15s Player Pathway

BC Rugby Player Pathway

Community, Club, School, Regional, Provincial, National

As with all sports, in rugby there is a clearly defined participation pathway that enables individuals to progress from Community based programs in Clubs and Schools through to Regional representative programs and events and then to Provincial programs and finally National Team selection.

Community Club Programs – Mini Rugby
Long Term Rugby Development: Active Start/FUNdamentals Stage/Learn to Train

Initial participation begins with Club programs at Mini Rugby. From Kindergarten age through to Grade 6, Clubs in BC introduce rugby through a non-contact version of the game aimed at targeting fundamental core skill development and providing a safe and enjoyable environment for players of both sexes.

Aligned with this program is the NCCP Community Initiation Coaching Course aimed at coaches involved in presenting the non-contact version of the game as well as covering issues such as consideration of the Participants and their Needs, Preparing a practice, Ethical decision Making and Risk Management and Duty of Care.

Community Club and School Programs – Competitive Contact Rugby
Long Term Rugby Development: Learn to Train/Train to Train

This covers participation from U13 to U15 Rugby as the game moves from adapted smaller numbers up to the full 15-a-side game. Players can participate in Age Grade League Programs offered by Clubs affiliated with BC Rugby and can also participate in School based programs, usually starting at Grade 8.

Aligned with this program are two NCCP programs.  The first is Community Initiation Coaching Course aimed at coaches involved in presenting the contact version of the game as well as covering issues such as consideration of the Participants and their Needs, Preparing a practice, Ethical Decision Making and Risk Management and Duty of Care. The second is a more advanced Introduction to Competition Coaching Context which aims to further develop coaches in terms of understanding the game and analysing the performance of players at Age Grade level. It also includes Rugby Canada’s Guide to Risk Management and Safe Rugby.

In addition, U14 Boy players at this level can become involved in Representative Rugby at two levels:

• By participating for their regions at the BC Summer Games (every two years) and at the BC Rugby Provincial Regional Championships (seven-a-side), and
• By participating for BC at the annual Provincial Rugby Festival against athletes from other Provinces (13-a-side)

Community Club and School Programs and Regional, Provincial and National Programs – Competitive Contact Rugby
Long Term Rugby Development: Train to Train/Train to Compete

This covers participation from U16 to U20 Rugby. Players can participate in Age Grade League Programs offered by Clubs affiliated with BC Rugby and can also participate in School based programs as well as a full range of representative programs at the Regional, Provincial and National levels. 

There is now a full range of programs available throughout the year. These are provided by BC Rugby and also by the BC Secondary Schools Rugby Union and The BC High Schools Girls Rugby Association.

The pathway from Club and School to Regional, Provincial and National is now very clear as athletes move from Club and School teams to representing their Regions at U16 Men’s Level. These Regional teams are organised by the local sub-unions and include:

U16 Men:
Vancouver North (Clubs and Schools from Whistler, Sunshine Coast, West Vancouver and North Vancouver)
Vancouver West (Clubs and Schools from Central Vancouver and Richmond)
Vancouver East (Clubs and Schools from Burnaby, New Westminster, Port Moody and Coquitlam)
Fraser Valley West (Clubs and Schools from South Surrey, White Rock and Delta)
Fraser Valley West (Clubs and Schools from Aldergrove, Langley, Chilliwack, Mission and Abbotsford)
Vancouver Island North (Clubs and Schools from Courtney, Nanaimo, Ladysmith and Duncan)
Vancouver Island South (Clubs and Schools from Victoria)
Cariboo (Clubs and Schools from Williams Lake, Smithers, Prince George)
Thompson Okanagan (Clubs and Schools from Kamloops, Kelowna, Salmon Arm, Penticton and Vernon)

U18 Men:
Vancouver (Clubs and Schools in the Greater Vancouver region)
Fraser Valley (Clubs and Schools in the Fraser Valley region)
Vancouver Island North (Clubs and Schools from Courtney, Nanaimo, Ladysmith and Duncan)
Vancouver Island South (Clubs and Schools from Victoria)
Cariboo (Clubs and Schools from Williams Lake, Smithers, Prince George)
Thompson Okanagan (Clubs and Schools from Kamloops, Kelowna, Salmon Arm, Penticton and Vernon)

U18 Women:
Vancouver (Clubs and Schools in the Greater Vancouver region)
Fraser Valley (Clubs and Schools in the Fraser Valley region)
Vancouver Island (Clubs and Schools on Vancouver Island region)
Cariboo/Thompson Okanagan (Clubs and Schools in the BC Interior region)

These Regional teams compete annually at the Provincial Regional Championships (PRCs) in early July, held at UBC. From this event, BC U18 Men’s, BC U18 Women’s and BC U16 Men’s teams are selected to compete at the Rugby Canada National Age Grade Championships in mid-August.

At the Rugby Canada National Championships, athletes are considered for selection to Rugby Canada National Teams at the various levels for Men and Women such as National U17 Men and U18 Women and National U20 men and Women.

In addition, U16 Women and U17 Women players at this level can become involved in Representative Rugby at a Regional level:

• By participating for their regions annually at the U16 level at the BC Rugby Provincial Regional Championships (seven-a-side), and
• By participating for their regions at the U17 level at the BC Summer Games (every two years)

Aligned with this level of programming are two levels of formal Coaching. One is the Introduction to Competition Coaching Context which aims to further develop coaches in terms of understanding the game and analysing the performance of players at Age Grade level. It also includes Rugby Canada’s Guide to Risk Management and Safe Rugby.  The second is the Advanced Competition-Development program for Advanced Senior Club, Provincial and Regional Coaches

BC Rugby Academy Programs

Men’s Academy Program

The BC Rugby National Academy Program was established in 2006 and is partially funded through a Rugby Canada/IRB partnership. Players are invited into the Academy Program following competition at the National U16 Men’s Championships and are tracked and monitored over the next four years. Players attend technical camps and enhancement workshops over the course of the program.

Women’s Academy Program

This was also established in 2006 and involves targeted athletes attending regular camps throughout the year. The program is focused on Senior players and also targets younger elite athletes in a developmental environment.

Additional Contact Information

For information on BC Rugby Community Clubs, please visit the BC Rugby website at the Club Directory page http://www.bcrugby.com/index.php?src=directory&view=1

Regional   Representative Rugby is organised by the sub-unions in the province. Contacts for the sub-unions can also be reached by accessing the Club Directory and specifically the Fraser Valley Rugby Union, the Vancouver Rugby Union and Vancouver Island Rugby Union at  http://www.bcrugby.com/index.php?src=directory&view=1

High School contacts throughout the Province can be reached on the BC Websites at http://www.bcrugby.com/index.php?src=directory&view=BCRU%20Administrative%20Directory

BC Summer Games information can be obtained through the official site at http://www.bcgames.org/dotnetnuke/