Bridgend Sports welcomed Tom Habberfield and Sam Williams to a special development session for the U11 and U12 teams run by the Player Development Officer for the Bridgend District, Tom Cole.
Each club in the region was asked to submit a development plan to the WRU/Ospreys development team ahead of the new season, outlining the areas they considered a priority for 2013/14.
The aim of the plan is to empower clubs in the local community, encouraging them to create their own sustainable futures, with the plan broken down into three separate categories; facilities, player recruitment and coach development.
After a meeting to identify where the Development Officers can assist, the evening was organised by the community rugby team to help them achieve their agreed goals.
With the help of Tom Cole, Habberfield and Williams took part in training sessions with the Sports age-grade teams, passing on tips to the young players hoping to follow in their footsteps.
Speaking about the event, Tom Cole said:
“It was a great evening with plenty of young players turning out at their local community club for training sessions with two boys from Bridgend who have come through the regional development pathway to represent the Ospreys. What better role models could they have?
“These sessions and club visits are a crucial part of the community programme for this season, as part of the development plans set by the clubs themselves over the summer. The plans that have been put in place will allow clubs to identify where we can assist them, and will encourage club committees to communicate better, enabling them to work together to benefit the local club and rugby in the region in general.
“It is vital that the clubs capitalise on the work of the WRU/Ospreys Player Development Officers as it will help to guarantee their long term sustainability.”
Ben Rose, WRU Rugby Development Manager for the Ospreys region, added:
“The support of the Ospreys and its players makes the difference in this programme. The presence of the players is certainly the main attraction for all new and existing players attending. The success of this programme was shown last year with an 8 per cent growth in playing numbers between U7s and U16s across the Ospreys region compared to an average of 5 per cent in the rest of Wales.”
Bridgend Sports are currently looking to recruit players of all age groups from U7 to youth. Anyone interested in joining the club can get more information by contacting Andrew Murphy on 07967 550470.