The Minis’ section of Guildfordians Rugby Club is its beating heart.
We start at the age of 3 in Micros and run right through to Under 11’s. We train on Sunday mornings between 10 and 12, with some ages running a one hour session and some running sessions up to 2 hours.
In Micros things start in a relatively simple way – even getting the children to run in a straight line is an accomplishment! We introduce ball skills and team games and, in a normal year, learning to have your tag taken without the need for floods of tears is an important aim. Sometimes this takes rather a long time! Don’t worry! The tinies are not thrown into full contact rugby
Throughout all the Minis age groups we try to give the children confidence, while instilling some discipline, but it’s most important to have fun. Children learn best through fun.
We operate along the lines of the
RFU TREDS approach.
TREDS stands for:
TEAMWORK
Teamwork is essential to our sport. We welcome all new team members and include all because working as a team enriches our lives. We play selflessly: working for the team, not for ourselves alone, both on and off the field. We take pride in our team, rely on one another and understand that each player has a part to play. We speak out if our team or sport is threatened by inappropriate words or actions.
RESPECT
Mutual respect forms the basis of our sport. We hold in high esteem our sport, its values and traditions and earn the respect of others in the way we behave. We respect our match officials and accept their decisions. We respect opposition players and supporters. We value our coaches and those who run our clubs and treat clubhouses with consideration.
ENJOYMENT
Mutual respect forms the basis of our sport. We hold in high esteem our sport, its values and traditions and earn the respect of others in the way we behave. We respect our match officials and accept their decisions. We respect opposition players and supporters. We value our coaches and those who run our clubs and treat clubhouses with consideration.
DISIPLINE
Strong discipline underpins our sport. We ensure that our sport is one of controlled physical endeavour and that we are honest and fair. We obey the laws of the game which ensure an inclusive and exciting global sport. We support our disciplinary system, which protects our sport and upholds its values. We observe the sport's laws and regulations and report serious breaches.
SPORTSMANSHIP
Sportsmanship is the foundation upon which rugby union is built. We uphold the rugby tradition of camaraderie with teammates and opposition. We observe fair play both on and off the pitch and are generous in victory and dignified in defeat. We play to win but not at all costs and recognise both endeavour and achievement. We ensure that the wellbeing and development of individual players is central to all rugby activity.
To find out more see
Rugbys Core Values
Moving on from the Micros, the ‘tag game’ is played at under 7’s and under 8’s. Contact is not permitted until under 9’s. Further aspects of the full 15 a side game are introduced at various age groups along the way. We play age grade rugby under RFU guidelines.
Great highlights of our ‘normal years’ are the festivals. At Guildfordians, we aim to hold 2 Mini festivals a year - one in the Autumn and one in Spring. Festivals are played from under 7’s to under 11’s with each age group playing games against other teams, within their own age grade rules. Teams from all over visit our club to take part, some coming from as far away as Guernsey. They are really long and tiring days, but everyone involved would agree they are well worth the effort, even if the weather isn’t always kind to us.
In between the festivals, there will be home training and opportunities for joint training sessions with other local clubs. Sometimes these are at our home ground and others are held away at the another host club’s facilities. These sessions give our players a chance to hone their skills and interact with children outside our club. The coaches also get a chance to discuss training ideas with other like-minded people.
We are a very friendly, volunteer run club, with lots of social events throughout the year and a fantastic family rugby tour each May,
We actively encourage parental participation and most of our coaches simply started off as willing parent helpers.
So, what’s stopping you and your Mini? A warm welcome awaits you all at Guildfordians Rugby Club whatever age your child is.
Training areas and times, please click here and scroll to the bottom of the page.
The new season starts on Sunday 5th September come along and Pitch Up for Rugby.
Looking forward to seeing you at Stoke Park.
Trudi Rowland – Mini Chairman and Coach
mini.chairman@grfc.co.uk
We normally run two minis festivals each year in September/October and March, in addition we also run a girls festival ( see the Girls page ).
Guildfordians Festival Team Entry Form - PDF
Guildfordians Festival Team Entry Form - Word
Guildfordians Festival Player Registration Form
Future dates are :
25th September 2022
12th March 2023
Minis Festivals
Typically we have 1,500 players attending from ages U7s to U11s, from across Surrey and the wider region.
