Diest (Eurotoday) – Diest Rugby, Hageland’s first official rugby club, will launch in September, aiming to change perceptions with a focus on skillful play over hard contact.
Children aged 7 to 11 are the club’s target demographic.
“We mainly want to teach them that rugby is not really a contact sport, but an avoidance sport,”
Says Koen Peeters, one of the founders.
There are now 39 rugby clubs in Flanders, Belgium. Even though the sport is growing, Hageland currently does not have its own club.
“Starting a rugby club is always a good idea, but we think this is really the right time,”
Says Peeters.
“Our national team also has a chance to go to the World Cup in Australia in 2027 for the first time in history. We see rugby growing every day, both for boys and girls.”
As of right now, Diest Rugby is only open to kids aged 7 to 11.
“Although secretly it is our dream to become a fully-fledged club in the future, with many enthusiastic members, a flourishing volunteer life and teams for all ages.”
“We hope to attract about forty members for the coming season,”
Peeters said.
“That would be a fantastic start.”
The sport is seen by some as hard or aggressive, but Peeters wants to change that.
“We are going to teach the children that rugby is not actually a contact sport, but an avoidance sport,”
He says.
“Of course you also have to learn to tackle safely, but rugby is actually much less aggressive than people sometimes fear. The insurance considers rugby to be just as risky as football.”
“There are also different rules for children,”
Peeters explains.
“For example, they are only allowed to tackle from the side and never head-on. Precisely because we are working with such young children, we will also approach the training in a playful manner. This way, they learn to pass and tackle in a fun way. By the way, don’t forget that tactical insight is also very important in rugby.”
The founders believe it is important to instill some values in their members:
“The values and standards of rugby are anything but aggressive,”
Comments
6 responses to “Diest Welcomes Hageland’s First Rugby Club This September”
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Finally, a rugby club in Diest for kids – perfect for teaching them how to dodge and weave instead of, you know, actually tackling. Who knew avoiding contact could be a sport? 😂
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Finally, a place where kids can learn the art of dodging instead of tackling—who needs football when you’ve got avoidance skills? 😂 Can’t wait to see them at the World Cup, making dodging an Olympic sport!
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Starting a rugby club to teach kids that it’s all about dodging tackles rather than smashing into each other—brilliant! Next, let’s open a boxing gym for kids where we focus on knitting instead. 🧶💪
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Starting a rugby club in Diest, eh? Guess they’re aiming for a gentle game of tag with a fancy ball. 🏉🤷♂️
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Starting a rugby club in Diest? Brilliant move, lads! Nothing screams “European charm” quite like teaching kids to gracefully dodge each other while dreaming of World Cup glory! 🏉😂
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Starting a rugby club in Diest, where the biggest sport is dodging potholes, sounds like a brilliant plan! I mean, who wouldn’t want to teach kids that avoiding a tackle is the real goal? 😂🏉
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