Mini Rugby Parents Information Guide

1. Welcome to Mini Rugby at St. Mary’s College RFC

Mini Rugby at St. Mary’s embodies all that is good in the game: fun, friends, new skills and a strong sense of community. We field teams from Under 6s to Under 12s and our focus is always on welcoming all boys and girls and making sure that they feel at home in our club. We celebrate diversity and work hard to make sure that every child feels included. We welcome all families and encourage them to come along and enjoy the facilities at the clubhouse while watching their child participate in training and matches throughout the season. We do not have a limit on numbers and everyone is welcome

We have an outstanding group of Mini Rugby coaches who work tirelessly to ensure the ongoing success of Minis. All our Mini Rugby coaches are Club Volunteers. Mary’s have been a leading club in the field of Child Welfare, working in conjunction with the IRFU ensuring that all coaches are registered and vetted. We also provide ongoing training in all aspects of coaching young players.

There will be many events taking place during the 2023/24 season. These types of events include the likes of our Christmas Party and End of Season Party days. More details will be announced nearer to each event.

This season the club is looking to invite all our mini rugby teams to our home AIL match days in the club. Further information on this will be given out via our head coaches/managers nearer the time.

2. Club Membership & Player/Coach Registration

• Club Membership Registration can be done via the club website here https://stmaryscollegerfc.ie/membership/

• We continue to offer a free trial period so please spread the word to any new recruits.

• Boys and girls are welcome to join Mini rugby at any time during the season once they reach their fifth birthday. Unfortunately, per IRFU rules, we cannot accept children who have not yet turned five.

• Individual Mini Rugby Player Membership is 150 Euro and Family Membership is 300 Euro.

For any queries in relation to Club Membership, including in relation to payment, please contact the Club Membership Secretary Aidan Manahan membership@smcrfc.com

• Player/Coach Registration:

The IRFU player registration is now open for the new season.

All current players (adults & youths) are required to re-register in order to be eligible to play in Leinster Branch & IRFU matches during the season.

Note, if you registered last season, please log into your account to re-register. HERE https://admin.sportsmanager.ie/sportlomo/users/login/home

Note, all new players need to register HERE https://reg.sportlomo.com/club/IRFU/leinsterrugby/stmaryscollegerfc

Please also note, all Mini Rugby, Youth Rugby and Adult Rugby Coaches must also register/re-register for the new system using the appropriate link above.

Any queries please contact your team manager or director.

3. Club Shop

The physical shop will be open on the 10th September, 17th September and then the first Sunday of every month.
Main stock will be clothing, water bottles etc.

When your child represents St Mary’s in matches, which typically start on a regular basis at under 7, you will at the very least need to a St Mary’s jersey, white rugby shorts and blue socks. More details will be available at the club shop.

4. Boots

Once your child has settled into Mini Rugby, we recommend that they wear proper football boots. But please be aware that soccer boots with blade studs are not permitted. In the case of U6 children they can survive for most of the season with runners, however at the end of the season we typically play our first match and will require boots to play.

5. Gum Shields

It is compulsory for children in U8 and upwards to wear gum shields however we encourage all parents to have their children wear gum shields when starting with the Under 6’s. Junior gum shields are available in most sport shops.

6. Team Training & Match Notifications

Please note that the primary mechanism for communication between Coaches and Parents for all match, training and other relevant correspondence will be done online via the ClubZap app. Your full cooperation and timely responses would be greatly appreciated. The App can be downloaded for free for iPhone on the Apple App Store and for Android on the Google Play store. See https://clubzap.com/download for more information.

We would also encourage you to sign up to the weekly club newsletter via the club website or the club’s social media feeds on Facebook or Twitter.

Registration for the club ezine can be accessed here:
https://stmaryscollegerfc.ie/2023/09/01/join-our-ezine-email-list/

Training normally commences at 9am. Pitch allocations will change every week once games begin.

Please note that there will be no Sunday training or fixtures scheduled for the following dates:
• 29th October 2023
• 17th December 2023
• 24th December 2023
• 31st December 2023
• 17th March 2024
• 31st March 2024

Sunday morning training slots:
• Slot 1: 9am to 10am for U6 boys, U7 boys, U8 boys, U9 boys & U10 boys
• Slot 2: 10:15am to 11:15am for U6/7/8 girls, U10/12 girls, U11 boys & U12 boys.

