CHILDREN can try rugby for the first time, free from pressure to join a team, as part of a new initiative by Northwich Rugby Club.

Their Super Stars sessions on Sunday mornings at Moss Farm will focus on introducing boys and girls to the game by teaching them basic skills.

It’s free to join in.

“Everybody has kicked a ball around by the age of six or seven,” said Richard Dale, a qualified coach with responsibility for the scheme.

“But nowhere near as many have caught an egg-shaped one.

“This is about introducing those same youngsters to rugby and giving them a feel for what it’s about.”

Former first-team coach Roger Pickering helped to develop the concept as a way of relaunching the club’s junior section.

Numbers have reduced in recent seasons and Northwich are fielding only two teams – at under 12s and under 18s – each weekend.

Dale said: “For now, this isn’t about forming new sides.

“Super Stars has been set up to increase participation and show that rugby can be a fun option for every kid.

“We’re only at the start, and it will take time and patience to grow something like this.

“But the initial signs have been encouraging, and the kids that have been down so far have gone home with a smile on their face after running around with a rugby ball in their hands.”

Now 29, he is one of a number of players in the first-team to have joined the club as a boy before progressing through the age-group ranks to a senior side.

He has already been able to rely on help from teammates to deliver a Super Stars session.

Dale added: “I remember starting out with my cousins and my brother and making new friends from there.

“There are guys in the first-team now that have kids of their own and they’ll be looking for somewhere for them to play.

“We want that to be here at Northwich, which is why it’s important to get children involved at an early age.”

They plan to run taster sessions in schools.

Super Stars takes place at Moss Farm every Sunday, from 10.30am until midday.

The sessions are designed for boys and girls, aged from five to 11, and they need not have played rugby previously.

To find out more, call Richard Dale on 07590 501464 or send an email to rugby@northwichrufc.co.uk