“The Kids Are Loving It” – Rugby On The Green A Big Hit Across Cork
29th July 2021 By The Editor
Rugby On The Green is currently taking place across housing estates in many different locations throughout Cork City as children, often for the first time, get to experience their first taste of rugby.
Rugby On The Green is a part of Cork City Council and Cork Sports Partnership’s ‘Sports On The Green’ initiative which began last year in response to Covid-19 restrictions.
What initially started off as some one-off soccer sessions in different estates throughout the city, the programme has now been expanded to include athletics and rugby.
Last December, a three-week Rugby On The Green programme took place in Togher and due to its success, Cork City Council and Cork Sports Partnership linked in with Munster Rugby to expand the rugby offering over the current six-week programme. This programme runs across July and August at 40 different housing estate greens across the city.
Munster Rugby CCROs Vincent O’Leary and Emmett O’Callaghan.
The aim of the programme is to remove a number of barriers to sports participation. No transport is required due to the sessions taking place on the children’s doorstep while equipment is provided free of charge so there are no barriers of entry relating to cost either.
Club & Community Rugby Officer Emmett O’Callaghan who is currently running the Rugby On The Green initiative alongside fellow CCROs Vincent O’Leary and Brian Scott, said they are receiving excellent feedback so far from the children and their parents.
“The kids are loving it,” O’Callaghan said.
“Feedback is everything and they’re asking can we come back more. They’re asking will we be back again and all credit to Laura in Cork City Council, she’s really put a marvellous package together. She tells us the kids are loving it and the parents are loving it.”
Laura Coady, who is the Sports Development Officer with Cork City Council, said they hope to continue the initiative into the future.
“We’ve found that the programme has been a really creative way to link in with the local communities around the city and it’s something we would love to continue going forward.”
We recently paid a visit to the Gleann Na Ri estate in Blarney to see Rugby On The Green in action. Check out the video below.
