Pōneke Junior Rugby 2020 - Coaching

Pōneke Coaches – why did you start coaching grassroots rugby? 

This week is National Volunteer week, a time to acknowledge and thank all of our Pōneke volunteers –Thank you! 

Volunteers;  When and why did you start coaching a grassroots sport? Probably when your first child signed up and you were the first parent to look the club capitain in the eye, when they were asking for volunteers. 

To break the mold check out the five Pōneke Junior Rugby Club coaches –Illaria (13), Eva (13), Alex (14), William (12) and Archie (10),  who are, this year, begining their coaching journey or entering a second year of coaching. All are former or current Pōneke Rugby club members and supporting the under 7 Rippa rugby teams; the Eagles and the Falcons. 

This group of ‘kids’ are running Tuesday night training sessions for 15 under 7 rippas’ and refereeing games. Getting out there and ‘doing it’ and increasing their skill-sets, which will be followed up later in the year with SmallBlacks coaching courses.  They have the incredible support of three club coaches and a team of parents with lots of opportunities to learn, grow and soundboard ideas. 

They each have different motivations for getting involved from “I’ve played a lot and thought it would be cool to lead little kids” to “I thought I’d give it a try”.  So far they are picking up skills like “learning to talk to kids” and realising how much patience is required with our tamariki – kid wrangling is the new key skill! 

“I’ve played a lot and thought it would be cool to lead little kids”

Their aims for the season are to help the children understand game play by continuing to stay involved with Pōneke,  a club they are all proud to be part of. Having already observed their first game on Saturday 20th June, they are enthustiasticaly thinking of ideas for training sessions.  

But primarily and most importantly, based on their own individual experiences with softball, netball, rugby, touch waterpolo, and basketball, they want to make it fun. Their coaches made it fun when they were young and that's why they’ve stayed in sports. This is topped up with inspiration from Beuden Barrett, Ritchie McCaw, Dane Coles and heart warmingly family role models – “without my dad I probably wouldn’t have got involved in sports”. 

You can only admire their attitude and approach to improving themselves, our tamariki, the club and the community. 

Ngā mihi 

Pōneke Junior Rugby Club whānau.