Community Rugby
The club is proud to host many community events and has formed links with Schools, Colleges, Special Needs Schools and Community Groups.
Burnley & Pendle
Community Rugby Coach (CRC)
Chris Lowden
Community Rugby Coach
Rugby Football Development Ltd
Mobile: 07894489731
Email: chrislowden@rfu.com
www.rfu.com
The Community Rugby Coach role is to ensure that anyone looking to play Rugby Union has the opportunity too.
This means that I work closely with the local Schools and Colleges to promote Rugby Union and link the schools with the Local Rugby club.
As well as coaching in local Schools I also organise competitions for schools and colleges to play in and allow a competitive end to training.
Burnley Rugby Club work hard to ensure that Rugby Union grows in an area where other sports are more traditional.
We are looking to get into as many schools and colleges as possible, if anyone would like to help and volunteer to coach in schools please let me know.
Below are the Schools and Colleges that Chris has worked with
Junior & Primary Schools
Barden
Briercliffe
Brunshaw
Casterton
Cherry Fold Community
Christ The King R C
Hapton C of E / Methodist
Heasandford St James' Lanehead C of E
Holy Trinity C of E
Holly Grove School 4-11 Special School
Ightenhill
Lowerhouse Junior School
Padiham
Padiham Green C of E
Padiham St Leonard's Voluntary Aided C of E
Rosegrove Inf School
Rosewood
St Augustine of Canterbury R C
St John's C of E, Cliviger
St Johns R C
St John The Baptist R C, Padiham
St Mary's R C
St Mary Magdalene's R C
St Peter's C of E
Springfield Community
St Stephen's C of E Voluntary Aid
The Rose School 11-16 BESD School
Stoneyholme Community
Wellfield Methodist and Anglican Church School
Whittlefield
Worsthorne
High Schools & Colleges
Hameldon College
Blessed Trinity RC College
Ridgewood Community High School
Shuttleworth College
Sir John Thursby Community College
Unity College
Burnley Rugby club host tag tournament for local primary schools
12 local primary schools took part in the SPAR TAG Tournament on Wednesday (that's over 120 kids!)
Aimed at children in school years five and six, 30 matches were hosted in what proved to be a closely contested event.
With the aide of the clubs new Community Rugby Coach Chris Lowden, the tournament ran well for all the schools who took part, and the weather contributed to a successful day!
Having joined the Holden Road set-up back in August, Chris has already become active with a large section of the local junior and senior schools and colleges in the area.
Cliviger took the top spot with victory over St Mary's and Wellfield in the final stages, earning the opportunity to represent the area at the Lancashire Youth Games in 2011
Burnley RUFC would like to thank Chris Lowden, Burnley School Sports Partnership, and especially all those children who took part in the tournament and look forward to seeing more schools taking part in next years event
- Any child can come to Burnley Rugby Club on Sundays and train and take part in matches against other teams from in and around the area
RUGBY is making a comeback in Burnley after a pitch was created at one of the town’s new schools.
The new Unity College on Towneley Holmes boasts the rugby field and it is thought to be the first school in the town to have a pitch since Burnley Grammar pulled its posts down in the mid 1960s.
Teachers, coaches and officials said they hoped it would mark the beginning of a resurgence in the sport locally.
John Williams, who teaches PE at Unity, said it would provide youngsters with an alternative to football.
“When I first came to Burnley there was very little rugby and it was very football-oriented,” he said.
“Rugby is another avenue to enjoy. If someone isn’t good at football it doesn’t mean they won’t be good at rugby.
In Pendle there are rugby pitches at Pendle Vale College and West Craven High Technology College as rugby league, in particular, is popular and long-established in the borough.
Chris Lowden, the Rugby Football Union’s community coach for Burnley and Pendle, said he was trying to get more youngsters interested in rugby union, especially in Burnley, where there is an established club - Burnley Rugby Union Football Club.
He said: “England has one of the best teams in the world and Lancashire is a very strong region, so there is no reason why Burnley and Pendle can’t become successful in rugby in their own right.”
Peter Hughes, president of Burnley RUFC and a former international referee, said: “Burnley is primarily a football town but we have always had a rugby club and it’s great to have this added support.”
Coaches from the club's Junior Section work with local schools
This week saw coaches from our Junior Section sealing it's community ties by working with Brunshaw School
Two days were booked providing a number of multi-skills sessions and an introduction into rugby.
Well done to all who took part from the Rugby club and for Brunshaw school for allowing our club strengthen it's community ties
Burnley Rugby Club are happy to work with any school (after-school activity, or during term curriculum), collage, club, for more information please contact any of the clubs representatives.
When a Burnley team plays a Blackburn team there is always a touch more excitement in the occasion.
This was also Burnley College’s first home win of the season which made the result even more pleasing for the home team.
St. Mary’s were a good side with a good back division that threatened many times in the first half to score. However, a combination of a stronger tackling performance by Burnley and many errors by the opponents prevented St. Mary’s from scoring in the first half. Some good tackling performances by Tom Ives and by newcomer Stephen Kent made a big difference to the Burnley defence.
