After the huge fun of having 1,100 kids at the club last week for our festival we have a much quieter day this Sunday.

Most of the minis are away at Esher for a festival but we do have a few visitors for the youths: the U12B welcome Rosslyn Park, the U13B have Portsmouth RFC making the journey up from the south coast and the U16B play Farnham in the Waterfall Cup. A big welcome to the visitors.

ADULT RUGBY UPDATE
The men's 1st XV had a thumping win away at Royal Wootton Bassett and have this weekend off. They go again at home on 15 October when Oxford Harlequins are the visitors. OH are one point above the Dons and are top of the league so a win would see us go top. Looking for a big home crowd for that one (U10's on ball boy/girl duties), which also coincides with the President's Lunch, so why not double up and get a table for that?!? The women's XV went down 31-5 to the Guildford Gazelles. They also have the weekend off before making the short journey to play Battersea Ironsides Ladies on 16 October.

FIREWORKS - SUNDAY 6 NOVEMBER 2022
Tickets are selling fast so book now for our fantastic fireworks display organised by our wonderful U10s crew and the parents of Willington School and West Wimbledon Primary School. Book tickets at https://bit.ly/WimbledonFireworks

Pitch plan for Sunday

With over 1,000 kids and 104 teams, this year's Wimbledon RFC Autumn Minis Rugby Festival will be an absolute cracker! Welcome one and all.

A huge welcome to the clubs joining us this Sunday

We'll be open from 8.30am with bacon butties and coffees to kick-start your day. Referee briefings take pace by the relevant age group control tents at 9.30am and matches kick-off at 10am sharp. Please arrive early as we must start on time!

Parking

In short, you'll need to be an early-arriver to park in one of the two club carparks. A few permits have been issued for Inclusive Rugby players and visiting head coaches (only - and once the spaces are gone, they're gone, sorry). If you have a blue badge there will also be parking at the club, please show yours to the marshals at the junction of Copse Hill and Barham Road.

Once the club's carparks are full you will need to park on the public roads (marked green on the map). The later you arrive the longer your walk will be to the club. When walking you might find Google Maps helpful to navigate your way to the clubhouse (type in Wimbledon Rugby Club or postcode SW20 0ET).

There will be parent volunteers in hi-viz to help make the parking as stress-free as possible. Please listen to any parking instructions you are given - and respect that everyone marshalling the parking are parent volunteers. Wimbledon RFC is situated in the middle of a residential area with some of the roads being private roads so if you are asked not to park somewhere, please listen. The same goes with cones, if you see a street with cones on, don't park there.

Anyone blocking access to homes or restricting ambulance access will be reported to the police.

If you need directions to Wimbledon Rugby Football Club click here

The programme for Sunday can be downloaded here .

We are using Tournify for fixtures. You can see the website for fixtures here
Note: inevitably there will be some changes to the fixtures all the way up to festival morning, so please check back regularly.

The Tournify app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store here or from the Google Play Store here . In the Tournify app search for Wimbledon Minis Rugby Festival.

Here's the pitch plan - note: a larger copy of the pitch plan is in the programme, downloadable above.

A key message from Sophie Castle, Wimbledon's child safeguarding officer

Remember, everyone (parents, coaches and players alike) must observe the RFU rules and spirit of play...namely

1. Support positively and applaud good play (even if it's not your team!)
2. Respect officials and opposition players
3. Remember that children are playing to have fun
4. Behave as good role models on the touchline
5. Congratulate the opposition and make their supporters welcome.

Bad behaviour by players will not be tolerated
The London Society of Rugby Football Union Referees has announced a zero-tolerance approach to backchat and appealing from players during matches. This approach is wholly endorsed by Wimbledon RFC and all players should expect to be warned and then penalised for instances of arm waiving and backchat/challenging refereeing decisions during games.

Bad behaviour by parents will not be tolerated. I like this quote from Brian Moore
[Children] do not always recognise a general expression of disappointment and believe it is directed at them. Head shaking, rolling of the eyes, looking away, kicking the ground – any of these can discourage children, and exhortations like “come on” and “sort it out” are as practically useless from the touchline as they are on the pitch. Full article is here

Hope you enjoy the festival and remember TREDS

Teamwork • Respect • Enjoyment • Discipline • Sportsmanship

Well done to everyone who made the Summer BBQ such a resounding success. There will be other events coming, but please do stay for a bit longer every Sunday as it really adds a lot to the club. Congrats also to the U18 Girls who put on a magnificent display of running rugby and won a 48-43 thriller against Farnham.

The mighty u7s are on parking duty and cakes are courtesy of the u8s.

