Everything you need to know for new young rugby players!
We would like to thank you for your interest in Junior Rugby at Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club and take this opportunity to introduce ourselves to you.
As a club we are very proud of the Junior sections of Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club which are now among the biggest and we like to think the best in the country. This has been acknowledged by the RFU itself in the award of the very prestigious Seal of Aproval and in the fact that we have also been awarded the RFU President’s Award three times in recent seasons acknowledging the success of our refereeing panel, our coach development programme and our community outreach programme.
Last season’s successes on the field saw teams our Minis Section chalking up some notable wins both in local, county and national festivals while teams from our Youth Section also saw success in their league fixtures and local, national and international tournaments.
While its always nice to receive official recognition for our efforts and to see our teams winning competitions as far as we’re concerned the most important thing for us is that on an average Sunday in the season you will find over 650 young rugby players between the ages of 3 and 18, both boys and girls and of all abilities enjoying playing rugby at Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club.
Through our association with the Trailfinders Sports Club, of whom we are tenants, we have the use of some fantastic facilities. Which when added our attention to detail really do give us a winning combination.
State Of The Art Facilities:
- 2 Clubhouses
- 4 Full Size Pitches
- Both Grass and All Weather Training Areas
- High Ratio of RFU Qualified Coaches
- Excellent Level of First Aid Cover
HOW WE FUNCTION
We welcome young rugby players from the age of 3 through to 18 and they are divided into playing age groups using their age as of midnight on the 31st August each year to determine which age group they play in.
Our age groups are then divided into the Academy, Youth and Minis sections with the Academy being made up of our Colts, Under 17s and Under 16s players, the Youth section our Under 13s through to our Under 15s and the Rugby Rats (our 3 and 4 year old players) through to the Under 12s making up the Minis Section.
The Academy and Youth Section age groups train on a Sunday between 10.00 and 12.00 and midweek in the evening (the day varies depending on the age group )
The Minis Section age groups train on a Sunday between 12.00 and 14.00.
While rugby is traditionally thought of as being a male preserve we strongly disagree with this maxim and girls are very very welcome to join us. Up to Under 12s they are more than welcome to join the normal age groups (we have several girls who have really excelled). From Under 13s onwards the RFU regulations require that girls play separately and for the last couple of seasons we have run the highly successful Emeralds Section which is our dedicated girl’s junior rugby section.
Our season runs between the beginning of September and the beginning of May the following year.
JUNIOR RUGBY – MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Please follow this link for details of the 2014/2015 season’s subscription rates.
As a club we realise that individual’s circumstances differ and we would hate this to be an impediment to a young person playing rugby therefore if you are on a limited income and have genuine difficulties in finding the full subscription for the coming season please contact the Chairperson of your particular section of the club who has the discretion to offer reduced rates where appropriate. Please be assured that all such enquiries are treated in the very strictest of confidence.
FREE TRY OUT PERIOD
At Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club we feel it is a little unfair to expect a parent to pay the annual subscription on the first occasion that their child plays rugby with us especially if it’s only to discover that he or she really doesn’t want to continue for the rest of the season. Therefore we offer all new players who are registering for the first time with us a three week free ‘try out’ period so they can make their minds up for themselves before their parents need to part with any of their hard earned cash.
This is how it works:
- The first Sunday they register and take part is the start of their ‘try out’ period.
- They then have the next two consecutive Sundays to try us out and make their minds up.
- The next Sunday, the fourth following their registration, if they want to continue to play the annual subscription is due.
NB The free ‘try out’ membership period runs for three consecutive Sundays, not three attendances!
This period will be extended if for any reason such as a festival or an away fixture they are unable to play on any of their trial Sundays.
When the ‘try out’ period has expired you will normally be written to reminding you that your subscription is due if your child wants to continue playing or asking you to let us know in they don’t want to continue.
HOW TO JOIN
It is important that before any aspiring young rugby player takes part in any activity at Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club that they first register to play which ensures that they are then fully covered by the club and RFU insurance schemes.
Joining is simple and is just the click of a button away using our Online Membership System. For a step by step guide on how to register please follow this link
Please make sure you include all relevant family members and potential young players. You will also need to upload a recent passport style photo for every young player registered as this is required for their RFU player registration, guidance is given on the player profile page on sizing etc.
Once registered your try out membership period will begin and run for your first three Sundays with us. Should your child decide that they want to continue to play the Annual Membership Subscription then becomes due. Should they decide that rugby is not for them we ask that you let us know as it will enable us to monitor player numbers and decide on how many more children we can admit throughout the season.
BENEFITS FOR THE PARENTS OF OUR YOUNG PLAYERS
We are not just another activity for a young person to fit into their week. Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club has been in existence since 1871 and holds dear the traditional values associated with a rugby club of fair play and friendliness and as such we warmly welcome all the parents of our young rugby players and we give free social membership of the club to both the parents of all of our Junior Players . We hope that everybody involved will come to think of Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club as being ‘THEIR’ rugby club.
Through our link with the Trailfinders Sports Club all of our parents receive a membership card that entitles them to the following benefits:
- Concessionary admission to the ground for first team home National 1 league games.
- Free match day car parking (normally £5)
- Able to participate in the ballots for Home International tickets
- Member’s prices for hall hire at TFSC.
- Discounts on catering for parties (subject to menus etc.)
- No joining fee on taking out, tennis, gym or club class membership at TFSC.
MEMBERSHP BENEFITS
For further details of the benefits available as a member of Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club please follow this link Membership Benefits 2014-2015.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Please feel free to explore this website and we would encourage you to take a look at the individual age group pages.
Should you have any other questions regarding junior rugby at Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club please feel free to contact me.
I look forward to welcoming you to Ealing Rugby Club in the near future,
Best wishes,
Jo
Membership Secretary Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club
Email: membership@ealingrugby.co.uk
