Rugby Arizona is looking to add players to its many leagues across the state and it might just be the unique sport your child will discover they love!
Rugby can be played by both girls and boys and is suitable for kids ages 6 and up. Angela Wagner-Gabbard, secretary for Rugby Arizona and a long-time rugby player herself, says that rugby is a great sport for kids to try, even if they’ve never played it before.
“If a child doesn’t know the sport, we’ll teach them everything they need to know,” said Wagner-Gabbard. “It doesn’t matter if they’re big or small—there’s a place for them.”
Not only will rugby players have the chance to earn potential scholarship money for college, but Wagner-Gabbard also says there are many valuable skills they gain along the way, too.
Players will learn transferrable sports skills such as ball-handling, kicking, and use of space while also gaining life skills such as leadership experience, teamwork, and building strong friendships.
Wagner-Gabbard says that when kids join a rugby league in Arizona, they are welcomed in to a close, tight-knit family where they grow close to their teammates on and off the field.
“There’s a special comradery that you don’t get with other sports,” she says. “These kids will make friends for a lifetime and the level of respect they have for each other is like none other–they compliment each other even as opponents.”
With rugby being a world-wide sport, there are also lots of travel opportunities. Additionally, once a child becomes a more experienced player, they have the chance to become a referee and utilize their knowledge of the sport to make some money.
If your child is interested in seeing what rugby is all about, you can contact Rugby Arizona where they will direct you to the nearest club. It’s free to attend a practice and try it out with no obligation.
If they decide to join, Wagner-Gabbard says it’s a relatively affordable sport where the child just needs some soccer cleats, a mouth guard, and rugby shorts. There’s a $100 registration for the year and then club dues—which varies depending on the league.
“We get a lot of kids who are unsure about it and they try it for the first time and the worst part is, they get addicted to it” said Wagner-Gabbard. “The earlier they start playing the more they grow and they’re phenomenal.”
For more information visit https://www.rugbyarizona.com/