At last, the severe heat is leaving us as we move into the final month of pre-season. It has been great to see all our Valley Fort teams training across the various venues and on Sunday the U16 and U18 Boys had their first trial fixtures against Sandy Bay which gave a great indication of how the teams are progressing one month out from the Competition beginning.
I have had the pleasure of delivering the U8 non-contact course to 30+ parents who wish to be involved with their children at the non-contact mini stage. The enthusiasm has been tremendous, and all participants will have a greater understanding of the challenges of coaching but also be able to actively get involved with their child’s development in Rugby.
More positive news is the securing of the South Island School for the contact minis on Friday evening between 6pm and 8pm. It has been a few years since these groups have had the opportunity to train on Friday night, so I look forward to seeing the number for these sessions grow over coming weeks.
All team managers will be communicating next week about the fixture draw for the Youth competition which begins on October 30th. The final version of this draw will be release on Monday. That date will be a huge day for the club as it is also Tiger Fest for the Minis and the start of the Richard Hawkes and Kim Lam competitions for the U12 Boys and Girls, respectively.
Over the next week we will also see kit distribution for all teams so there is so much going on around the club as the excitement builds to competition.
I would like to take the opportunity to mention all our wonderful pro coaches who themselves are preparing for the senior season to begin this week. Their efforts are appreciated but from my perspective as I go around and see their sessions and talk to players and parents it’s their manner and demeanor and their coaching processes which are just so impressive.
The coaches have been provided with the development pathway for skills at each age group in the club and they are providing quality session in line with this skill development as well as preparing the collective group for competition. I am excited to see how each team continues to prosper under such outstanding coaching.
We are also just a month away from the Sevens returning and I know Susan will have more on that in the newsletter. It will be wonderful to see elite Rugby back in Hong Kong over what will be a fantastic weekend in November.
Finally good luck to all the teams involved in pre-season competition in coming weeks and I know that Valley Fort will continue to produce quality representation both on and off the pitch.
Yours in Rugby
JC
Director of Rugby
Valley Fort RFC