Two tries were scored by scrumhalf Konrad Hill, one try by Matty Crowley and one by Steve Harrison all took place in the first half. The visitors rallied in the second half and scored three tries without converting leaving the score at 23 – 15.
Burnley next play Stonyhurst College away Wed 17th March.
The newly formed Burnley College rugby team showed considerable improvement and some entertaining rugby against an established side from Skipton.
The format was 10s rugby with five forwards and five backs. This makes for some fast paced expansive rugby but also can expose defences if players are out of position.
Both sides had some very good individual talent. Noticeably the Craven side had some Skipton RUFC and Wharfedale RFC players whose skills and angles of running were excellent. Over the first quarter the sides were fairly evenly matched. However as the Burnley defence began to be exposed out wide the Yorkshiremen were able to run in several tries through some very good back play.
This essentially put the game out of reach for Burnley, however they showed some good spirit and flair in the second half to regain some pride. Two classy tries from Burnley captain Konrad Hill (scrum half) really lifted the tempo. Steven Harrison, Tom Ives and pacey winger Nick also scoring hard earned tries. Overall there were some really encouraging signs for the upcoming fixtures.
Burnley (whose home ground is Burnley RUFC) have several more Wednesday afternoon fixtures:
Burnley and Nelson & Colne Colleges completed against each other for the first ever time.
Both colleges competed against each other for the first ever time on Wednesday 21st at Burnley rugby club.
After 6 weeks of coaching time run by the community rugby coach at both colleges, the colleges formed 10’s teams for their first fixture.
For many of those taking to the pitch from both colleges it was also their first ever fixture, with some equally only having started playing as a result of the colleges enrichment sessions.
The community coach role introduced last year and funded by both Burnley and Colne & Nelson rugby clubs has seen an increase in the uptake of rugby at all ages both in and out of school across the Burnley and Pendle area
The match saw both teams fighting to secure their lines for the first 20 minutes, when Nelson and Colne seemed to settle managing to grasp an opportunity to burst through Burnleys’ previously solid defence to open the scoring.
Both teams fought hard in defence throughout the game with notable performances coming from Burnley’s 10 Josh, and Nelson and Colnes' Sonny who has recently progressed through to NW colleges representative side.
Fantastic phases of both defensive and attacking play were seen from both sides, but equally the sheer spirit and attitudes of both teams was further credit to their performances.
Hard fought throughout the result of 29-10 to Nelson & Colne was the closing score. The real result however was the development of inter college rugby across our area. Both teams are now looking forward to entering the RFU’s developing colleges 10’s tournaments in November and March, as well as securing further fixtures against other local colleges.
For more information about rugby in this area please contact elainevassie@therfu.com 07894 489 731.
For Burnley Rugby Club contact Rab on 07884 000 530
For Nelson & Colne Rugby Club contact Dalu on 07861 380 046
Between both clubs junior and senior rugby for a variety of abilities is available, as well as U15 girls and a women’s section.
Burnley Rugby Club is also spreading its wings on the community front in a bid to take rugby into schools and colleges.
With the employment of a new Community Rugby Coach, in the shape of Elaine Vassie, underlines our goals to take the sport of rugby to a new level in the area.
Elaine, a Level Two RFU qualified coach, plays her rugby for both Altrincham Ladies and Cheshire County.
Having joined the Holden Road set-up back in August, she has already become active with a large section of the local junior and senior schools and colleges in the area.
Her impact was highlighted on 15th October with the successful hosting of a tag rugby tournament, enjoyed by 16 local schools from across the Burnley area (that's over 200 kids!)
Aimed at children in school years five and six, 32 matches were hosted in what proved to be a closely contested event.
St Joseph's took the top honour with victory over Wellfield in the final, earning the opportunity to represent the area at the Lancashire Youth Games next year.
IT'S been a busy time both on and off the field for Burnley Rugby Club.
Success on the pitch has been backed up with awards off it, as the Holden Road club continues to grow in stature.
And the two honours handed to them in recent weeks reflect the effort shown by everyone involved.
None more so than the RFU Seal of Approval, handed to clubs proving their commitment to becoming a safe, effective and child-friendly club.
Introduced by the Rugby Football Union, the Seal of Approval accreditation programme is a method of examining, maintaining and improving the provision of rugby to the mini and youth sections of a rugby club.
The accreditation aims to recognise the effort and achievement of those clubs that reach, maintain and improve on the required standard of a club committed to the provision of quality rugby union experiences for young players.
And with the club also achieving Clubmark accreditation, it has been a special time for all concerned at Holden Road.
But it is not just the work of the club as a whole that is being rewarded.
Club stalwart Peter Hughes was rewarded for his outstanding service to the game with the award of the Torch Trust Trophy by the Duke of Kent at a ceremony in London back in January.
And the former international referee was presented with a special framed photograph marking the occasion, by Burnley MP Kitty Ussher.
But the club would like to hand a special mention to Ridgewood, who were invited along in preparation for their MLD and SLD tournament next year, and showed some great teamwork to score nine tries across their three fixtures.
Originally printed in the Burnley Express
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