Portadown Rugby Pathway Curriculum

Today saw the official launch of the Rugby Curriculum for Portadown Youth Rugby by Head of Youth Rugby Alistair Toal.

The Curriculum provides clear structured guidance for players and coaching alike throughout the pathway from mini rugby right through to adult rugby. It breaks the Pathway into five clear sections, from Foundation Stage One (Primary Two and Primary Three) through to Phase Five (Under 16 and Under 18). It provides guidance on five key aspects of development, namely Tactical, Physical, Psycho Social/Mental , Lifestyle/Personal and Coaching Style.

The Curriculum was the brain child of Head of Youth Rugby Alistair Toal. “In my various roles within Portadown Rugby, I have seen the need for a holistic means to detail and deliver a clear Pathway of development from primary school through to senior rugby. This Curriculum is the framework on which we can deliver that. It provides a vision from which was can assess and measure player development regardless which stage, school or club aspect of the pathway the players currently reside. At Portadown RFC, we see ourselves as the catylst and provider development of all put players and coaching volunteers, and this allows us to provide a framework that all our stakeholders can refer to. The Coaching the Coaches course we are now running internally at Portadown RFC will base it’s learning from this Curriculum also.”

The rollout of the Curriculum to local schools in the Portadown pathway, Mini Rugby and Boys and Girls Academy has commenced.

Pictured are Geoff Caldwell (President Portadown RFC) Alistair Toal (Head of Youth Rugby), Sarah McMaster (Mini Rugby Convenor) Lynsey McCavery (Girls Academy Head Coach) and Phil Shirley ( Boys Academy Lead)