ADULT RUGBY UPDATE: The Men's 1st XV travelled to Bournemouth last Saturday and were resounding 49-12 winners. They play London Welsh at home on Saturday (3pm kick off) with the U12s providing the ball boys and girls. The Women's XV season got underway with a strong 36-10 home win over Streatham & Croydon.

Pitch plan for Sunday

So we've made it week 3 of the season and all age groups are reporting excellent numbers and new joiners. Superb! Please do encourage your kids to bring their friends - everyone is welcome to come and give us a try whether you've played rugby before or fancy giving it a go for the first time.

The u18 girls welcome Farnham for the first home youth game of the season.

The big BBQ is this Sunday!
We're thrilled to report that the BBQ has sold over 300 tickets for this Sunday. We look forward to seeing all the minis and youth parents after training for fabulous food and drinks. Huge thanks to Steven Novak, u7 coach who also runs six pubs in South West London (including Hannah in Battersea and The Earlsfield on Garrett Lane) for organising this. Check out his pubs here: https://www.rhapsodygroup.co.uk/

KIT: There should be new club kit to buy at the clubhouse. Thanks to the u12s for running kit sales.

GUM SHIELDS (MOUTH GUARDS): We have a few boil-up mouth guards for sale at the clubhouse. These are really only for use if you've forgotten one.

Proper, club-branded Opro ones are now available for sale online...

Order your Wimbledon RFC gum shield here on the Opro website. Use the discount code WimbledonRFC10 to receive 10% off.

Pitch plan for Sunday

It was great to see full pitches last Sunday - welcome back one and all. It was especially good to see so many new faces. We are a very friendly club so do encourage your kids to bring their mates.

Don't forget to book your BBQ tickets for next Sunday. Please book them by Wednesday.

SUMMER BBQ: The Wimbledon RFC Mini & Youth Summer BBQ is being held on Sunday 18th September at 12 noon (straight after training). It will feature restaurant-quality food and promises to be a great family day out. Buy tickets on Eventbrite with this link.

PARKING & CAKES: The U9s are on parking duties and the girls-only squads are supplying cakes.

KIT: There should be new club kit to buy at the clubhouse. Thanks to the u12s for running kit sales.

GUM SHIELDS (MOUTH GUARDS): We have a few boil-up mouth guards for sale at the clubhouse. These are really only for use if you've forgotten one.

Club-branded Opro ones are now available for sale.

Order your Wimbledon RFC gum shield here on the Opro website. Use the discount code WimbledonRFC10 to receive 10% off.

Pitch plan for Sunday

We are very much looking forward to seeing friends old and new back at Wimbledon Rugby Club for the new season. We play rugby all the way through to the end of April.

Wimbledon RFC is south west London's biggest, friendliest club. We’re proud of our 155+ year heritage, but old-school we are not. Wimbledon is the new breed of rugby club; we're not tied to a specific school like some other local clubs and are thrilled that we have kids from over 100 different schools playing their rugby with us on Sundays. Wimbledon RFC is particularly popular with kids and parents from Australia, NZ and South Africa.

The majority of age groups (u5 to u11 mixed squads plus boys-only u12 to u14 teams, plus the girls-only teams at u12, u14 and u16) play every Sunday from 9.30 (try and arrive pitch-side for 9.15 please); the u15 boys and u16 boys start at 10.30 and the Colts and u18 girls start at 11.30. We are particularly proud to offer Inclusive Rugby for kids with SENs (9.30 start). Get in touch with age group managers for more details.

For returning parents and kids you can re-affiliate your kid(s) to the club (and pay your membership fees) for the new season, now. General information about how to join/renew your membership at Wimbledon Rugby Football Club is here: http://wmrfc.co.uk/howtojoin

Details for Sunday

KIT: There will be a second-hand kit sale this Sunday. New kit will be sold from next Sunday. Thanks to the u12s for running kit this season

DBS CHECKS: All coaches and first aiders need a valid DBS check. All new coaches and those with an expiring DBS certificate should see Sophie and Kate at the clubhouse with the relevant documents. All the details you need are on this page.

ADULT RUGBY: Kicks off this Saturday with the First XV Men away at Camberley. The first home game is next Saturday (10th September) against Brighton. It'd be great to get a big crowd down for the first home game. U13s providing the ball boys for this one (but, as ever, all boys and girls welcome to come down in their kit and get involved). No details as yet on when the Women's season kicks off.

Pitch plan for Sunday

Dates for your diary
SUMMER BBQ: The Wimbledon RFC Mini & Youth Summer BBQ is being held on Sunday 18th September at 12 noon (straight after training). It will feature restaurant-quality food and promises to be a great family day out. Buy tickets on Eventbrite with this link.

