Welcome all to the new season of 2015/16.
After a good summer and lots of warm weather, the prospect of playing rugby in cooler weather has certainly been welcomed by the National Team Squad that have been put through their paces through the July and August heat. As evenings draw shorter, there
is anticipation of another rugby season ahead of us, and I believe we have much to
look forward to.
We are witnessing England hosting the World Cup, which has a far larger global reach
than any previous World Cup and with the Stadiums chosen to host the games the
capacity will almost certainly be the highest. The Final to be played on the 31st of
October is something we are all eagerly anticipating - will a home Union make it to the final?
We will also learn whether our application to join Rugby Europe will be re-reviewed
by Rugby Europe following the legal process we have been forced to undertake thus
allowing Gibraltar its own opportunity to play Internationals in official rugby
competitions.
Within Gibraltar Rugby our structure throughout is buoyant. We have a Youth Section, chaired by Tom Tunbridge, providing rugby from under 6`s through to under 16`s,
with an internal league starting and kicking off between Gibraltar’s 4 clubs. The completion of the age groups beyond under 16`s is vital to provide continuity
through to our senior clubs and representative teams.
It takes a lot of effort over a period of time to produce the structure to ensure this
range of rugby is available to so many young people and I believe this is one of the
key elements to ensure Gibraltar Rugby remains a big family sport. It is important that we offer the opportunity for all youngsters to come and play rugby, enjoying the benefits of being part of a team sport. Its also important parents are actively
involved in the continued success of this section.
Some of the reward of the Mini and Junior teams, over a long period of time, is to
provide rugby into adulthood, and our aim is to continue to provide rugby for a range
of ages and to be able to satisfy the desire and aspirations of a large diverse group of players.
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