Harnessing the power of football and rugby to help children learn through sport
Sport has a powerful role to play in education and training. Here, Abbie Wightwick looks at two succcessful schemes in the worlds of rugby and football
RUGBY
The latest WRU apprenticeship graduates were given the royal seal of approval by the Duke of Cambridge at the Wales v Australia match, having just completed their 12-month courses.
The WRU Coach Core apprenticeship was launched by the Duke of Cambridge two years ago after Coach Core was founded by the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry following the 2012 Olympic Games to help engage young people in sport.
The apprenticeship enables a group of selected 18 to 24-year-olds to gain Level 3 NVQ in sports development along with experience of delivering rugby in schools, clubs and community environments as part of the WRU rugby development team.
As with the initial group of apprentices the previous year, all 11 of last year’s apprentices have gone on to university or been offered full-time employment within sports development – a 100% success rate for the scheme, the WRU says.
This year’s new cohort of 18 to 24-year-olds are on the way to mirroring that success, having got roles in schools, colleges and community settings within the four south Wales rugby regions.
Hannah Stephens is based in her home Scarlets region and has been working in local primary schools, shadowing hub officers in schools and clubs and running disability rugby sessions for the past two months while earning and putting into practice her qualifications including Level 1 certificates in coaching and refereeing, safeguarding and Tag Leaders Award.
Hannah, who dropped out of a university course, says the apprenticeship has developed her confidence and maturity through dealing with a range of people from all walks of life.
“It’s given us such an insight into rugby and how we can personally develop and affect the game,” she said.
“I’ve played rugby since I was six and I’m passionate about giving children the same opportunities I had, so it’s been fantastic to be able to introduce rugby to primary school children and also introduce them to club rugby.
“There are only 21 pupils in one of the rural schools and already four have started playing for clubs, so that’s a real achievement.
“We’ve also been helping to deliver disability rugby in schools and in December we have two communitybased sessions in Carmarthen so that pupils can continue with their rugby outside school.”
As a player herself, Hannah is looking forward to using the Six Nations window to encourage more girls to get involved in the game.
“I know how much I’ve gained from being involved in rugby over the years and I hope to be able to encourage more girls to get involved. The hype of the Women’s Six Nations will hopefully shine a light on women’s rugby in time for the new clusters season for girls, which will kick off in March and carry on throughout the summer.
“I also want to continue to promote the game in general so that more children get involved with clubs outside school.”
Apprenticeship manager Carl Scales believes Welsh rugby gains as well as the young people on the scheme.
He said: “The apprentices are fantastic ambassadors for the game out in the community. As young people themselves, they relate so well to school pupils and club players, and yet are also capable enough to deliver quite complex events such as the recent Super 7 U18 festival at the Arms Park.
“The feedback we receive from the apprentices is that they grow so much from the confidence we show in them to be a fully integrated section of the rugby development workforce, and that in turn breeds confidence and success.”
Kira Philpott, who is now studying for a sports coaching degree at Cardiff Metropolitan University after completing the apprenticeship last season, said: “I feel like I’ve had a head-start on my degree. I’m so
much more confident as I’ve already put into practice a lot of what we study – I’ve learned the hard way, if you like, so I feel like I can contribute more to my course and it’s definitely set me up for a future career in sports development.”
FOOTBALL
Cardiff City FC Community Foundation, the official charity of Cardiff City FC, uses the appeal of the club to help change lives and has just launched its new five-year strategy, which includes strengthening work already done with schools.
The foundation says it aims to inspire children to adopt healthier lifestyles by providing sports coaching, health education and teaching resources for schools across south Wales, helping with everything from English to maths and PE.
The report details how the foundation aims to increase enjoyment of PE by providing mentoring support to non-PE specialists in schools. It also aims to address inequalities of participation in sport and physical activity by providing access to community sport for females, BME groups, people with a disability and people from disadvantaged communities.
The strategy document says: “We will inspire primary school children in everything from English and maths to teamwork and sport by providing sports coaching, educational competitions and cross-curricular teaching resources for schools.”
“We will support children and young people aged five to 25 to bridge the attainment gap by offering education opportunities through sport.
“We will increase awareness of enterprise and entrepreneurship amongst children and young people by using the backdrop of a professional football club’s business models to deliver enterprise education.
“We will offer post-16 education programmes through sport, providing positive learning environments which improve attitudes to learning and support progression into further education and employment.
“We will offer post-16 employability programmes that provide young people with the skills, experience and qualifications they need to move into the world of work.”
Earlier this week pupils from four schools in Cardiff went to the club for a creative writing workshop with Paul Cookson, the official Poet In Residence for the National Football Museum in Manchester.
Thirty Year Five children from Lansdowne, Pencaerau, Ninian Park and Radnor primaries created a poem about resilience, and follow-up activities were given to teachers to use back at school.
There was also a talk session with a group of older people, who discussed memories of the stadium and sporting achievements with pupils.
The event was funded through the Premier League Charitable Fund and the National Literacy Trust.
Dean Pymble, Cardiff City FC Community Foundation sport engagement manager, said: “Hosting this event gives the children the confidence to learn within a sporting environment.
“They see the Cardiff City branding and take inspiration from that – it makes them motivated to succeed and prove themselves as individuals.
“Having authors in to provide that extra bit of content is what really makes this event one of a kind.”