Community Rugby
photo by RFU

Coaching is, first and foremost, about working with people and encouraging players to enjoy the positive benefits of rugby and to help them achieve their potential.

Coaches play a crucial role within rugby and can have a significant influence on the well-being and aspirations of the participants they coach. Anybody can coach, but to be an effective coach, you will need to fulfill a number of different roles and accept a variety of responsibilities. You will also need a good understanding of the coaching process and how to apply it so that you adopt a player-centred approach at all times. This may seem daunting, and you cannot expect to become an expert coach overnight. However, the RFU is well equipped to help you through the process of becoming an effective coach. The RFU is committed to ensuring that coaches are well-supported and capable of providing a really enjoyable experience for all participants through a range of qualifications, courses, seminars and support services to coaches.

The Foundation courses, i.e., Tag Rugby, the RFU Community Leaders Award, and Start Rugby Coaching are all designed to educate and improve coaches of modified versions of rugby union. The rest of the structure, i.e., Levels 1, 2, 3 & 4 is mainly, progressively develop the coach's skills and knowledge of coaching and rugby union. The RFU"s overall aim is to improve the quality of coaching through user-friendly, coach-centred courses.

The Coach Development Officers, in conjunction with local Constituent Bodies and Rugby Development Officers, run a number of coaching development activities throughout the year, with constant emphasis on providing opportunities to learn more about coaching rugby, regardless of the current level of the attending coach. Latest CDO contacts can be found here

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