and Bala is leading the way. Clwb Rygbi'r Bala has been nominated as the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) ’hub club' for touch rugby in the South Gwynedd region.
This national initiative is aimed at making rugby more inclusive by setting up ‘turn up and play’ touch centres throughout the regions. The Welsh Touch Association (WTA) are also providing skills clinics and training courses to help get players and coaches up to speed.
Harry said “We’re overwhelmed with all the support we’ve received from everyone, particularly the WRU, WTA, Wrexham Raptors and members of the local community. We are especially grateful to Wrexham Raptors coach, Mark Livingstone, for all his support and he’s brought us on leaps and bounds.”
Bala will also be hosting the final tournament in the Wales Touch Series (WTS) on 25th June 2016. This national series will be attracting the best touch rugby teams from all over Wales and it is the first time that the event has ever been hosted outside of South Wales.
Clwb Rygbi'r Bala chairman, Tony Parry, said “We are very honoured to be hosting the mixed open tournament and I hope that it will raise the profile of touch rugby in the region. I’m glad that it’s so popular and it's great to see so many new faces at the club. I'd be there myself it I hadn't just had a new hip!”
Bala will be fielding a team in the WTS tournament and they are not just there to make up the numbers. The ladies team has been training for this event over the past month under the direction of player coach Ceri Redman and they have been making good progress.
Ceri said “I’m really proud of the girls. We've been working hard on the basic skills of initiating touch, planting the ball and driving up the pitch. We've come on a lot and I'm confident that we'll give the other teams a run for their money”.
So why not come along to Clwb Rygbi’r Bala on a Thursday night to give it a go?
For more information, visit the the Bleiddiaidd Y Bala Touch Rygbi Facebook page or contact Harry Guttridge on 07882712660 or harry.guttridge@hotmail.co.uk.
There are no events to show yet.