BRFC Minis are currently fielding the following Mini teams:
Mini Rugby Coordinators : Suzanne Caldwell, Tracey McFadden, David Sands, & Kevin Sweeney
We are delighted to announce that we will be revamping our minis section from this coming season.
There will be a number of changes implemented, all done in order to ensure both our players and their families are happy and safe.
Some of the changes include our Primary School Initiative, starting the Beehive Academy, and starting a family friendly kids corner in the club for non-playing siblings.
As well as that, other changes include:
- Minis players will receive a Balbriggan RFC tshirt upon registration
- A new pitch set-up to ensure players don’t need to enter the car park at all once they arrive
- A new check-in system for training with free tea and coffee for parents
- Monthly raffles for registered players
- A hot chocolate reward system based on training attendance
- A bring-a-friend reward system for Mini players
We will also be continuing our Mini Milestones booklet and our Buzzy awards at training too.
It will be a very exciting time for our Minis section and there’s no doubt our players will enjoy it!
Mini Rugby is designed to allow all children (both boys and girls) to participate in a team sport which is graded according to their ages. Mini Rugby at all levels is non-competitive in that there are no formal leagues or cups which the teams compete for. Instead, the main aim is to introduce the children to the game and to progress the skills and techniques as they themselves grow with it.
At the earliest stages, Under 6/7 the game is non-contact, with the emphasis being on having fun, and developing the basic skills of ball handling and carrying.
Under 8 rugby introduces the concept of tackling – a particular favourite pastime of all children at this age group!
At Under 9 and 10 the players are introduced to the concepts of scrums and lineouts. These are uncontested – in other words it allows the children understand the concept of these formations – with three players per team forming a scrum and two players per team in the lineout.
At Under 11, positions for players begin to be introduced – a common misconception amongst children (and some adults) is that the back row are defenders as per many other team sports, and the forwards are the attackers. Rugby is the opposite, and it is at this age that the skills required for reach discipline are covered.
At Under 12, the game grows to larger team sizes and more formal team positioning and skills – an excellent foundation for the move to Youths rugby.
At BRFC all of our Mini’s coaches receive formal IRFU coaching from the Leinster Rugby Branch and have undergone complete Child Protection vetting and safeguarding.
For the 2026/27 season, Mini’s training times are as follows:
- U6/7: Thursday, 6.15
- U8: Thursday, 6.30
- U9: Thursday, 6.15pm
- U10: Thursday, 6.30pm
- U12 Girls: Wednesday, 7.30pm
If you require any more information on Mini Rugby, please email info@balbrigganrfc.com or get in touch with Jeff Neville on 0857245733.