ALTON Rugby Club were visited by former England Rugby star Ugo Monye and current England player Danielle Waterman.
Alton are the seventh winner of the grassroots award with Old Mutual Wealth travelling to all corners of the country recognising both schools and clubs who go above and beyond to put children first.
Rugby World Cup winner Danielle and former England and Harlequins winger Ugo took part in a training session at Alton and passed on their invaluable experience of the fundamental skills of the game.
The two players moved around all of the age groups from under-seven to under-13, supporting the coaches and getting involved, much to the delight of the young players.
Danielle said: “It’s great to see so many young players representing Alton Rugby Club and it’s testament to the hard work and time all the coaches have put into creating a fantastic environment to learn the sport we all love.
“The club are a worthy winner of the Old Mutual Wealth Kids First Champions initiative which is all about rewarding clubs and schools who have adopted the approach effectively.
“I still remember the excitement of learning the game myself, and am happy to see that on so many faces.”
Alton Rugby Club junior chairman and coach Rupert Vitoria is one of the leading advocates for the children first approach that led to the club’s selection for the award.
Rupert said: “We’re extremely happy to be recognised for this award.
“We wanted to create an environment where as many players of all ages and abilities could thrive, enjoy their rugby, and hopefully stay in the game for longer.
“To achieve this, we looked carefully at the way we delivered coaching and embarked on a programme of up-skilling coaches, either through running courses at the club or signing coaches up to courses at other local clubs.
“This season we held two kids first courses here at Alton.
“It has brought a more consistent approach to coaching across the age groups and we believe we are starting to deliver on the plan. Our aim is for continued improvement with a kids first focus in everything we do.”
In addition to the training session with the England rugby stars, a select group of under-seven to under-13 players from Alton will also have the honour of playing at the home of English Rugby, on the hallowed turf of Twickenham Stadium in May.
The kids from winning clubs and schools will be treated as England Rugby players for the day as they travel on the team bus, enter the England changing room and sing the national anthem in front of their friends and families.
Old Mutual Wealth head of sponsorship Mike Mainwaring said: “The kids first approach is all about putting children first.
“Aimed at under-seven to under-13 boys and girls, it upskills coaches and creates a great rugby environment, so that everyone stays in the game for longer.
“It’s great that Alton has adopted this and is putting such a focus on developing their coaches to help ensure that the kids at the club are enjoying their rugby so much.”
Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQtIJC6QOjA&list=PLcSP18b0KfWNsQu2pzNSwFyRvMgyUbAfu&index=8 to watch a video of Ugo and Danielle’s visit to Alton Rugby Club.
For more information on Old Mutual Wealth Kids First, visit www.englandrugby.com/kidsfirstk