Midweek training slots: (Note, coaches will confirm with parents when this starts and any changes).
U9 boys @ 6pm to 7pm on Wednesday – Cabbage patch
U10/12 girls @ 6pm to 7pm on Wednesdays – Roadside pitch car park
U10 boys @ 6:30pm to 7:30pm on Thursdays – Cabbage patch
U11 boys @ 6pm to 7pm on Wednesdays – Roadside pitch far end
U12 boys @ 6:30pm to 7:30pm on Thursday – Cabbage patch

7. Tea & Coffee
There is a coffee van outside the Clubhouse every Sunday selling tea, coffee & snacks.

8. Volunteering to Help Mini Rugby

As with all sports clubs Mary’s Mini Rugby owes its success over the years to the many volunteers who happily offer up their time to ensure an enjoyable and rewarding experience for all involved. We are conscious that not all parents can give a commitment to help out every Sunday but there are opportunities – whether Christmas party, hosting Metro League fixtures, end of season fun day etc. where any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

We are currently looking for volunteers to help with are girls’ mini rugby teams. Roles included coaching and team administrator roles. For more details please contact Mossy here maurice.davin@smcrfc.com

9. Parking & Toilet Facilities

Please ensure when parking in the club that access to the gate is not obstructed either on the path on the main road or just inside the gate. When parking in Templeogue College, please note there is no parking allowed in the cordoned are beside the swimming pool. Please park at the top car park beside the gate. Toilets are available in the dressing rooms.

10. Pitch Access

Please note that only Players and Coaches are allowed on the playing areas of our pitches. When viewing a match parents must ensure that they remain a safe distance back from the field of play, especially in the case where they have a buggy or other children with them. PLEASE ALSO NOTE THAT DOGS ARE NOT ALLOWED ON CLUB GROUNDS.

11. Safeguarding

We at St. Mary’s College RFC are committed to creating and maintaining the safest, fairest and most supportive environment for the children and youth who play in our club. We acknowledge the right of all our members, young players and leaders, to enjoy participating in the sport of Rugby in a secure environment. Bullying of any kind is unacceptable at our club where we celebrate inclusivity. We support the efforts of the IRFU in ensuring that our club provides a safe environment, that our players are supported on and off the pitch, and that we give a voice to those who need one.

We acknowledge the need to establish quality procedures and to continually update and review these procedures to ensure that we meet with legislative requirements and our own club standards. We achieve this by:
● Adhering to our governing bodies Child Welfare policy (see: safeguarding & vetting documents here: https://stmaryscollegerfc.ie/safeguarding-and-vetting/
● Providing parents and children with the opportunity to voice any concerns that they may have.
● Ensuring that all Coaches and Development staff are Garda Vetted and have signed the IRFU Declaration of Intent
● Responding swiftly and appropriately to protect the welfare of children who participate in our sport within our club.
● Reviewing our club procedures and policies on an ongoing basis and with input from parents, players and club officials.

We have established club policies that address concerns around the area of safeguarding, child protection and the appropriate use of social media. We have a dedicated Club Welfare Officer (CWO) who can be contacted on telephone number 086 078 7789 or by email at pearlhealy80@gmail.com. If you as a parent and/or friend of the club have any concerns or suspect any form of bullying, please talk to your coach or contact our Club Welfare Officer Pearl Healy at any time.

The following important documents can be viewed here:

a. Rugby Connect safeguarding vetting guide HERE
b. Code of Conduct HERE
c. Declaration of Intent HERE
d. SMCRFC – Organising events or trips with minors (September 2021) HERE

Check out the following page on the Club Website which will contain any updated documents during the season HERE

12. Health and Safety

Each team has a first aid kit that will support the treatment of minor injuries. An additional kit is available at the Tea & Coffee stand. There are two defibrillators situated in the Main Clubhouse entrance and Changing rooms. Any injuries sustained during the course of a match or training should be notified to the Head Coach who in turn will inform the Director of Mini Rugby and Child Welfare Officer.

13. Insurance

Registered Players are covered under the IRFU insurance for catastrophic injuries. However, in the unfortunate case where more minor injuries are sustained, we recommend that parents review their own personal health cover or alternatively review the level of coverage they receive through school insurance schemes.

14. Gear Swap

This season there will be an opportunity to take part in gear swaps for items such as old boots and old jerseys. More details once confirmed will be provided by the team coaches/managers.

15. Contact Details