Here’s a great opportunity to introduce children to the game of rugby in a safe environment, with little or no attention being given to the tough tackling, fearsome rucks and mauls.
Touch – aka Touch Rugby, or Touch Football, as it is also known – is a fast, minimal contact game that is fun to play, easy to learn and is suitable for boys and girls of all ages and abilities.
UAE Touch is an organisation which is bringing a fresh impetus to the sport here – and it’s now organising coaching clinics to teach the sport’s tricks and skills to the country’s youngsters.
It’s the national association and governing body for the sport here, and is accredited by the Federation of International Touch.
John Larkins, UAE Touch President, said: “Touch is an easy game to learn and suitable for boys and girls, men and women of all ability levels. Touch builds speed, agility, ball skills and fitness – it’s great for team building and best of all is a heap of fun.
“Although touch is similar to rugby it does not involve any tackling or aggressive contact, instead it focuses on running, passing, catching and evasion skills.” In a bid to introduce the game to children and grow the sport locally, UAE Touch will start teaching at a number of schools in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Its first academy, at Al Yasmina School in Khalfia City in Abu Dhabi, runs on Saturdays from 8.45am, with sessions geared towards six to 12 year olds. It’s just Dh40 a class, otherwise Dh120 gets you four in a month.
If you’re a bit older, hang in there, a new age group for 16 to 18-year-old boys and girls will commence in November, when the Etihad Junior Touch Football Academy will also kick off at the Dome in Abu Dhabi for 6-18 year olds (November 2).
As for existing classes, they are led by fully qualified FIT coaches and support staff, so you’ll be in good hands, and Larkins says: “This is an Etihad Airways sport and social initiated community project and UAE Touch are supplying the coaching expertise initially.”
If you want to witness the action first before signing up your little ones for the academy, best head to the inaugural Etihad Airways Touch competition this Wednesday, October 2 at Emirates Palace. This is the first-ever internationally-affiliated touch competition to be held in the capital, and has the help of international and UAE qualified referees to oversee the competition.
At the same time, organisers see this as a social/corporate affair with a family focus, and over half the teams entered so far have large percentages of students playing, as well as first-year players. Larkins added: “There is provision in the academies for adult leagues also. We are trying to encourage everybody to have the chance to give the game a go.
“We are encouraging families to get involved as well. Can you get Mum, Dad and the kids on the pitch at the same time? The same goes for the corporate teams – get the boss, managers and interns all playing at the same time, male and female alike.”
WHAT: UAE Touch Academy Classes
WHEN: Saturdays, 8.45am – 9.45am
WHERE: Al Yasmina School, Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi
CONTACT: [email protected]
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