Following the successful launch of Leinster Rugby’s ‘Women in Coaching’ programme last month, the next stage will begin this Monday, 18th December, in Old Wesley RFC at 7pm.

The first workshop was aimed at providing a ‘Community of Practice’ and individual customised mentoring opportunities for female coaches intending to progress into coaching at Elite Performance level.

This second level workshop is focussing on grassroots rugby in line with Leinster’s ‘From The Ground Up’ ethos. The aim is to get women to engage with the range of coach development initiatives that are offered across all levels for both male and female coaches in Leinster Rugby.

Jennie Bagnall, Leinster Women’s Development Officer, who has been involved in the initiative, said: “We have endeavoured to find female coaches involved in the youth game who coach both boys and girls in clubs and schools around the province. We would like to invite them to be involved in this programme. There is already a highly educational Coach Development programme open to both male and female coaches in Leinster, however, we are finding for a variety of reasons that women are not engaging with these opportunities.

“The aim of the ‘Women in Coaching’ programme is to empower female coaches and upskill them in an environment that is both comfortable and enjoyable for them. We want women to be proud that they are introducing rugby to the next generation and confident in their own skills and knowledge. We will do this by creating a situation where female coaches can meet other like-minded individuals and discuss the game, get out on the pitch, and learn and explore new coaching ideas together, and observe our highly-trained staff coaching on Leinster’s Player Development Programmes.”

The programme is completely free of charge and is open to any female coach in the province interested or involved in coaching rugby to children aged U12 up to U18.

For more information and to sign up to Leinsters Women in Coaching Programme please contact Jennie Bagnall on jennie.bagnall@leinsterrugby.ie.