Tuesday 15 November 2011

Where have you been?

Don't forget, training is on this week, as usual - we haven't seen a lot of you for a while!

Even when you aren't there, our hard working volunteers still show up and give their time - so please do make an effort to come along this week to show your appreciation.

Training for kids under 13 starts at 6pm, while our Under 16 team trains at 730pm.

Wednesday sessions are on the Lower paddock at Mudchute farm.

Sunday training is on Millwall Park every week 1030am-12pm

Let's go to work!





Thursday 27 October 2011

Don't forget Halloween Fundraiser

Don't forget, it's our big Halloween fundraiser party this Friday in the clubhouse.

Tickets £5 adults, £3 kids available at the door



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Thursday 20 October 2011

Youth Halloween Fundraiser

Have you got your Halloween Party tickets yet?

Halloween is traditionally our big fundraiser event of the season and we rely on funds raised from this night to keep Millwall Rugby Club ticking over.

Tickets cost just £5 for Adults and £3 for children.

There will be a buffet dinner and DJ Ray will be on hand to pump out some ghoolish tunes, as well as running some fun games for the kids. We will also host a raffle and some other prize giving activities.

Get your tickets from Scary Sarah or Ghostly Zoe at training or email kerry@millwallrugby.com if you'd like to reserve some tickets and pay at the door.

Please make an effort to come along. We really need your support!

Tuesday 6 September 2011

Sunday training is back

Sunday morning youth training returns this week (Sun 11th Sept) for all youth teams, starting at 10:30am on Millwall Park.

Please let your coach or team manager know if you will be late or cannot attend.




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U16s get visit from Academy coach

Dave Maudsley, from Robert Clack Rugby Academy in Dageham came to talk to the under 16’s team on Sunday, about the provision Robert Clack offers at the Rugby Academy along with the sixth form.



The Academy offers one to one Rugby training, alongside offering A level courses and Higher BTEC courses through the sixth form. This gives the boys the opportunity to develop their Rugby talent, whilst also achieving academic qualifications that will equip them for University.


This was very useful as some of the boys already have an idea of what they want to do, and they were able to ask Dave questions about how they could achieve their goals. Be it teaching P.E, Sports Physio or playing professional Rugby.


Applications need to be in before the Easter break, so it is important the Boys start thinking about their future, and get looking at different provisions. I will be organising, with Dave, a visit to the Academy and the sixth form and will go long. Watch this space for the dates, it is important if your child wants to go to the Academy, to go down and have a look.


Finally good luck to all the under 16’s taking their GCSE’s this academic year, work hard and achieve the best results you can. By getting at least C Grades and higher gives you more opportunities and choices about where you want to go and what you want to do.


Also use Rugby Training and the matches to take a break and let off some steam, through this tough year.


If you have questions about the above please contact me on parents@millwallrugby.com  

Thanks,

Maureen Lajolie
Parent Liaison Officer

Saturday 27 August 2011

Youth Membership Day - Sun 4th Sept

Sunday 4th of September is the date your membership fees are due for the new season. Come down to the clubhouse from 12pm (until 4pm) to sign up. 


We will have exclusive RFU goodie bags and great freebies only for players who pay their membership on this day. 


Team/Squad photos will also take place on this day - including an ambitious Millwall Youth group photo. Team photos will be taken at the following approximate times -

Minis -12.30pm
Under 12s - 12.45pm
Under 14s - 1pm
Under 16s - 1.15pm
Whole club photos 1.30pm

Please try and be around for your team photo as they will be our official photos for the coming season!!


The Academy Director from Robert Clack Rugby Academy & College will also be down to talk to parents and players of our U16s team about their educational and rugby options for next year. 


It promises to be a great day, so please make an effort to come down - hot food will be available for sale on the day also.


Tell us you are coming by Facebook RSVP here







Wednesday 17 August 2011

Lions Weekly Round Up

Dear Players and Parents,

Welcome to the first Lions Weekly Round Up for the 2011/12 season. If you are new to the club, then firstly let me welcome you! We hope you settle in and enjoy the social and fun atmosphere that we have been trying to build at Millwall Rugby Club.


This issue will be short but important:

DIRECTOR OF RUGBY
RUGBY FRIDAYS
CANARY WHARF EVENT
REGISTRATION DAY
TRAINING



DIRECTOR OF RUGBY
If you haven't seen, Millwall Rugby Club has appointed Warren Abhrahams as the Director of Rugby. Warren will be responsible for all coaching within the club, including the youth section, so if you see him, do take the time to say hi. More on the announcement here


RUGBY FRIDAYS
Rugby Fridays continue to run during the school holidays - there are only 3 more sessions left, so if you haven't come along yet, now is your chance. All sessions are free and are run by experienced RFU-qualified coaches. Lunch is also provided (and also free). For more information about Rugby Fridays, see the our blog here


CANARY WHARF EVENT
The whole club are decending upon Canary Wharf arcade on Saturday 27th of August, from 12pm to officially launch our new season and recruit some more members for our teams. If you are about on the day, and can spare 30-40 mins to help us hand out flyers, please contact me asap. Even if you can't help, swing by our stand outside HSBC & Accessorize in Canada Square Arcade and say hi!


