Any club in Wales can host an event during August by registering online at www.wru.co.uk/jointhebeat where individuals interested will find an extensive list of all clubs involved in the initiative.
The all-Wales open day is part of a project called – Heart of the Nation – Join The Beat- designed to boost participation at all levels of community rugby both on and off the field.
The entire population of Wales is being invited to, again, make their way to participating rugby clubs to discover how they can Join The Beat by playing an active role in the national sport of Wales.
People of all ages will be able to find out how they can become off the field volunteers, coaches, match officials, first aiders, administrators and players.
Stage two of the launch will involve inviting clubs to re-register their interest in hosting an event day and recruiting a range of volunteers by signing up via a WRU web micro-site.
The public will then be able to visit the site to look at a map of Wales to pinpoint which club nearest to their home offers the attractions they want.
The clubs taking part will get operational support from the WRU which will begin with them receiving a bilingual recruitment pack to explain how to get the best from the campaign’s activation day.
The doors of Welsh rugby clubs will then be thrown open on a weekend in August for individuals not currently involved in the game to step inside and find out more.
The Heart of the Nation- Join The Beat initiative will build on the existing WRU strategy which is now being enhanced through investment and strategic planning.
Jason Lewis WRU National Rugby Development Manager said: “The community rugby focus for the future is targeted at primary schools and secondary schools to deliver more active participants through to the 300 plus clubs across Wales. This initiative is aimed at assisting clubs Wales wide, to lay down strong foundations so they remain sustainable for the foreseeable future.
“Sustainable clubs are not just built on players, more importantly it’s about recruiting more volunteers to run teams and to support the club off the field.”
The legacy initiative will also focus on delivering more rugby opportunities for men, women and children across Wales throughout the year.
There are now more than 300 clubs or affiliated organisations within the WRU which are spread across many of the villages, towns and cities of Wales.
Many towns or cities have several clubs to choose from with differing numbers of teams and varying levels of involvement within the seven divisions of senior Welsh rugby.
Some clubs also engage in non rugby activities on non match days to embrace the concept of being community hubs.
The website, for clubs and individuals to register their interest in participating in the “Join the Beat” recruitment campaign, has now been updated and re-launched. The closing date for applications is 30th June 2012. As part of the registration process clubs will be asked for details of their event to allow the production of personalised posters and fliers.
