In January US Portsmouth were in the news when they launched their academy. Not content to rest on their laurels the club’s Community Team under Si Burn’s stewardship continue to press forward to ensure that US Portsmouth’s growth as a vibrant club for all comers does not slow down.
Today it was the turn of the fast flowing non contact version of the game, touch rugby, to take centre stage as the following RFU press release describes:
Fun, fitness and friendship with O2 Touch in Portsmouth
United Services Portsmouth RFC is looking to get more people playing rugby through the Rugby Football Union’s O2 Touch initiative.
Touch is the fun, non-contact version of rugby played by people of all ages and every level of ability and experience.
Broadening the reach and appeal of rugby through Touch is one of the key focus areas for the RFU to create a lasting legacy for the sport in the build up to and beyond the Rugby World Cup in 2015.
The RFU, working with O2, is committed to establishing 75 new O2 Touch Centres by June 2013 and a further 100 during 2013-14 – and United Services Portsmouth RFC is one of the first clubs in the country to be involved.
The club will be running weekly Touch Rugby sessions at the grounds in Burnaby Road, PO1 2EJ on Friday evenings at 6.30pm to 8pm from April 19 onwards. Everyone is welcome and sessions are FREE to begin with.
The programme will run alongside the recently launched O2 Touch tour which is the RFU’s biggest ever campaign to get England playing Touch Rugby, and is visiting Portsmouth on March 20.
England Rugby International Brad Barritt has endorsed O2 Touch. Speaking at the launch of the O2 Touch tour, which he attended with teammates Alex Goode and Mike Brown, Brad Barritt said: “O2 Touch is a great way to keep fit and to have some fun. The best thing about it is that anyone can play and not worry about the physical side of rugby! It’s a really positive initiative from the RFU and O2 to enable people of any age to get back into playing the game or try it for the first time. I’d definitely encourage people to pitch up to play.”
Sally Cowdry, Marketing and Consumer Director at O2 said, “We’re really proud of our long standing relationship with England Rugby and through the O2 Touch programme, are committed to bringing rugby to everyone. Touch Rugby is such an inclusive and accessible sport and we really hope that the tour and The Untouchables launched today will inspire a whole new generation to pick up a rugby ball and start playing this exciting game.”
To find out more about O2 Touch visit www.rfu.com/O2touch
To find out more about United Services Portsmouth RFC, visit: http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/unitedservicesportsmouth/
Contact: Si Burns dorusprfc@gmail.com 07584 421409
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