REGISTRATION DAY - SUNDAY 4TH SEPT
Sunday 4th of September is the date your membership fees are due for the new season. Come down to the clubhouse from 12pm (until 4pm) to sign up. We will have exclusive RFU goodie bags and freebies for players who pay their membership on this day. Team/Squad photos will also take place on this day - including an ambitious Millwall Youth group photo! The Academy Director from Robert Clack Rugby Academy & College will also be down to talk to parents and players of our U16s team about their educational and rugby options for next year. It promises to be a great day, so please make an effort to come down - we'll send out more in the coming weeks about this, but mark it in your calendars now! Tell us you are coming by Facebook RSVP here


TRAINING
Rugby Training has resumed in preparation for the new season. HITZ Rugby (run by Premiership club Saracens) takes place on Millwall Park every Wednesday from 4:30pm. Millwall Youth Pre-season training begins at 6pm, also on Millwall Park, every Wednesday. Sunday training will begin in earnest from Sunday 11th of September. All sessions will be on Millwall Park until further notice.


If you have any questions, concerns or comments, please do get in touch.

Let's go to Work!

Matt Shorrock
Youth Chair
Millwall Rugby Club

Sunday 14 August 2011

Scott's England Rant

England vs. Wales Match report- Millennium Stadium- Saturday 13/08/2011
England Flop In Cardiff

Last week at Twickenham, England’s “B” team beat Wales in a closely contested game 23-19.

Saturday’s game saw





Martin Johnson make 12 changes to the starting line-up with the majority supposedly being England’s first choice team, Banahan, Cueto & Corbisiero were the only survivors from the game at headquarters.

There was a couple of first XV players missing from the line-up with Ben Youngs still recovering from minor surgery meaning Wigglesworth started at scrum half and Chris Aston failed a fitness test on his ankle before the game so had to sit this one out giving Banahan another chance to impress on the wing.

I'm not a big fan of Banahan playing on the wing, he doesn’t use space very well and always looks for contact. He quickly proved my opinion when he was left unmarked on the right wing, received the pass and instead of fixing the covering defender with an in and out run he simply tried to use his 6ft 7in 18 stone frame to power through. If he had scored I would have said well done but he didn’t, he was stopped by one of the smallest players on the pitch proving that his size is wasted.

Waiting on the bench is Charlie Sharples who’s pace on the wing is immense, plus the pending return of Ashton (both of who I think would have converted that chance) I can’t see a place on the wing for Banahan at the world cup.

I want to focus mostly on England’s backs but before I do I have to mention Nick Easter who had a cracking game at number 8, he always went forward with the ball and put England on the front foot. Also it was good to see a return for Courtney Laws after the neck injury scare in training a few weeks back.

The Backs: England’s starting back line of Wigglesworth, Flood, Cueto, Hape, Tindall, Banahan and Foden, looked on paper like it would cause problems for the Welsh defence, but they barely managed to break through the first line of tacklers. On the few occasions they did, nobody was able to show any finishing quality.

Toby Flood should not be a starting player for England, he had nothing in his locker to trouble Wales, which allowed them to play a rush defence and pressure the backs for the whole game. The set moves in the backs looked shaky to say the least and were so signposted that Wales could have had just one defender and still tackled the ball carrier.

Hape and Tindall as a centre pairing again looked solid in defence but showed absolutely nothing in attack; Hape looked massively out of his depth breaking up one attacking move with an unpressured forward pass and dropping the ball in contact on another attack.

Hape for me just played himself out of the England squad completely.

With the centres not causing Wales any problems, England didn’t earn the right to go wide meaning the wingers didn’t get much space apart from the Banahan chance mentioned earlier. Foden at fullback only had a few touches of the ball on the counter attack but he wasn’t in the game enough to have a real impact.

Wigglesworth looked a bit nervous in the first 20minutes but I think he would have got better as the game went on; unfortunately he picked up an injury before the 30 minute mark and had to be substituted for Danny Care. Care had another great game and should definitely partner Wilkinson for the world cup starting XV.

On two occasions in the second half Wales were down a player with yellow cards to Jamie Roberts and the Mike Phillips but even then England could not create anything scoring just 3 points in the 20minutes of play with a man advantage.

All credit to the Welsh defence for a solid performance, which saw them pinned inside their 22 for large periods of time and didn’t allow England a sniff of the try line.

At the other end of the pitch the Welsh finishing was clinical with Hook crossing the line on the only real Welsh attack.

Last week I discussed England’s chances in the world cup.

I did say that semi finals was reachable, but looking at that performance from a supposedly first choice team, England aren’t going to make it out of the group stage!

Big changes needed before England travel to Ireland for the last warm up game.

Yours in rugby,
Scott Vinnicombe


Thursday 11 August 2011

Rugby Fridays are ON

Rugby Fridays continue this week, so come on down to Millwall Park at 11am to get your rugby fix! It's free and lunch is provided also!


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Tuesday 9 August 2011

Wed 10/08/11 Training Cancelled

*** NOTICE ***

Due to the London Riots and to ensure the safety of our players and parents, please be advised that this Wednesday evening's training session (10th Aug 2011) is cancelled.

Stay indoors and make sure you aren't wondering around at night - and definately don't get involved in anything you shouldn't!

As member's of Millwall Rugby Club, you are role models in the local community. We are proud of all of our kids and we trust you know the difference between right and wrong.

If you know of anyone involved in these senseless acts and wish to report them anonymously, you can do so via the Fearless.org website

Assume that training will be back on next week, unless we tell you otherwise.

