Pupils at St Vincent De Paul Primary School in North Belfast got to give rugby a ‘try’ in a special taster session organised through the Ulster Rugby and Phoenix Energy LineOut programme.
Led by Ulster Rugby’s Community Development Coach Callum Smith, more than 30 Year 5 pupils from St Vincent De Paul Primary School took part in fun drills and games alongside Ulster Rugby professional players Andrew Warwick, Kieran Treadwell and Nick Timoney.
Designed to encourage children to get active and try something new, the pupils at St Vincent De Paul Primary School got fully involved and immersed in the activity despite many of them having never played any form of rugby before.
Speaking after the session Mrs McVeigh, Principal at St Vincent De Paul Primary School said: “Sport has so many benefits for young people for both their physical and mental health so we were delighted to have the opportunity through the LineOut Programme to introduce a new sport to the children. The coaches and players got them all involved and the children were delighted to be playing alongside the Ulster Rugby star players.”
“We would like to say a huge thanks to Phoenix Energy and Ulster Rugby for this fantastic opportunity.”
Jonathan Martindale, Director of Sales & Marketing at Phoenix Energy said: “As an Official Partner of Ulster Rugby, a key element of our partnership is helping to bring rugby into communities and to inspire young people to get engaged and active in sport.
“There are so many attributes in sport that are vital for individuals and communities to develop, such as teamwork, resilience and communication, and through our partnership with Ulster Rugby with LineOut we want to fuel these skills for people of all ages and backgrounds across our licence area.
“We’re delighted that the children in St Vincent De Paul took part in the programme and most importantly had fun and enjoyed the session.”
Chris Webster, Head of Rugby Development at Ulster Rugby said: “Community is at the heart of Ulster Rugby and we’re delighted that through the LineOut Programme we can reach new communities and encourage them to explore rugby as a sport. These sessions are a great opportunity for young people to learn about building healthy exercise habits with some inspiration from our players.”
For further information on the programme or to request a session for your school contact gillian.orr@phoenixnaturalgas.com