We are very proud of the positive feedback our festival receives. Whatever the weather (and we have had the full range from wet and cold to warm and sunny), and win or lose, it is our aim to ensure that all the players have a good day of rugby and go home happy.
In accordance with current Surrey RFU guidance, team entry to the 2019/2020 and onward season festivals will be unstreamed.
Entry is by way of our festival entry form only accompanied by payment. Entry forms can be downloaded from here:
Entries are dealt with on a first-come, first-served basis and are subject to the discretion of Guildfordians RFC.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact our festival organiser email :
festival@grfc.co.uk for details.
When you are communicating with the Festival Organiser, can you please indicate the CLUB & AGE GROUP on whose behalf you are writing. This will avoid any confusion, and unnecessary delay in responding to your enquiry.
Further information for those attending one of our festivals
Timings
Registration is at 9:30 at the applicable age control desk. The festival starts at 10:00 - prompt.
With a large number of players and teams, please make every effort to have teams ready at the scheduled times to allow the smooth running of the event.
Please make sure that you arrive in good time, remembering that parking can be quite distant (see below). Any team not ready in time to play may forfeit a match to their opponent.
Player Registration
Please complete one Player Registration form for each team entered and hand it to the age group control at the Festival.
Referees & Referees' MeetingsReferees' meetings will take place at 9:45 at the applicable age control desk.
Each team must bring one referee. Any team who fails to provide a referee may be excluded from the festival.
We would ask that all referees are ready at the relevant time to referee a match - delays in the programme most often occur because the allocated referee cannot be found. Many thanks.
Further notes for referees are below, please would all referees familiarise themselves with these before the tournament.
Festival Pitches (Provisional)
Festival pitch map showing the location of the various pitches and facilities.
Player Welfare
Stoke Park can get quite windy and therefore cold particularly if wet. We cannot provide shelters for visitors. All visiting teams must ensure that they have adequate shelter for players and that the players are suitably clothed.
Festival Directions and Car Parking
Directions to Guildfordians RFC.
Provisional Car Parking locations are :
- North Car Park (grass area next to Spectrum Leisure Centre ) unless it has been raining
- Guildford Technical College Car Park
- Guildford Lido Car Park
- George Abbot School
Please do not park on the grass verges, paths, yellow lines or in residential roads around Stoke Park, and allow plenty of time (at least 20 mins) to park and get to the correct part of Stoke Park.
At previous festivals we have had some drivers who have disregarded this request, which has prompted complaints from the Council and a threat to not allow us to run further festivals. Parking therefore will be monitored closely and we reserve the right to exclude from the festival any team that does not respect this request. Additionally, Traffic Wardens will be patrolling the area.
Codes of Conduct
All players, coaches and parents are asked to abide by the applicable
Codes of Conduct.
We reserve the right to exclude from any game or the festival any player, coach, spectator, team or club whose conduct is not in accordance with the Codes of Conduct.
Any Problems?If you experience any problems or have any complaints please raise them immediately with a Guildfordians coach and/or the Guildfordians Festival Organiser, so that we can attempt to address the issue immediately.
Notes for referees
Surrey is now moving to the New Rules of Play for U11s and below. See
https://www.englandrugby.com/governance/regulations/
For a one-page summary see
GRFC Summary Festival Rules
Important: Safety
We are keen that our festival is run as safe event and ask that referees and coaches are particularly diligent in enforcing the regulations.
- Hand-off or fending off an opponent in any way is not allowed. It is important to note that a hand-off/fend off is defined as "ANY movement of the hand, arm or ball to ward off a would-be tackler."
- High tackles should be deemed as dangerous play and a penalty awarded.
- Barging a player into touch will not be considered a fair tackle.
- Repeated offences should be penalised
Important: Fair Play
At Guildfordians we put high values on fair-play and good sportsmanship. Accordingly, any behaviour not in accordance with our
codes of conduct including any abusive conduct towards referees will not be tolerated. We ask that referees work together with Guildfordians' coaches to achieve a good rugby playing environment. If any incident occur please inform one of our coaches or officials as soon as possible.
You have the authority and the support of Guildfordians to exclude such player, coach, spectator or the entire team from the match.
In particular:-
As referees you have authority over the pitch - if there is inappropriate behaviour by a spectator please take such action as you deem appropriate. If you experience any abuse from any player, coach or spectator.