If you have any questions or concerns, please get in touch at youthchair@millwallrugby.com or 07884012678

thanks
Matt Shorrock
Youth Chair
Millwall Rugby Club

Monday 8 August 2011

Scott's England verdict

Youth Coaching Co-ordinator Scott Vinnicombe gives his verdict on England's performance against Wales on Saturday and makes a call on their world cup chances.


England Match report- Twickenham- Saturday 06/08/2011
England 23 def Wales 19

Martin Johnson named a “second String” team to face Wales in Saturday’s world cup warm up match. With only three games left before the long awaited trip to New Zealand this was a chance for several players to cement their spot on the plane and for others to put themselves forward.

Some of the key selections for the match include England’s world cup winning fly half Johnny Wilkinson, who has returned to form and fitness since leaving Newcastle for Toulon in the 2009/10 season.

Matt Stevens who has served his two year ban for drug use and has quickly re-established himself as a dominant prop in English rugby playing for Saracens and the England Saxons in 17 undefeated matches since his return.

Finally Manu Tuilagi the young Samoan born centre known most recently for trying to knock Chris Astons head off in the Premiership semi final.

For me the three people I just mentioned were England’s best players on the day, Wilkinson didn’t miss a kick, carried the ball well and when Danny care gave him quick ball he attacked on the gain line and caused the welsh defence lots of problems. He kicked a total of 13 points from England’s 23 and set up a try with a well timed switch with centre Tuilagi. Wilko a definite starter in the world cup for me!

Tuilagi had an impressive first team debut for England and I think his second half try sealed him a place in the world cup squad maybe even the starting XV. Defensively he showed his inexperience early on but seemed to improve greatly as the game went on and he combined well with Wilko for his try cutting back inside on the switch then breaking three welsh tackles to score under the posts.

I think Matt Stevens has also got himself a squad place for the world cup especially as he can prop as both tight and loosehead. Good performances in the set pieces with his strength in the scrum setting up the platform for James Haskell’s try in the first half. Didn’t see too much of him with ball in hand but I think he will be on the plane to New Zealand.

A quick mention also for Delon Armitage who played at fullback, unfortunately for him Ben Foden finished the season on great form and doesn’t look like giving up the fullback spot but Armitage certainly gave England’s selectors a performance to warrant a trip to the world cup. Several key tackles including a try saving(match saving) tackle on Wales captain Warburton, he also showed a flash of his counter attacking skills after intercepting a pass and running it back from the halfway line up to the welsh 5metre line before a great covering tackle stopped what would have been the try of the match.

So... can England win the world cup??? My honest opinion is no, my heart screams yes but I must swallow my pride and use my head, England have come along way since the 2007 world cup and the young players coming through are starting to gel and looking good but I think the world cup has come a year too early for us to be real contenders.

I think we will make the semi finals but a draw against Australia or South Africa could end our world cup hopes very quickly as both team have a very strong squad, To me it doesn’t matter who we play because I just can’t see past New Zealand winning it.

They have been known to choke in the world cup but with the form they are showing in the tri-nations and the fact that they play host this year surely they will lift the Webb Ellis Cup.

Monday 18 July 2011

Rugby Fridays Launched!

MILLWALL Rugby Club is hosting free rugby training for young players this summer as part of their push to introduce more youngsters to the sport.

Starting on July 29th and for five Fridays after, players aged between 7 and 17 can turn up for camp-style training sessions with qualified coaches during the summer holidays.

The aim of Rugby Fridays is to boost recruitment for next season while providing local kids with valuable training and stopping boredom in the school holidays.

Youth chair Matt Shorrock said: “We are pushing to get 50 kids to attend and want to promote the sport across Tower Hamlets.

“We are doing lots of publicity to make sure people who are interested come down and give it a try for the first time.”

Funding for the summer activities came from Canary Wharf Group as part of their Summer of Sports programme.

The sessions will run between 11am until 4pm on Millwall Park and a complimentary lunch will be provided in the club's refurbished Clubhouse next to Island Gardens DLR.

The Isle of Dogs club are also running Rugby Fitness for Kids every Wednesday evening on Millwall Park from 6pm-7pm and are also free for participants.

To sign up for the Rugby Fridays, visit www.millwalllions.com

Monday 11 July 2011

Team Management changes

Dear Players and Parents,

I hope you are enjoying the summer!

There have been some changes to the youth team managers this season so I thought I'd update you. After nearly 4 seasons managing the current U16s (from U13s up!), Maureen Lajolie is stepping down from being the Team Manager.

We are all very sad to see Maureen step down, and we know the boys will miss her organisation skills on a weekly basis. Maureen isn't stepping away from the club completely however and I'm pleased to inform you that she has taken on the role of Parent Liaison Officer.

I'm also pleased to announce that long time U12s Team Manager (from U9s up!), Sarah Edmead will be taking on the role of U16s Team Manager. I'm sure she and Head Coach, Gary Mclaughlin will get along just fine! ;-)

Zoe Arnold takes on the Team Management for this season's Under 12s Team. Zoe spent last season helping Sarah with various tasks and is well placed to look after the U12s this season, so please join me in welcoming her to an constantly growing youth volunteer team!

We are still on the look-out for an U10s Team Manager as well, so if you are (or know someone who might be) interested, please get in touch!

