Minis

Killarney RFC Minis 2023/2024:

Mini Rugby Ethos:

We take the enjoyment of playing & participation & child welfare, very seriously. We nurture the ethos of Rugby Union, which is that we treat our coaches, peers, spectators and opposition in a way that we would expect to be treated ourselves. We do not tolerate bullying of any kind and encourage fair play.

Age Group for your child:

Leprechaun (stage 1) rugby is for children under the age of 7 and is a non-contact sport. Children under 8 also play Stage 1 rugby but contact (tackling) is gradually introduced, all children who play stage one rugby are taught how to pass / receive a pass. Stage 1 is generally eight-a-side but this is not cast in stone. Children who are under the age of 10 play stage 2 rugby and the ruck, maul, lineout and scrum are introduced, this is eight a side also. Generally the playing area for children in stage 1 & stage 2 is about 40meters x 30 meters but can vary, usually getting bigger for stage 2.

The next stage of mini rugby is stage 3 and this is for under 11s, which is ten a side, where further skills such as kicking are introduced and the size of the pitch is increased to approximately 50 meters x 70, with stage 4 focusing on U12 and utilising Stage 4 rules as set out by the IRFU.

It is critical that children play within their age group, for child welfare reasons.

Mini Rugby is for Girls & Boys Under 12 years of age but generally no younger than 5, and is a non-competitive sport, with its ethos being `Inclusion & Fun`.

Age Categories for Season 2023/2024:

Player age group	Year of Birth
Under 12’s	2012
Under 11’s	2013
Under 10’s	2014
Under 9’s	2015
Under 8’s	2016
Under 7’s	2017
Under 6’s*	2018

*Children who are under six or younger may not be left unattended, and at least one (adult) is expected to stay for the complete duration of training for each child .

Training Times:

All Ages: Every Saturday between 09:45am and 11am

Club Kit:

At Killarney RFC Minis, we are not strict about what the children wear when they are training or playing in matches, however, we do insist on them wearing a gumshield to protect their teeth, even at leprechaun rugby accidents can happen. They will also wear shorts, socks, metal studded boots and a tee-shirt and hoodie or skins if needed. Most children like to wear club shirt and gear and this will be available from our Club shop – Check out our Merchandise section or our online O’Neill’s shop . Embroidery is offered at Walsh’s Schoolwear, Killarney.

Registration and Membership:

When a player joins Mini rugby, they will need to be registered on Rugby Connect – the player registration system of the IRFU. We will send the details via Clubzap as season begins and reminders as the season progresses.

In the case of membership this is done annually and can be completed on-line. There are various options to do this for example a family membership or an individual membership. Please check out our Membership section for further details. Membership allows members to enter the draws for tickets to various International matches as well as support your local club.

Training session Fee:

There is a Pitch Maintenance fee of €2 per player for all training sessions. This is in line with practice at other sports clubs and the money is designed to ensure our pitches remain as good as possible. We have good pitches and we want to keep them that way and unfortunately that costs a considerable amount every year in terms of fertiliser, sand, and drainage and other maintenance works.

Last season in addition to our senior men’s team and over 100 minis we fielded 3 girls teams (U14, U16, U18) and 3 boys teams (U14, U16, U18) in competitions. This is of course brilliant for the club – but increases the wear and tear on our pitches, and increases the risk that we have to cancel trainings or move trainings to other facilities in order to spare the pitches for competitive games. It’s not an easy decision to ask for additional funds but we hope a lot of small sums will allow us to keep our pitches in the condition that our players – of all ages – deserve. We appreciate everyone’s support and understanding in our mission to make Killarney RFC a club admired for the standard of its facilities.