THE CLUB 'CITY' LUNCH: With special guests Brian Moore and John Inverdale, a brilliant opportunity to bring your mates and share a great rugby lunch. Buy tickets by emailing events@greyunicorn.com

Links to the laws for each age group and how the age groups are organised

You can see the regulations for each age group on this page.

Youth fixtures (U12-U18s) have been arranged to accommodate the school rugby season and to maximise playing opportunities for kids. There are also Surrey Rugby-organised waterfall tournaments for the youth age groups. There is a full schedule of minis fixtures (U7-U11s) to help kids play matches at home and away and we are hosting two rugby festivals on 2 October 2022 and 12 March 2023.

The RFU have re-banded girls rugby from this season and we will be operating girls-only squads at u12, u14, u16 and u18. Girls play mixed rugby u5 to u11. Our girls rugby offering is particularly strong, with many girls playing representative rugby and we are thrilled to announce our new Director of Girls Rugby: Belinda Moore.

IMPORTANT: CAR PARKING
Please park according to our Parking policy. Specifically DO NOT BLOCK ACCESS TO RESIDENTS' PROPERTIES OR CAUSE BOTTLENECKS THAT COULD CAUSE AMBULANCES TO BE DELAYED.

Updated 3 September 2022

CALLING ALL U17/18 players

Wimbledon RFC would like to invite all U17 and U18 players to come and give Rugby a try with the Wimbledon RFC Colts in the upcoming season.

WHEN: Season training starts on Sunday 4th September at 1130 and continues every Sunday.

HIGH-LEVEL RUGBY: Team plays in the Surrey A-division

* You’ll receive great coaching from our experienced coaches.

* Full support from our physiotherapy and Strength & Conditioning Team

ALL PLAYERS ARE WELCOME!!

If you would like to get involved, please contact Justin on 07787108425

The big news this Sunday is the girls rugby day - free rugby taster and training session for all girls aged 5 to 17. Come and join the fun - NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY - with a free hot dog as well.

Elsewhere this Sunday we wish our youth teams all the best in their Surrey Rugby finals.

The Under 18 Girls have their final versus Old Guildfordians at Cobham Rugby Club (Fairmile Ln, Cobham KT11 2BU) with a 3.30pm kick off.

U13 Girls have their Waterfall Cup Final against Cobham. The U13 Boys play Warlingham in their Cup Final and the U14 Boys play Wimbledon Warriors in theirs. Good luck to all.

A few minis are also training.

Next Sunday is the last of the season - whilst some age groups have already finished for the season a few others are still offering coaching for those that can make it. Please check in with your age group managers.

Here's your pitch plan

The formal minis end of season is upon us, well done to everyone involved for such a great season. The end of season party (BBQ and inflatables) is on Sunday; let's hope the weather is kind. Remember the following week is Easter (17 April) so there will be no training then. It's possible that some age groups will train on 24 April and 1 May - check with your age group managers.

The U12s welcome a host of clubs (OCs, Ironsides, Barnes, Wasps and Hillingdon) for an impromptu festival.

Calling all girls! Girls Rugby Day is on Sunday April 24th - all welcome

Also on 24th April the U13G will also be playing Cobham at home in the Waterfall Cup Plate Final. Elsewhere, the U18G are playing Guildfordians in the Surrey Cup Final, and the U14s are taking on the Warriors in their Quins Cup Final.

Adult rugby
Men's 1st XV: Back to winning ways for the Men with a thumping 87-3 win over Tunbridge Wells. They are on the road at Dorking this Saturday, before a final match of the season at home to Tring on 23 April – let’s get as many down to support as we can. The Women's XV had a good game at home in the double header, but went down 12-20 to Hackney Ladies.

Pitch plan

Some recent youth team news to kick off with:

Colts vs Farnham lost 24-6
U18 Girls vs Cobham won 24-0

U15 Boys A vs Cobham lost 22-12
U15 Boys B vs Old Reigatians lost 36-5

U14 vs Warlingham lost 31-0

U13 Girls vs Guildford won (by a lot)
U13 Boys vs Old Reigatians drew 25-25

Well done to all the Girls! Finals results didn’t go our way, but all teams have improved seedings for next season. All still to play for in the U12’s, U13 Boys and Girls, U14’s (who have a huge final against local rivals, the Warriors), and U18 Girls.

Moving on to this week

U14’s are away at the Esher 10’s, and no training for the U12’s, U15 Boys and Colts
The u8s are on parking and the ever-excellent u9s are on cakes

Calling all girls! Girls Rugby Day is on Sunday April 24th - all welcome

Pitch plan