U10's Team Manager - vacant
U12's Team Manager - Zoe Arnold
U16's Team Manager - Sarah Edmead

Our Wednesday evening sessions so far have been a stunning success, with 45-50 regular attendees - if you haven't come down to one yet, get down to Millwall Park on Wednesday evening from 6pm - 7pm!

Rugby Friday's start at the end of this month - look out for our posters on all bus stops on the Isle of Dogs and also our new banner at the Island Gardens / Equinox pedestrian crossing!

Sign up for Rugby Friday's here
If you have any questions, please let me know!

Let's go to Work!

 
Matt Shorrock
Youth Chair
Millwall Rugby Club

Sign up for Rugby Fridays

Rugby Fridays are coming!

Sign up to our free rugby sessions here





Monday 27 June 2011

Rugby Fridays are nearly here!

We'll be running Rugby Fridays again this summer, every Friday during the school holidays - sponsored by Canary Wharf Group Plc

The sessions are FREE and run by RFU qualified and CRB cleared coaches, from 11am - 4pm on Millwall Park.

A light lunch is provided for all attendees.

The dates are:
Friday 29th of July 2011
Friday 5th of August 2011
Friday 12th of August 2011
Friday 19th of August 2011
Friday 26th of August 2011
Friday 2nd of September 2011

Please bring gumshields/mouth guards if you have them - although these will be available for purchase at each session for just £2.00


Friday 17 June 2011

Saracens & MRFC Launch HITZ

Dear Players and Parents,

I'm pleased to announce that Saracens in partnership with the Millwall Rugby Club have launched the HITZ Rugby Programme in Tower Hamlets.

This programme aims to bridge the gap between young people in Tower Hamlets with no knowledge of rugby, and their local club and will serve as a definitive path way to recruit youth players into Millwall Rugby Club.

About HITZ

Hitz is a new and progressive high profile programme that is based in the heart of inner city estates targeting young people at risk of exclusion and anti social behaviour. Introducing them to tag, touch and contact rugby; Hitz is able to utilise rugby’s unique ethos and the assets of the sport’s leading brands and players.

Using the power of rugby and the appeal of the England team, the Guinness Premiership Clubs and the Rugby Football Union in partnership with the Metropolitan Police, Active Communities Network and Wooden Spoon, the Hitz programme targets some of the most disadvantaged areas in London with plans to expand across the country.

When and Where

Starting this week, Hitz sessions will run on Millwall Park every Wednesday from 4:30pm to 6:30pm. All sessions are free and are geared towards boys and girls aged 11 - 19, who have little or no experience of playing rugby.

If you have mates or know any young people who might be keen to give rugby a try, please let them know about these sessions. No need to tell us if you're coming, just turn up!

The sessions are also open to current Millwall Lions young players, so come on down and help us recruit new players for the coming season!

Coaching Employment

Hitz are looking for coaches to help run the Tower Hamlets sessions. Candiates will need to have a minimum of Level 1 Rugby Union coaching award (or equivalent) and be subject to submitting an RFU-processed Enhanced CRB clearance. You would be employed by Saracens and standard session salary rates apply.

If you are motivated, qualified and keen to make a difference to the lives of young people in our community, please contact Max Malkin on maxmalkin@saracens.net

Volunteer Opportunity

No qualifications but a passion for rugby? Hitz has partnered with V Nike Game Changers to bring high quality volunteering opportunities.

The V-Inspired Nike Game Changers project is looking to recruit young people aged between 16 – 25yrs old to become active registered Saracens volunteer members with a goal to develop volunteers’ skills and passions. This will be achieved by the volunteer embarking on a Short Term volunteering opportunity (3-4 hrs) before possibly committing to Part Time volunteering (30 hrs over a 6-8 week period)

As a registered Saracens volunteer member, you can gain valuable accredited training experiences as well as sport and community qualifications. Additionally, you can receive extra support to source funding opportunities for a project idea you have created that will help you and your community. You also get free Nike merchandise and accessories. The biggest reward you get from volunteering is self fulfilment and the ability to prove that you’re more than just a number in society.

If you are aged 16 - 25yrs and interested in being a Saracens volunteer for the Hitz programme, please contact Max Malkin on maxmalkin@saracens.net



This is great news for both Millwall Rugby Club and for the sport of Rugby in Tower Hamlets!

thanks and regards

Matt Shorrock
Youth Chair
Millwall Rugby Club

Thursday 16 June 2011

Decades Night

Don't forget Saturday Night is Decades Night at Millwall Rugby Club. Come on down and enjoy music from the 70's 80's 90's 00's and today. It all kick's off at 7pm. So come on down and we hope to see you all there.

Monday 6 June 2011

Rugby Fridays are coming...

Will you be there?




Rugby Fridays are Free and will run every Friday from July 29th to September 2nd 2011, lunch provided.

Location:London,United Kingdom

Training THIS Wed 8th June

Don't forget!

Pre-Season Training for U12s and U16s starts THIS Wednesday 8th June, 2011 at 6pm on Millwall Park

Any new players wishing to join are most welcome!

Wednesday 1 June 2011

Interested in playing rugby?

If you are a child aged between 7 and 16, why not TRY a different sport?

Why not TRY RUGBY?

There are positions for all shapes, sizes, skills and abilities.

At Millwall Rugby Club, we are more than happy to teach beginners and always welcome experienced players.

If you are keen to do something different....contact us now!

Wednesday Sessions start 8th June

Rugby Fitness, Tag Rugby and Pre-Season training begins on Wednesday 8th of June at 6pm on Millwall Park.

