A team of volunteers at Carrick Rugby Club is taking the game into the community like never before, breaking down barriers to participation. By organising weekly Friday Night Diversionary rugby training and working closely with the council and Scottish Rugby, they ensure sessions are shaped around and responsive to the needs of the local community.
The Friday Night Diversionary sessions have been a massive success with 70 youngsters regularly attending. In addition to this, the club is now able to support fielding senior, youth male (U18, U16 and U14), youth female (U16, U14 and S1 to S6) and mini (P1 to P6) teams.
Carrick Rugby Club’s Development Officer Aiden Strachan said:
“For the Friday night session, we wanted to provide a sporting opportunity that was as easy as possible to participate in. Our experience was there had been an increase in anti-social behaviour in the areas as well as isolation amongst young people, following the pandemic, and we wanted to help get communities thriving again.”
He added, “The geographical spread of the local rural population is quite sparse, with small villages sitting far apart from one another. For many of the young people transport and affordability would have traditionally prevented them from taking part.”
Anna Connon, Funding Officer, U17s Team Manager and volunteer said, “A big factor that holds people back in rural areas is transport. Providing transport from Girvan through the villages was crucial to getting the Friday Night sessions going. We do food for the wee ones that are too little to join in and for the parents, they can come in and have a coffee, and a chat, and we've done a lot of additional programmes alongside it.”
Building belonging through sport
Carrick Rugby Club is a core part of North Carrick Community Sport Hub, which is part of the national sportscotland Community Sport Hub network and supported by South Ayrshire Council.
Funded by The National Lottery, the Community Sport Hub programme brings sports clubs and community organisations together to create stronger, safer, more sustainable and inclusive hubs, helping to increase the impact of sport and physical activity across communities in Scotland.
Ryan Douglas, Community Sport Hub Officer in South Ayrshire, has worked closely with the club through the Changing Lives in Sport programme which has supported the club through funding opportunities for free transport, coach education, profile and promotion, access to schools for delivery and holiday programmes.
Ryan said, “It's a free, fun session that the kids can come along to and there's also an abundance of adult volunteers here too… whether that’s making cups of tea, coaching, or coming along for the social aspect. It gets them out of the house and for those experiencing social isolation from living in a rural area, they get the opportunity to come along and get involved.”
He added, “The rugby club are so grateful for the support that we give them and that partnership is getting stronger as a result. The support on a Friday night specifically has led to the programmes being delivered in partnership within the area, in Maybole and in Girvan.”
Aiden said, “We link in closely with Ryan and the Community Sport Hub, as well as Active Schools as a wider network. They help us get projects like Friday Nights on the move, as well as our school delivery projects and one-to-one engagement projects that we run within the schools”.
Anna highlights that the success of the club is down to a whole community effort. From volunteers to participants, partners and key organisations, the Friday Night project has been able to thrive.
Anna said:
“Partnerships are just integral to what we can do really. We couldn't do anything in isolation. We do a lot with Active Schools and voluntary organisations within the North Carrick sector, and also South Carrick, as well.”
Anna added, “It has very much been a learning process, but we’ve had excellent support. The key to success has also been the volunteers who give up their time because they believe in what the project is all about.”
Delivering lasting impact
The Friday Night Diversionary sessions have proved to be much more than just handling, rucking and mauling. They bring communities together, foster a strong sense of belonging, build leadership skills, and support both physical and mental wellbeing.
Anna said, “At its heart the sessions are about giving young people somewhere to go on a Friday night and provide them with structure and discipline. The rugby takes them away from other distractions, and through partners they get the chance to learn about the impact of drugs and alcohol, as well as helping them with job applications and CVs.
Abbie, 16, has been attending the Friday Night Diversionary sessions for five years. She previously played football in Girvan, however there was a lack of opportunities for girls to play in the area.
Reflecting on what it means to be part of the club, Abbie said, “I think it's once in a lifetime, really, because a lot of us go off to university after this and we won't get a chance like this in such a small community to feel important. Carrick is the priority because it's the only team around.”
Abbie added, “There are so many different age groups and it's good for building confidence and communication. It's also good for job interviews and I feel like I'm a lot more confident talking to people from coming here.”
Owen, 11, is a regular member at the sessions, he said, “For confidence in my age group it’s good for me. I get to make new friends and see where everybody’s from.”
Reily, 15, joined the sessions to meet new people and get active, he said, “Coming to Carrick Rugby Club has given me loads of confidence. You do a lot of fitness too and it gets you out the house instead of just sitting inside on Fridays.”
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