Hillfoots - where everybody plays
Photo courtesy of Scottish Rugby / Press Association
After winning RBS Club of the Month in October Hillfoots Rugby Club, in Clackmannanshire, have added to their rugby development accolades and become the first Bill McLaren Positive Coaching Scotland accredited club in the country.
The Positive Coaching Scotland (PCS) programme in association with the Bill McLaren Foundation encourages parents, players and coaches to work together and formulate a mission statement and ethos by which the club lives and breathes, with the process being managed by the Positive Coaching Scotland manager, Bosman Du Plessis.
For Hillfoots, whose first XV play in RBS Caledonia Regional League Division 1, they have created a motto, “Everybody Plays” with all players and members from five-years-old to 75-years-old endeavoring to uphold the values of integrity, friendship, commitment and having a positive attitude.
Hillfoots president, Peter Norman, said: “We believe that playing rugby is not about winning first and foremost, it’s about everyone being involved and making sure every single person wanting to play is given the opportunity to play.
“The work Michael Power and his team in our junior section have put in is just superb and the growth we have seen since the beginning of the season is a testament to the PCS method of coaching.
“But, I don’t just think it’s having an effect on the players, I think the spectators and parents and non-playing members see the changes and improvements this programme has made and they want to be involved in promoting our ethos.
“Going forward we will continue to train and coach the PCS way and we will always work to this policy as long as it’s encouraging everyone involved.”
From now the club will strive to attain this new mentality in every game, coaching session, social event and so on in the belief that winning is the end result of persistent effort and making mistakes is part of the learning process.
Henry Edwards, Scottish Rugby’s Head of Coach Education, added: “It’s great to see Hillfoots become the first club to become Bill McLaren PCS accredited. Their accreditation demonstrates a commitment to creating the right environment for all to enjoy the sport of rugby union and benefit from the values which make our sport much more than just a game. Congratulations to all involved at the club.”
The club’s Junior Convener, Michael Power, said: “The Positive Coaching concepts that we embraced three seasons ago have been at the heart of Hillfoots’ success. The phenomenal growth in playing members has made us the fastest growing rugby club in Scotland, so clearly our central focus on every player always getting a game has struck a chord with parents and players alike.
“The success of the club means we now have a great body of well-qualified and very motivated coaches at Hillfoots, and at the core of this success is the quality of the coaching we are delivering to these kids, week in, week out. The coaching isn’t just outstanding from a rugby perspective – you can see how much the juniors are developing as people as well. This strongly reflects the values that were at the core of what Bill McLaren himself stood for: not only developing good rugby players, but developing people through rugby.”
Hillfoots Coaching Coordinator, Mike Robins added: "For me, Positive Coaching is about developing people through the game of rugby. Becoming involved in Hillfoots has changed me personally and positively changed my relationship with my children, as their coach, and as their father.
“At Hillfoots we encourage participation and fun in our rugby. The children create a competitive environment for themselves. Our job as coaches is to show them how to be equally proud of what they have achieved, when they win, as well as in defeat."
Bosman du Plessis commented on the accreditation: “Hillfoots RFC has provided evidence of creating an environment where young rugby players are developed and where young people can be developed through the game of rugby.
“They have a positive and strong club culture and they have a long-term plan to build and sustain that culture. This aligns with the programme aims which enable us to present them with accreditation. It has been a privilege for me to work with club leaders, coaches and parents as they took ownership of the programme – this is the key ingredient to drive a successful programme in a club. We currently have 11 clubs on the programme and I am looking forward to see which club will be the next to achieve accreditation.”
The Positive Coaching Scotland initiative is a nationwide project which invests in the lives of young people involved in rugby, football and swimming.
Back in August, Positive Coaching Scotland, in association with the Bill McLaren Foundation and Scottish Rugby appointed, Bosman Du Plessis (formerly a development officer in Dumfries) as the Positive Coaching Scotland manager to lead the programme.
Our picture shows the accreditation being presented to the club with Linda Lawson, Bill McLaren's daughter, among those present.
Posted on Tuesday, 20 December 2011 under Positive Coaching Scotland (PCS)