Boys and girls of all ages are welcome.

All sessions are FREE!

The sessions will run up to September this year, when the new rugby season begins.

Monday 23 May 2011

Pre-Season and Summer Holidays

Millwall Rugby Club will be running free rugby taster sessions every Friday during the summer school holidays.

The sessions, titled “Rugby Fridays” are part of the Canary Wharf Group Summer Programme of Sports.

Training for the new season for children aged 7-16 begins on Wednesday 8th of June from 6pm-7pm on Millwall Park. Beginners welcome!

Anyone interested in playing youth or tag rugby for Millwall Lions should contact Matt on 07884012678 or email youthchair@millwallrugby.com

Thursday 19 May 2011

Rugby Club puts on Tag Success!

Four of the Isle of Dogs local primary schools participated in an inter-school tag rugby competition on Thursday 19th of May run by the Rugby Football Union and hosted by Millwall Rugby Club.

Harbinger, St Edmunds, Arnhem Wharf and Cubbit Town all fielded 3 teams each in the event at Millwall Park held in glorious sunshine.  

Over 180 year 3 and 4 children took part in the tournament, which followed 6 weeks of in-school coaching sessions arranged by the club as part of their strategy to be more embedded in the local community.  

Teams from each school were split into three pools, playing 5 minute matches against the other teams in their pool.  The teams with the most wins finished top of the pool and were declared the winners.  Arnhem Wharf won one pool, while St Edmunds primary topped the other two divisions.

RFU Community Rugby Coach Dean Cutting, who delivered the programme for Millwall Rugby Club said the event was a definite success:

 “All the children had lots of fun and I was impressed at how well they adapted to the rules of tag rugby. The event is a testament to Millwall Rugby Club, who are working hard to forge partnerships with their surrounding primary schools”

Muslimah Khanom, teacher from Arnhem Wharf Primary thanked the club for putting on a ‘brilliant’ tournament:

“We really enjoyed ourselves and the children are really excited about how well they did. I’ve really enjoyed working with Millwall Rugby Club and my class are all now enthusiastic budding rugby players!”

Scott Vinnicombe, Tower Hamlets Rugby Development Officer, was present on the day and hailed the Isle of Dogs rugby club for their innovative approach to working with schools:

"The work that Millwall Rugby are doing to promote youth rugby in the borough is outstanding. This programme, which the club have put on at no cost to the participating schools, will be a tremendous help to the development of rugby throughout Tower Hamlets".

Millwall Rugby Club will be running free rugby taster sessions every Friday during the summer school holidays. The sessions, titled “Rugby Fridays” are part of the Canary Wharf Group Summer Programme of Sports.

Training for the new season for children aged 7-16 begins on Wednesday 8th of June from 6pm-7pm on Millwall Park. Beginners welcome!

Anyone interested in playing youth or tag rugby for Millwall Lions should contact Matt on 07884012678 or email youthchair@millwallrugby.com

For more information, visit www.millwalllions.com

Friday 13 May 2011

Awards, School Event and Pre-season

YOUTH END OF SEASON AWARDS

Don't forget, the Lions Annual Awards night is on THISSaturday 14th of May 2011.

Doors open at6pm, with speeches and awards from 7pm

The following awards will be presented:
Mini's Team Presentation
Under 12s Team Presentation
Under 12s Player of the Year
Under 12s Most Improved Player
Under 15s Team Presentation
Under 15s Player of the Year
Under 15s Most Improved Player
Colts Player of the Year

along with a host of special volunteer awards...and some speeches from each team coach and captain.

A buffet dinner will be provided, along with music and dancing after the award presentations.

Tickets cost £5 for adults and £3 for kids (aged 15 and under) and can be purchased at the door.

We want you all to join us as we celebrate another successful season for Millwall Lions!




SCHOOL TOURNAMENT

Millwall RFC will be hosting a primary school tag rugby tournament next Thursday 19th of May 2011.

We are expecting 180 kids to attend from 4 of our closest primary schools: Cubbit Town, St Edmunds, Harbinger and Arnhem Wharf.

In order to run this efficiently we are seeking volunteers to assist in the running of the day from refs to pitch marshals to coaches to help between games and runners to help with paperwork

Volunteers should arrive at the clubhouse around 10.30 - 11 am the kids will turn up at 12 hoping to get started by 1pm and finished by 2.15 followed by club presentations.

If you can help out on the day, please contact Scott Vinnicombe (Youth Coaching Coordinator) on vinnicombes@hotmail.com or call 07826556746




TRAINING INFORMATION

Pre-Season training for the new season will begin onWednesday 8th of June 2011 at 6pm on Millwall Park.

These sessions times are for all teams.

There will be no Sunday morning training sessions until the new season begins in September.


Let's go to Work!

Matt Shorrock
Youth Chair



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Wednesday 20 April 2011

Final Lions Weekly Round Up

Dear Players and Parents,

Here is the last Millwall Lions weekly update for season 2010/11

In this newsletter:

SARACENS TRIP
YOUTH END OF SEASON AWARDS
TRAINING INFORMATION
SUMMER PROGRAMME
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY


SARACENS TRIP

Don’t forget, if you purchased tickets for the trip to Saracens to do the lap of honour before their match, its THIS SUNDAY.

Kick off is at 13:30pm and we need to be at the ground for 12:30pm.Dress code for players is club tracksuit and playing jersey (which we will provide).

