Tipperary mini rugby players get aviva stadium chance
Rugby clubs in Tipperary are being urged to submit their Mini Rugby teams for a once in a lifetime chance to play in the Aviva Mini Rugby National Festival at the Aviva Stadium on 23rd May.
Irish internationals Robbie Henshaw, Peter O’Mahony and Dave Kearney were on hand in the Aviva Stadium recently to launch the Festival and they have appealed to clubs to register for a chance to be one of 20 teams who will play on the same pitch as the reigning Six Nation’s Champions.
Qualification for the 2015 Aviva National Mini Rugby Festival is open to over 260 clubs across Ireland with U-10 Mini Rugby teams and they are encouraged to enter online through www.irishrugby.ie/avivaminis by 13th May. Teams will then be announced on the IRFU website www.irishrugby.ie on Thursday 14th May.
Mark Russell, Aviva Sponsorship Manager, said; “Inevitably, it’s the big international games in the Aviva Stadium that grab the limelight but for us in Aviva, it’s our grass roots programmes like the Mini Rugby Festivals that are the heart and soul of the sponsorship for us. These festivals are a fantastic opportunity to bring the future of Irish rugby onto the pitch at the Stadium to get their very first taste of what it might be like to play for their country. We are really excited to welcome the 20 teams and their families to the home of Irish Rugby for the very first time on what will be a day full of positive energy on the 23rd May”.
Hendrik Kruger, Age Grade Manager, IRFU, said; “For any of the players who take part, this is a day they are unlikely to forget. From the moment they are announced on to the field, right through to the last minute of their last game, we could be seeing the first big rugby day of many for a lot of these players. The ethos of mini rugby is encapsulated and exemplified by not just this festival at the Aviva Stadium, but by all festivals staged around Ireland during the course of the season. Long may this continue.”
Irish International Rhys Ruddock, said; “My first memories were playing in mini rugby festivals. Seeing so many kids out getting such exposure to rugby at this young age is great for the game. At the Aviva Stadium in the 23rd we may well be seeing a few of those wearing the green of Ireland in the future.”
The Aviva National Mini Rugby Festival presents clubs with an opportunity to play rugby against teams from across the country and will be a great day out for the whole club at the Aviva Stadium, a day the club, their players and their family members will never forget.
To register to be in with a chance to be one of the 20 teams involved on the 23rd May, log on to www.irishrugby.ie/avivaminis