ORFU looking at ideas to maintain interest

IDEAS ranging from a club of origin game to creating more sports hubs have been floated as a way to keep players engaged in rugby.

The Otago Rugby Football Union is looking at various proposals although nothing concrete has been decided.

People have indicated they still want to play the game.

Many people, though, are timepoor and could not commit to teams.

Otago Rugby Football Union community rugby manager Richard Perkins said to keep players connected to their clubs when they went to high school they may look at a club of origin competition for high school players in the school holidays.

The union would also get a list of all school leavers in Otago — both boys and girls — and allow clubs to contact them so the players had details if they wished to keep playing.

There was the idea of playing a quick riptype game which involved ripping tags off players — similar to Rippa rugby — but had more forms of rugby involved, such as lineouts and kicking.

The clubs were working hard to keep players, and making the game attractive to as many people as possible, he said.

Having weight grades was not an option in Otago, as there were simply not the player numbers to split the grades.

Many clubs were inviting other sporting codes to use their facilities, which was the way of the future as player numbers dwindled in all sports.

Otago Rugby Football Union general manager Richard Kinley said all team sports were facing the same issues. The pool of available players was shrinking for teams sports as priorities changed.

Good administrators and coaches were vital for the sport and the union was looking at offering help to volunteers to improve their skills.