All coaches and managers must wear club shirt or tracksuit top.

Please contact Kev on 07896745965 for more information, or ask your team manager (Sarah or Maureen).


YOUTH END OF SEASON AWARDS

The end of season awards night for the Millwall Lions Youth Section will be held at Millwall Rugby Club on Saturday 14th of May 2011, starting 6pm.

The following awards will be presented:
Under 12s Player of the Year
Under 12s Most Improved Player
Under 15s Player of the Year
Under 15s Most Improved Player
Colts Player of the Year

along with a host of special volunteer awards...and some speeches from each team coach and captain.

A buffet dinner will be provided, along with music and dancing after the award presentations.

Tickets cost £5 for adults and £3 for kids (aged 15 and under) and can be purchased at the door, or in advance from Sarah or Maureen.

We want you all to join us as we celebrate another successful season for Millwall Lions!


TRAINING INFORMATION

Training and matches for the 2010/11 season have now finished.

While we give our hard working volunteer coaches and managers some much deserved time off, there will be no training on Wednesdays or Sundays.

Training in preparation for the new season will begin on Wednesday 8th of June 2011.

There will be no Sunday morning training sessions until the new season begins in September.


SUMMER PROGRAMME

We will be running our summer programme once again, supported by team training on Wednesdays. Rugby Fridays will run from 11am till 4pm every Friday during the summer school holidays.

We will also be offering rugby 'taster' days for those children who are new to the game. We'll provide more information about the programme shortly.


DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Here are some important events/dates for your diary!

Sunday 24th April - Saracens Lap of Honour Excursion
Saturday 14th of May - Youth Awards Night
Wednesday 8th of June - Training Resumes
Sunday 4th September - 2011/12 Registration Day

And finally, a thank you to all the parents for supporting us during the year!

We hope your kids enjoyed their rugby season and look forward to seeing you all at the awards night!

Let's go to work!

Matt Shorrock
Youth Chair on behalf of the hard working volunteers at Millwall Lions

Tuesday 29 March 2011

Lions Weekly Round Up

Dear Players and Parents,

Here is your Millwall Lions weekly update!

In this newsletter:

PRINTERS AND DESIGNERS?
THANKS FOR A GREAT NIGHT
VOLUNTEER POSITIONS 'VACANT'
CLUB ANNUAL DINNER
YOUTH END OF SEASON AWARDS
PARENT LUNCH
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
UPCOMING FIXTURES



PRINTERS AND DESIGNERS?

We are on the look out for people with some graphic design skills and access to design software. This is to help us design new promotional flyers and posters for recruitment and general promotion of the club. If you or someone you know can help us with this, please get in touch asap!

We also need regular access to colour printing, sometimes in large quantities? Do you or anyone you know have access to this, so we can keep our printing costs down? Again, get in touch asap!



THANKS FOR A GREAT NIGHT

We'd like to thank all the parents, aunts, uncles and grand parents who came along to our Parent's Wine & Cheese Social night in the clubhouse last week. It was really great to meet all of you and find out how you think we are doing.

Without your support, we simply wouldn't be able to function, so on behalf of all the hard working volunteers, thanks for a fun night, we hope to do it again soon!



VOLUNTEER POSITIONS 'VACANT'

More rugby services and more kids mean that we need more volunteers! The youth committee is pleased to offer the following volunteer roles to keen parents or family members, who want to help us in our quest to be the best rugby club around!

Team Manager
* New Mini's (ages 7 - 9) team needs a focal point of contact!
* 3 hours per week
* reply to ask for the full role description

Parent Liaison Officer
* Be the voice of the parents and help us communicate better
* 2 hours per week
* reply to ask for the full role description

School Liaison Officer
* Build and manage our relationships with our local schools!
* 1 hour per week
* reply to ask for the full role description

Youth Fixtures Officer
* Without rugby matches, it's just training!
* 2 hours per week
* reply to ask for the full role description

Youth Fundraising Officer
* Help us make a positive and financial contribution to the club!
* 1hour per week
* reply to ask for the full role description

Seal of Approval Coordinator
* Help us get club mark accreditation!
* 1 hour per week
* reply to ask for the full role description

We also have opportunities for more flexible volunteering roles, such as:
  • Match/Event Catering
  • Bar Shifts
  • Team Transport
  • Team and Training First Aid
  • Distributing Publicity Material
  • Marketing Material Creation
  • Match Reporting for Press

If you would like to help or are interested in any of the above roles, contact Matt for more information or to have a general chat.



CLUB ANNUAL DINNER

Tickets are now on sale for the whole club annual dinner, to be held in the House of Commons, Westminster hosted by our Club President Jim Fitzpatrick MP.

Lots of the tickets have already been snapped up by people who have been before and know what a special event this is.

We'd like to see as many youth parents attending as possible, so get your tickets and join us for the rugby club's 'night of nights!'

For more info, click here



YOUTH END OF SEASON AWARDS

The end of season awards night for the Millwall Lions Youth Section will be held at Millwall Rugby Club on Saturday 14th of May 2011, starting 6pm.

The following awards will be presented:
  • Under 12s Player of the Year
  • Under 12s Most Improved Player
  • Under 15s Player of the Year
  • Under 15s Most Improved Player
  • Colts Player of the Year

along with a host of special volunteer awards...

A buffet dinner will be provided, along with music and dancing after the award presentations.

