The Malta Rugby Football Union (MRFU) is employing foreign expertise to develop their ambi-tious project aimed at attracting more youngsters to the sport.
The initiative, masterminded by MRFU Director of Rugby Damien Neill, has the next generation of rugby players as a focal point.
Since October, five Community Coaches and a Development Manager from the UK have been assisting the MRFU in their bid to introduce the sport at schools and bolster club nurseries.
“We proposed the idea during talks we had with representatives of the rugby football unions of En-gland, Scotland and Wales,” Neill told a news conference yesterday.
“The Scottish Union seemed the most keen of all to give us backing. In fact, they agreed to have five apprentice coaches of theirs to apply their knowledge here.
“Their role is not only restricted to youth development but also in the education of coaches, players and officials besides promoting the ideals of the IRB, discipline and respect.”
The five coaches are engaged with MRFU clubs.
Lewis Naphausen is currently employed with Overseas, Adrian Silvester with Sliema Stompers, Darren Lamon at Kavallieri while Steven Meenagh and Mark Davey are assisting Birkirkara RC.
Jim Hunter, who has a UKCC Level 2 coaching badge and played the game for 35 years, is the Development Manager in charge.
Hunter assesses the progress of the Community Coaches who have already visited 48 schools and conducted training sessions for over 2,000 schoolchildren and 700 players registered with MRFU clubs.
Feedback has been excellent.
“Our major objective is to increase the numbers of those playing rugby and have our clubs with full junior and youth squads,” Neill said.
“We are planning to have an Under-18 team at the 2013 European Championships and hopefully the players selected will be the ones we look at in future for the senior national team.”
MRFU president Martin Galea lauded the work of the Com-munity Coaches and stressed that it’s his organisation’s priority to see their junior ranks reaching higher levels in the not too distant future.
“We place great emphasis on youth development which is crucial for the growth of our sport,” he said.
“Through the sponsorship of GasanMamo we have been able to source Youth Development Officers from the Scottish Rugby Union with whom we have built an excellent relationship.
“We are banking so much on this venture and we intend to continue over the years.”
Clyde Puli, Parliamentary Secretary for Youth and Sport, said the country gives its full backing to this kind of initiatives, with the partnership of private companies involved.
“This project falls in line with the country’s strategy of seeing private firms and sports organisations in a joint-bid to increase the parti-cipation of youngsters in sport,” he said.
“The MRFU is doing a great job here and we urge other federations to follow suit as it’s important that our young generation practise different sport and lead a healthy lifestyle.”