By the time the final whistle went at Croydon Rugby Football Club on Tuesday evening, the first week back to school after the Summer break, nobody seemed particularly interested in going home.
The rugby had finished, but the evening hadn’t. Players who had spent the previous couple of hours chasing each other around the pitch were now gathered around the BBQ, eating, talking and laughing, swapping stories from the games and getting to know people they hadn’t met before.
For 36 young people from TackleLondon’s school programmes, it was the first MRRF Academy tournament of the new school year – and a chance to spend an evening playing alongside people from different schools and programmes. The evening was free, open to young people from across our programmes, and supported by Croydon Rugby, which once again opened its doors and pitches to the Academy.
There was no school timetable to follow and no classroom to get back to. Just rugby, food, new faces and a few hours to enjoy themselves.
From the school field to the rugby club
Through TackleLondon, young people meet the same coaches each week and gradually get to know the sport, and each other. For some, that experience ends when the school day does. For others, it sparks an interest in playing more.
The MRRF Academy gives them a further place to go, where they can develop their passion, and, most importantly, spend their time in a safer, developmental environment where they can connect with other young Londoners.
Tuesday’s tournament brought together players from different TackleLondon programmes and put them into mixed teams, rather than simply setting one school against another. People who had arrived not knowing each other were calling for passes a few minutes later, celebrating tries together and settling into their teams.
By the end of the evening, there were plenty of new friendships starting to form, alongside the usual rugby banter and laughter.
The challenge of the tournament builds drive and confidence
There was plenty of competition on the pitch, too.
The Matt Ratana Mustangs came out on top, beating Matt’s Mako Sharks 20-10 in the final. The Ratana Rhinos finished third after turning around an earlier defeat to the Raptors with a 25-10 win. The Raptors had gone unbeaten throughout the tournament until that game.
Those are the moments that make a tournament different from an ordinary training session. A team falls behind and has to respond. A player makes a mistake and has to get back into the game. Someone who might usually stay quiet has to call for the ball, make a decision or step up for their teammates.
The result is important, but so is everything that happens on the way to it.
For the young people taking part, the challenge of playing competitively gives them the chance to test themselves, handle setbacks and experience what it feels like to work towards something together. Coaches also recognised players who showed those qualities throughout the evening, highlighting their determination, teamwork and willingness to keep going when things became difficult.
That is where confidence grows – not from always getting things right, but from having the opportunity to try, face a challenge and discover that you can keep going.
Then came the BBQ.
Players from different teams were suddenly sitting together rather than lining up against one another. Conversations carried on long after the matches had finished. The competitive edge of the final gave way to an evening of food, laughter and getting to know one another.
For young people who first met through a school rugby session, it was another opportunity to spend time together – this time because they had chosen to come along.
That is an important part of what the Academy provides.
TackleLondon introduces young people to rugby through their schools. The Academy offers them somewhere beyond the school timetable to keep playing if they want to.
There is no requirement to be there. No lesson register. No classroom teacher waiting at the end.
They turn up because they want to play.
A place to keep playing
That makes evenings like Tuesday more than a one-off tournament.
Some of the young people on the pitch first picked up a rugby ball through TackleLondon’s school sessions. They can now train with an Academy team, play in tournaments and, for those who want to take it further, begin looking towards local rugby clubs and other opportunities.
It is a simple idea: give young people a chance to discover something they enjoy, and then make sure there is somewhere for them to go next. On Tuesday, that meant 36 young people from different schools and programmes sharing a pitch at Croydon Rugby Football Club. A few hours later, they were still there, eating together, talking and laughing about the evening. Sometimes the best sign of a good night is that nobody is in a hurry to leave.
The MRRF Academy is open to all participants of our TackleLondon school sessions. Please get in contact with aidan@tacklelondon.org if you are intersted in joining!
Thank you, Croydon Rugby
A huge thank you to everyone at Croydon Rugby Football Club for continuing to welcome the MRRF Academy onto your pitches and giving our young people a place to train, compete and spend time together.
Your support makes evenings like this possible, and we are very grateful for it.
With the new school term now underway, our TackleLondon sessions are back in schools across the programme – and for the young people who want to keep going, the Academy is ready for them.