Tickets will be on sale shortly, at a cost of £2.50 for adults and £1 for kids (aged 15 and under)

We want you all to join us as we celebrate another successful season for Millwall Lions!



PARENT LUNCH

We'll be having a light lunch on for parents of Millwall Lions players on Sunday 10th of April, as well as providing information to you about volunteering with Millwall Rugby Club.

You'll have the opportunity to talk to the current volunteers, find out what they do and also what they get out of helping run Millwall Rugby Club. You can also sign up for fully-funded places on either RFU Coaching or refereeing courses.

If nothing else, you won't have to worry about preparing that Sunday lunch for the family!

Please RSVP by Wednesday 7th April so we can cater accordingly.

It is our ambition to have a youth section that is well supported by the parents of our players, so please make an effort to come down so we can get to know you!



DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Here are some important events/dates for your diary!
Sunday 10th of April - Parents Lunch / Volunteering Info Day
Saturday 16th of April - Festival of Rugby / RoW day
Sunday 17th April - Marathon / Mudchute Farm Fundraising
Sunday 24th April - Saracens Lap of Honour Excursion
Saturday 7th of May - Club Awards Night at House of Commons
Saturday 14th of May - Youth Awards Night



UPCOMING FIXTURES

3rd April - U12s away at U12 Festival Romford; Under 15s at home to Shoreditch
10th April - U15s at home to Upminster
16th April (Sat) - Festival of Rugby Day

All Millwall Lions home games are played on Millwall Park, with kick off usually at 11am. We require lots of vocal and enthusiastic supporters to come down and cheer on our young players - they are, after all, the future of Millwall Rugby Club.

Let's go to work!

Matt Shorrock
Youth Chair on behalf of the hard working volunteers at Millwall Lions

Thursday 24 March 2011

No U15 match this Sunday

Unfortunately, there is no Under 15's away match this weekend.

Wanstead have not been able to get a team out due to injuries and players unavailable.

Coach Gary Mclaughlin is planning a Sunday training session for the Millwall Under 15s on Millwall Park at the usual training time - so make sure YOU are there!

This is not a week off!

Tuesday 22 March 2011

Parents' Wine & Cheese Night


Dear Parents,
This is just a quick reminder that THIS Friday (25th March) in the clubhouse, it's Parent's Wine and Cheese Night, from 7pm. There will be champagne on arrival, a millwall-selection of cheeses as well as some canapes to nibble on during the evening.
All the youth section volunteers will be present so it'll be a good opportunity to talk to them about the running of the club and raise any issues or questions you might have. Plus you get to socialise with other parents and who knows, maybe make some new friends!?
In order for us to cater appropriately, we really need to know how many of you are coming - we hope, ALL of you!
You would have recently been contacted by Sarah or Maureen, so please could you RSVP to them and let them know that you are joining us for this social event.
Looking forward to seeing you all at the clubhouse on Friday night. Kids are welcome.
See who has already RSVP'd here

Monday 21 March 2011

Lions End of Season Awards Night

The end of season awards night for the Millwall Lions Youth Section will be held at Millwall Rugby Club on Saturday 14th of May 2011, starting 6pm.

The following awards will be presented:

  • Under 12s Player of the Year
  • Under 12s Most Improved Player
  • Under 15s Player of the Year
  • Under 15s Most Improved Player
  • Colts Player of the Year

along with a host of special volunteer awards...

A buffet dinner will be provided, along with music and dancing after the award presentations.

Tickets will be on sale shortly, at a cost of £2.50 for adults and £1 for kids (aged 15 and under)

We want you all to join us as we celebrate another successful season for Millwall Lions!

Lions Weekly Round Up

Dear Players and Parents,

Here is your Millwall Lions weekly update!

In this newsletter:

CLUB EGM
CLUB ANNUAL DINNER
PARENT NIGHT THIS FRIDAY
PARENT LUNCH
PRIMARY SCHOOLS PROGRAMME
GUMSHIELDS
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
UPCOMING FIXTURES



CLUB EGM

The Club Committee has decided to hold an Extraordinary General Meeting for members on TONIGHT, 21st March 2011 at 7.30pm in the Clubhouse.

For more information click here

Come down and have your say!



CLUB ANNUAL DINNER

Tickets are now on sale for the whole club annual dinner, to be held in the House of Commons, Westminster hosted by our Club President Jim Fitzpatrick MP.

Over a third of the tickets have already been snapped up by people who have been before and know what a special event this is.

We'd like to see as many youth parents attending as possible, so get your tickets and join us for the rugby club's 'night of nights!'

For more info, click here



 PARENT NIGHT THIS FRIDAY


Parents Wine & Cheese Social Night (Friday 25th of March)

Champagne on arrival, canapés during the evening, plus a special selection of cheeses available for all parents of children in the Millwall Lions youth section.

Come on down to the clubhouse from 7pm and let your hair down!

Please RSVP by Wed 23rd of March so we can cater accordingly.




 PARENT LUNCH


Parents Lunch & Volunteering Information Day (Sunday 10th of April)

We'll have a light lunch on for parents of Millwall Lions players as well as providing information to you about volunteering with Millwall Rugby Club.

You'll have the opportunity to talk to the current volunteers, find out what they do and also what they get out of helping run Millwall Rugby Club. You can also sign up for fully-funded places on either RFU Coaching or refereeing courses.

