New sessions bring touch rugby league to local sports fans
WLCT, in partnership with Selby District Council, is bringing a new kind of rugby league to Selby District after successfully helping local amateur club Selby Warriors apply for funding through North Yorkshire Sport.
Community
Play Touch Rugby League offers all the thrill, excitement and camaraderie of the traditional game but without the high impact tackling. The rules of Touch Rugby League are very simple to make it easy for participants to join in and play. If you're new to the game you will be amazed at how easy it is to pick up.
Homegrown talent Tom Lineham, who plays for Super League side Hull FC, will be coming along to the launch of sessions in Selby this month. Tom who grew up in Selby and previously played for York City Knights before being signed by Hull FC made a big impression on the big stage with Full England Honors a realistic possibility in the future. There will be a special ticket offer from Hull FC for anyone who attends.
Mark Tipping, one of the organisers of the turn up and play sessions, said: “Almost anybody can get involved in Play Touch Rugby League. Locally, I am really hoping to attract more women into the sport and also to tempt ex full contact rugby league players back into playing. People should not be put off if they do not feel physically fit there is a great social side to the sport. Everybody has to start somewhere and we can all work on fitness together.”
Play Touch Rugby League has been designed by the RFL to make playing the sport more accessible to a wider audience. In the game, teams score by grounding the ball over the opposition’s try line. They must also pass the ball backwards and have six opportunities to score. To stop the opposition from scoring, a player must touch, rather than tackle, the player on the ball. After six touches, the attacking team must pass the ball to the defending team who then has six new scoring opportunities.
Sessions last an hour and are aimed at men and women aged 14+ of all abilities. Each team has five or six players on the field at any one time and are permitted to make as many substitutions as they like.
Adam Prentis, Sports Development Coordinator at WLCT, said: ““This funding can really help to develop new sporting opportunities and to increase participation in sport, and I would urge anyone thinking of trying out the sport to contact us if they feel it’s something that they could benefit from. Sportivate is fully inclusive and the funding is open to any organisation that can offer a viable sports project which has helped to fund the Riccall site. I would thank North Yorkshire Sport for their support in this process.”
Damien Smith, Head of Development at North Yorkshire Sport, said: “Accessing Sportivate funding is a great way for clubs and organisations to increase their capacity for new players and to enable clubs to support individuals to access a coach education course as part of a Sportivate programme”
To apply for Sportivate funding visit www.northyorkshiresport.co.uk/sportivate
Players are being recruited now and anybody interesting in giving it a go is invited to attend the Regen Centre in Riccall on Monday 28 April and Thorpe Willoughby Sports Association will start from Wednesday 14th May both sessions start at 6:15pm. Sessions cost £2.50.
If you would like to find out more, contact Adam on 07557430350 or email: a.prentis@wlct.org or visit You can also visit http://www.playtouchrugbyleague.co.uk for more information.