U13s: Important RFUW announcement

Two major announcements concerning the U13 band were made today:

U13 Dispensation will continue for the 2012/13 season All players must be 12 years of age as of midnight on the 31st August 2012 and of played club rugby during the 2011/12 season under the RFU continuum, only players that have been registered on Rugby First before the season closed on the 12th May 2012 will be approved to play U15 Girls rugby. Applications will be made through a new enhanced application form and this form will be available on line.  Any club applying for dispensation must prove over the coming season that they  endeavour to set up playing pathways for any future U13 girls. 

While the only logical decision I confess to being slightly surprised, but clubs now have about two weeks to ensure that any girls with a smattering of interest in the game are registered before the deadline as at least they will get a choice about what game they play, though realistically this is either playing U15s or playing practically no rugby at all.

And even better, of course, it means that girls with years of mini experience (ie. the ones that will go on to play for England) will not be forced to return to the rugby kindergarten.

Slightly worrying that this will continue to be reviewed each year - difficult to see what the down side is for anyone.

Introducing the U11 age band to the U13s making the age band open to all girls aged 10, 11, and 12 years of age at midnight on the 31st August 2012.Any girls playing rugby in the RFUs U11 age band have the opportunity to join an U13 girl’s side if they wish or they \can continue to play rugby under the RFU continuum. 

The rational[sic] for introducing this option is to try and stop the drop out at the U11 age group as research shows this is taking place due to the introduction of playing contact with the boys. 

Two matters of note here. Well, three. The first is the very sensible decision to expand the U13 band to a three year band - why not go the whole hog and make it a three year U12 band with no overlap with U15s, I am tempted to ask, but you cannot have everything.

Secondly - note that the RFUW seem to now be adopting the RFU definition of a person's age, not the old ambiguous "11 on 1st September" that has caused so much fun and confusion over the years. Hopefully the same will now apply to the definition of U15 and U18?

Finally - the alleged drop out from minis due to the introduction of contact. Sorry - what research? And is the problem really contact, or boys? I strongly suspect it is the latter, and not the former, being as boys of around this age do often show signs of regression into Neaderthalism which most sensible girls would want nothing to do with. But just because girls get fed up playing contact rugby with boys who are incapable of basic communication or understanding words like "pass" does not mean that they dislike playing contact. Well, that always seemed to be the case with the ones I spoke to.

Oh - and could someone at RFUW get a dictionary out and look up the words "rational" and "rationale"? Just a suggestion.