If nothing else, you won't have to worry about preparing that Sunday lunch for the family!

Please RSVP by Wednesday 7th April so we can cater accordingly.

It is our ambition to have a youth section that is well supported by the parents of our players, so please make an effort to come down so we can get to know you!



PRIMARY SCHOOLS PROGRAMME

Last week saw the start of our primary school partnership programme. We are now running weekly sessions in Cubbit Town, Arnhem Wharf, St Edmunds and Harbinger Primary Schools.

The sessions will run for 8 weeks and finish with an inter-school tournament on Millwall Park.

We hope to use these sessions to recruit more players for our Mini's section (ages 7-9) and to build closer relationships with our local schools.

If successful, we'll look to run another 8 week programme in the June-July school term and promote our summer programme activities.



GUMSHIELDS

Recently there have been some fantastic pictures of our under 12's matches but unfortunately it has brought to my attention the use of gum shields.

There were several pictures that show players in play appearing to have no gum sheild in or having it hanging out of thier mouth or even in their hand.

Whilst I understand that they are uncomfortable and awkward to wear it is extremely important that they are used and that the players adopt the 'habit' of keeping them in their mouths.

At such a young age especially it would be awful for someone to have an accident that could have been prevented.

Please can you emphasise with all players that it is a requirement from a health and safety aspect that gum shields are to be worn during matches and all contact training.
 A new stock of gum shields has just arrived, so if you haven't got one you can purchase a gum shield from the clubhouse for £2.50 (junior and senior sizes available).

Thank you for your co-operation,
Kerry Attwood
Child Safeguarding Officer



DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Here are some important events/dates for your diary!

Friday 25th of March - Parent's Social Night
Sunday 10th of April - Parents Lunch / Volunteering Info Day
Saturday 16th of April - Festival of Rugby / RoW day
Sunday 17th April - Marathon / Mudchute Farm Fundraising
Sunday 24th April - Saracens Lap of Honour Excursion
Saturday 7th of May - Club Awards Night at House of Commons
Saturday 14th of May - Youth Awards Night



UPCOMING FIXTURES

27th March - Under 12s home to Dagenham; Under 15s away to Wanstead
3rd April - U12s away at U12 Festival Romford; Under 15s at home to Shoreditch
10th April - U15s at home to Upminster
16th April (Sat) - Festival of Rugby Day: U12s v Dagenham; U15s v Bexley plus Venus match and the big Millwall England v Millwall Rest of the World (RoW) show down.


All Millwall Lions home games are played on Millwall Park, with kick off usually at 11am. We require lots of vocal and enthusiastic supporters to come down and cheer on our young players - they are, after all, the future of Millwall Rugby Club.


Let's go to work!

Matt Shorrock
Youth Chair, on behalf of the hard working volunteers at Millwall Lions











Sunday 13 March 2011

Millwall u15s win 55-0

Millwall’s impressive under 15’s side rant out 55-0 victors over Bexley at Millwall Park on Sunday in front of a large crowd of enthusiastic supporters.

Fly-half Alfie Duffy chipped in with 18 points of his own with two tries and four conversions to lead his team to their seventh win of the season. 

Having already beaten Bexley 3 times this season, the Isle-of-Dogs club were looking to keep their streak their winning streak alive right from the opening stages.

Danny Hunt
When Danny Hunt stormed through a gap the home side thought they were in to score first, however a series of important tackles made by the scrambling Bexley defence kept Millwall at bay. 

Duffy finally broke the defence with a scoot from the back of a ruck to score under the posts.

It wasn’t long before Hunt got himself on the score sheet with another bustling run, with the lanky centre breaking through falling tackles on his way to the try line.

While they didn’t have it all their own way, Millwall entered the half time break leading 26-0 through additional tries from Duffy and centre Bobby Grace.

Some fiery words from coach Gary Mclaughlin ensured the local boys did not get complacent and rampaging centre Hunt was unstoppable on his way to score right from the kick off. Another conversion from Duffy and the lead extended 33-0.

It was then the Millwall forwards decided they wanted to get in on the scoring action. New backrow forward Michael Mitchell impressed the vocal sideline supporters with several big runs and equally big tackles. 

A series of pick-and-go moves at the ruck gained the home side 60 metres with great runs coming from Max Grecziens and Mitchell, finished with a forwards-try through the ever-improving Michael Dola-Lami.

Some astute substitutions by coach Mclaughlin kept the score board ticking over as replacement winger George Happe showed pace to score twice in the space of five minutes, both times with tackle-breaking runs from inside the Millwall half.

An Elliot Nagel try capped the final score at 55-0 and a fourth consecutive win over Bexley in 2010/11

Coach Mclaughlin was full of praise for his young charges after the match:
“It was an outstanding performance from all the boys, once again taking their training onto the pitch and winning games, just what you want to see”

Millwall u15s now face Woodford and Wanstead in consecutive weeks, both away before returning to their home pitch at Millwall Park for a match up against Shoreditch on Sunday 3rd of April.

Tries: Alfie Duffy 2, Danny Hunt 2, George Happe 2, Michael Dola-Lami 1, Bobby Grace 1, Elliot Nagel 1
Conv: Duffy 4, Grace 1

MOM
3 – Michael Mitchell
2 – Danny Hunt
1 – Michael Dola-Lami

Video: Coach Gary Mclaughlin Interview. Can't see the video? visit our youtube channel here