The senior clubs of Nantymoel, Ogmore Vale and Pontycymer have pooled junior coaches, volunteers and facilities to form Valley Ravens Minis and Juniors, to ensure children from across the two valleys have the chance to play rugby in a vibrant club environment.
The Welsh Rugby Union made the proposal to the senior clubs after new hub officer for Coleg y Dderwen, Chris Dicomidis conducted an audit of the active school players from the two valleys which showed that there were 92 active school players not currently registered with a club.
WRU rugby coordinator Liam Scott said, “We knew there was an appetite for club rugby in the area but with a limited population base, there are not enough players in the locality to feed three junior clubs so it was an ideal opportunity for the clubs to work together to bridge the gaps and enable teams at every age group to thrive.
“We know how important local rivalry is in Welsh rugby but the long term aim here is that the children will play as Valley Ravens until youth level and then return to their clubs of origin to help sustain those senior clubs in the future.”
Valley Ravens secretary Emma Turner explained, “We have enthusiastic coaches and volunteers who want to spread the love of rugby to the next generation. The ambition in working together and encouraging children from the two valleys to join Valley Ravens, is that we share a vision to increase junior rugby in the area. Our hope is that children won’t need to go elsewhere to continue playing rugby, and it will also help to sustain the senior clubs in the long term. We already have teams from under 7s to under 12s, and the aim is to grow with those children and add more teams along the way.
“It’s a family affair here, there is a big welcome for all. We’re seeing new players every week and I’d encourage anyone who’s interested in playing sport and making new friends to come along to our Wednesday training evenings or to find us on Facebook or Twitter to find out more about us.”
Valley Ravens Under 9 coach Lee Parry added, “Coming from the Garw Valley myself, it was sad to see no mini section in the Valley, and pleasing now to see children from Garw Valley joining Valley Ravens and seeing social media full of praise for how they’re getting on.”
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A similar initiative has been successful in the Dulais Valley with the junior sections of Banwen, Seven Sisters and Crynant coming togther to form Dulais Valley RFC.
