About Us

With childhood obesity levels continuing to rise in the UK, and a distinct lack of opportunities for the youngest members of society to get involved in sport, we felt that the situation had to be addressed.

Statistics have proven time and again that youngsters who receive a positive introduction to sport are much more likely to continue leading a physically active lifestyle as they grow older. In addition to the obvious benefits of sport, such as physical and mental wellbeing, teamwork and the development of social skills, the medical benefits cannot be understated. With obesity-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hardened and blocked arteries and high blood pressure becomingly increasingly prevalent amongst age groups where they were previously very rare, the need to encourage kids to take regular, structured physical activity has never been greater.

The Little Kickers Programme has resulted in over 10,000 kids a week in the UK and overseas taking regular physical exercise, and laying the foundations for healthy, active lives.

Recognising that football is not everyone’s cup of tea, and that many kids’ preference would be to opt for the cut and thrust of touch downs and tries over the excitement of dribbling and shooting, our qualified team of coaches developed the programme to cater to the tastes of the many preschool rugby lovers who are scattered around the UK. The programme focuses on providing every participant with an introduction to the thrills and spills of rugby, whilst ensuring that the foundations for a lifelong passion for sport are firmly laid.

A very level playing field

We recognise that every child is an individual, and feel that children develop their skills best when playing with other kids of a similar age and ability. As such, Little Rugby separate kids into two distinct age groups, which encourage each child to maximise their involvement and development potential. In summary, the real joy of our two-pronged approach (Junior Rugby and Mighty Rugby) is that we can offer a gently staggered learning environment for all our students - an enjoyable yet challenging pre-school rugby programme that is safe, and always stays strictly within the student’s comfort zone.

Junior Rugby
2 years - approx. 3½ years

Our fledgling rugby players are introduced to the basics of the game and begin to develop skills which are built upon as their ability increases.

Using a rugby ball tailored to their size, elements of tag rugby are introduced, including holding onto the ball with two hands whilst running forwards, landing the ball for a try, and looking up whilst running with the ball.

In addition to this, the children are also learning "Early Learning Goals" such as their colours and identifying different body parts that they exercise when playing sport.

In essence Little Rugby provides a fun, safe learning environment where your child will be encouraged to move from parent-supported participation, to active, independent interaction.

Mighty Rugby
3½ years - 5th birthday

By this stage most of our budding rugby players will have a basic coordination which enables the coaches to expand on the skills learnt before. Evasive running, always facing fowards towards the opposition, and receiving a pass whilst on the move are just some of the components of the course at this stage.

With the assistance of real "Tag Rugby Belts" the children are also beginning to learn the fundamental rules of Tag Rugby whilst exercising and having fun!

Irrespective of what part sport plays in your child’s future, we honestly believe the capacity to participate in controlled play, to concentrate on instructions and visually assess a game will hold them in good stead for the future.

Parent-friendly, child specific

With parents’ interests also at the forefront of our thinking, the programme has been developed so that those unable to resist the lure of charging down and converting can participate (in an age appropriate way!), whilst those who get their kicks in a less physically-charged way can enjoy a coffee and chat with other parents on the touchline, while our talented coaches focus on honing their kids’ co-ordination, balance and physical fitness levels.

You’ll find two coaches at every class to ensure that the kids receive the one-on-one attention they need at this age, and, over time, the programme is designed so that parental participation can be minimised as the kids begin to demonstrate the ability to follow instructions and independence.