International Day Of People with Disabilities: Clondalkin RFC Case Study
7 November 2020; Jackson French, age 7, with coach Rob Mullen in attendance at the Leinster Rugby Inclusive Training at Clondalkin RFC. Photo by Matt Browne/Sportsfile
To mark International Day Of People with Disabilities, IRFU Disability & Inclusion Officer David McKay spoke to Gareth Steed in Clondalkin RFC about the success of their inclusive tag rugby programme. You can see the full interview below.
“It’s been really special,” Gareth said previously. “We’re just trying to encourage kids to put two hands on the ball and have fun.
“It’s the best response we’ve ever received on anything we’ve done.”
The programme started out with a pilot programme, which you can see and hear more about below.
The club had ongoing help and support from Leinster Rugby and Dublin South County Council along the way.
IRFU Disability & Inclusion Officer David McKay says “It’s great to see the continued development of the tag and mixed ability sections within our clubs.”
“The growth in Leinster over the last few years in particular has been really positive. Clondalkin will be the 38th club in Ireland to have established a disability offering.
“IRFU have completed our mapping exercise which highlights areas where we would like teams to established. We have also developed guidance & how-to guides for clubs that want to get involved in disability rugby.”
Click here to learn more about getting involved in disability rugby.
“We are not asking every club to have a disability section,” says McKay, “but my role is to support those who are interested, making sure they have received IRFU disability awareness training, and help them establish sustainable clubs so that all children and adults can access rugby.”
Contact details for David McKay and the four provincial Spirit of Rugby officers are available here.