The Florida Rugby Union (FRU) in partnership with the Florida Youth Rugby Union (FYRU) are investing in the development of coaches across the state. Both organizations have partnered with Ignite Rugby to provide all registered coaches with a new Web-Based Platform and Smartphone application to further assist in their on-going development. The platform is a 3-Way Joint Venture combining World Cup, Super Rugby, and European Cup winning/playing and coaching experience with a North American Technology partner.
Key partners:
- Former Australian Football League (AFL) Premiership winner and for over 30 years a Professional Coach in the AFL, National Rugby League, with Scotland Rugby and more recently as the All Black Skills Coach between 2005 & 2015 and their Back to Back World Cup wins – Mick Byrne.
- Another former World Cup winner and the first Player-Coach to win a World Cup and both major Provincial Competitions in both hemispheres (Super Rugby & European Cup) – long-term Fox Sports Analyst – Rod Kafer.
- StackSports – USA based technology partner who have a suite of technologies supporting the North American Sporting market that include: Major League Baseball, USA Football, USA Lacrosse etc.
Ignite Rugby’s vision is “to allow practical coaching advice to be accessible anywhere, anytime, up-skilling coaches in Florida, ensuring players get the most out of their rugby. We will continue to update content to move with new trends in the game.”
The platform provides video-based education in and around training, focusing on giving coaches the skills to understand the ‘Why’, ‘What’ and ‘How’ of coaching which facilitates learning environments that are enjoyable for all participants.
Given that most coaches in Florida receive their Level 200 certification, but often do not have many local opportunities for continuing education, Florida Rugby saw the need to re-invest resources in coaching development. This was reinforced by a survey of the coaches, which emphasized a desire from most coaches for more local learning opportunities to improve their abilities to plan training and provide new skills to players. Kerri O’Malley, FRU President, believes “the coach is a vital part of creating and maintaining a successful rugby club; quality practices and training improve player retention, which leads to more success for the club both on and off the field.”
The coaching platform is planned to fully launch in Fall of 2020 at the FRU AGM & Summit, with a pilot group of coaches testing the program in Spring of 2020 to determine the best ways it can serve Florida Rugby. If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Kerri O’Malley at president@floridarugby.org.
More information on the Ignite Platform can be found at: https://view.joomag.com/ignite-rugby-ignite-platform-prospectus/0079642001528951883