Hampshire RFU Schools Touch Festival Brings Together 12 schools and 140 Young Players in Pilot Event
Hampshire RFU, on behalf of Hampshire Schools RFU, proudly hosted its inaugural Year 5/6 Schools Touch Rugby Festival, bringing together 140 children from across the county for a fantastic celebration of rugby, teamwork and participation.
Following local School Games competitions, 12 schools from across Hampshire were invited to take part in the pilot festival, creating an exciting opportunity for young players to represent their schools and enjoy a day of competitive touch rugby.
The event was organised by Hampshire RFU’s Executive Director and expertly scheduled by School Rugby Manager (Havant, Gosport and Portsmouth), Luke Worthington, who used Tournify to ensure a smooth running order.
A team of 16 student leaders from Barton Peveril College played a pivotal role throughout the day. Having received training in college pre event, the leaders delivered warm-up activities, officiated matches and helped create a positive and enjoyable environment for every player involved. Their enthusiasm made them excellent role models throughout the day, demonstrating the TREDS values in the way they led, supported participants and represented the game.
Hampshire RFU would like to thank County Women’s Team Manager and Trojans Safeguarding Lead, Vicki Berry, alongside Trojans Youth Chair and Hampshire RFU Young Rugby Ambassador Champion, Dan Power, for their support in delivering the event. A huge thank you to Trojans FC for hosting the event – especially marking out the pitches.
The participating schools were:
- Cherbourg Primary School
- Fair Oak Junior School
- Liss School
- Ludlow Junior School
- Matchwood Primary School
- Padnell Junior School
- Queen’s Inclosure Primary School
- Ropley Church of England Primary School
- Spring Hill Primary School
- The Crescent Primary School
- Townhill Junior School
Throughout the day, teams competed in round-robin pool stages before progressing to final placement matches against teams from the corresponding pool positions, ensuring every school enjoyed meaningful and competitive rugby. Every child left with a smile and a medal!
The festival demonstrated the growing appetite for touch rugby within Hampshire schools and highlighted the positive impact that strong partnerships between schools, volunteers, colleges and rugby clubs can have on providing memorable sporting experiences for young people. A show of hands demonstrated that less than a third of the 130 children played in a community rugby club and as a result Hampshire RFU is sending the schools a list of clubs local to their catchment areas to help encourage transition to club rugby.
Hampshire RFU would like to thank all players, teachers, volunteers, officials and supporters who contributed to the success of this pilot event. We look forward to building on its success and welcoming even more schools to future festivals.
Festival Winners: Queens Inclosure Primary, Waterlooville
