BRFU, XL & Serevi Team Up To Support Rugby

The Bermuda Rugby Football Union, XL Group and Serevi Rugby, a of on-field programming for coaches and players from beginner to Olympian, have teamed up to bring a range of fun, active, and high level rugby programs to the youth of Bermuda.

Sponsored by XL, the three-year, multi-tiered rugby development program led by Serevi Rugby and Bermuda RFU began on June 24th and includes a week of youth camps and combines school visits and coaching courses designed to engage youth across Bermuda with the sport.

Serevi’s internationally recognized coaches will also work directly with the Bermuda National Teams to help them develop the skills and training regiment needed to compete at high levels of international rugby.

“We believe in providing boys and girls across Bermuda with new character building opportunities like this to encourage an active lifestyle, teamwork, respect, and the opportunities that come with the sport of rugby,” said Mark Berry, Senior Vice President and Managing Director at XL Group who is also a Bermudian former rugby player and a committee member of the UK-based children’s charity of rugby The Wooden Spoon .

“Bringing a world-class rugby company like Serevi to Bermuda to work with the local RFU will provide players from beginner to our national team with exposure to the sport and a new level of skills which we believe will benefit Bermuda.”

Working with the Bermuda RFU, Serevi Rugby’s on-island programming will be lead by international rugby legend Waisale Serevi, the “King of Sevens” and IRB Hall of Fame Inductee, National Championship Winning Coach Evan Haigh, former or current national team players Pate Tuilevuka (USA), William Rasileka (Fiji), and Isimeli Daveta (Fiji).

All programming will take place at the National Sports Centre – South Field (50 Frog Lane, Devonshire Parish) and the schedule for the week includes:

• XL Group, Serevi® Local School Visits: Wednesday, June 26th
• XL Group, Serevi® Youth Camp: Thursday, June 27th – Friday, June 28th
• XL Group, Serevi® Youth Combine: Saturday, June 29th
• XL Group, Serevi® National Team Camp: Saturday, June 29th – Sunday June 30th

Youth players interested in participating should email Bermuda RFU’s Patrick Calow at pcalo@brfu.bm to register. More information, videos and pictures are available at serevirugby.com/bermuda.

“Thanks to our friends at XL, we are striving to create a legacy for future Bermudian rugby players by sharing the game we love with them and providing the national teams with hands-on training they need to take their game to the next level,” said Waisale Serevi, co-Founder of Serevi Rugby and lead coach.

“Many of our coaches we’re bringing to Bermuda come from my native Fiji, so they share some common experiences with the island youth we’ll be working with and can connect and inspire them about the opportunities rugby can provide in life.”

As part of the XL sponsorship, Serevi Rugby will be making three visits in 2013 (June/July, September, October/November) to provide the on-island youth and national team development programs.

The two-day national team camp with the Bermudian men and women’s 7s rugby teams will focus on consistent execution of core rugby skills under increasing levels of game-like pressure in preparation for the North American Caribbean Rugby Association tournament in November.

“Because of the generous support of XL, and the expertise brought by Serevi Rugby, we feel this three-year program will transform rugby across the entire island,” said Patrick Calow, Bermuda RFU Coach.

“The training received by our national team all the way down to our youth will help us lay the foundation and achieve our goal of becoming a top ranked Caribbean rugby nation. We can’t thank XL enough for this opportunity for our players to work with the best.”

The Bermuda program is part of Serevi Rugby’s “Rugby Kings” international programming, featuring international rugby legends Serevi, English legend Ben Gollings and Argentine great Santiago Gomez Cora, which creates a level of coaching skill and experience unmatched in rugby programming.

Through Rugby Kings, Serevi Rugby takes teams of coaches to dense or emerging rugby markets around the world including Hong Kong, Bermuda, Africa, and the Pacific Islands in 2013. Each program is tailored to the needs of the host nation, working with youth coaches and athletes through the rugby development pipeline, often including National Team athletes.

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Category: All, Sports