Irish Rugby | Aviva Mini Rugby Festivals To Make Welcome Return In 2022

The wonderful sight of young players having fun and playing rugby has been one of the hallmarks of the return to rugby since the start of the season. Now there is even more to look forward to with the news that the Aviva Mini Rugby Festivals will return in 2022.

The four provincial festivals for boys and girls and a standalone girls festival will kick off in the spring of 2022 building excitement for the National Festival at the home of Irish Rugby – Aviva Stadium.

IRFU Age Grade, Student & Rugby Enterprise Manager Eoin Hogan said

“It is great to have mini rugby back in the clubs and it is particularly encouraging to see clubs hosting one another through blitzes again. Huge credit goes to the coordinators, coaches, parents and players for their compliance and engagement in what has been a difficult period for all”

On the road to the Festivals, the IRFU Coaching Department have introduced the ‘Better Coaches, Better Players’ programme to further support mini rugby activity across the country for the coming season. The aim is to deliver the best possible rugby experience for our young players through developing our mini coaches understanding of their players’ needs and developing their coaching knowledge.

Aviva National Mini Rugby Festival 2019, Aviva Stadium, Dublin 19/5/2018 Sene Naoupu with Gort RFC 400 children from 20 clubs around Ireland got the dream opportunity to play on the same pitch as their Irish rugby heroes. To find out more, follow Aviva Ireland social media channels and use #SafeToDream Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Tommy Dickson

Sene Naoupu with Gort RFC at the Aviva Minis festival in Aviva Stadium in 2019 19/5/2019
©INPHO/Tommy Dickson

Rugby is underpinned by core values and it is important that we support the mini coaches and players to understand and live these values, helping to ensure that each time they walk off the pitch they’ve had a positive rugby experience and the players have been provided the necessary encouragement to build on their desire to return to their local club week after week.

This is extremely relevant to the Aviva Mini Rugby programme, as it is key to the on-going growth and development of the sport at a key stage.

Over the coming months, keep an eye on Irish Rugby channels for some more information on this initiative as it is rolled out to coaches across the island, and we build towards the 2022 Aviva Mini Rugby festivals.

To find out more about Aviva Mini Rugby and to access Aviva’s Virtual Skills Hub, visit https://www.aviva.ie/sponsorship/irfu/minirugby/