The Fortress hosted the under 7s, 8s and 9s at the home ground, with teams visiting from Hove, Hastings and Bexhill, Seaford, Crawley, Crowborough, Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath, Uckfield and Lewes.

Plenty of rugby was played by budding young players with great displays of teamwork from not only from our little rugby players, but parents, coaches and managers too.

The early 7:30am set up time didn’t put off our happy, albeit slightly chilly, willing volunteers who helped set up pitches, registration tables, and of course the highly anticipated candy floss machine, cake and sweet stalls! There were many helping hands that mucked in to make this day a great success with the planning having started many weeks ago.

When the teams began arriving, there was a real buzz, whether it was for the under 7s little ones excited for their first festival or the under 9s going into contact level.

Games kicked off with coaches volunteering to referee and it very evident the good level of coaching taking place across the clubs within our local area as the mini rugby players were showing a great level of sportsmanship, skill and determination. This may have been helped by the wonderful treats that were for sale too!

Eastbourne Rugby Club certainly have some secret bakers hidden amongst our age groups and a fantastic amount of money was raised from cakes, sweets and candy floss, the total hitting around £300!

Overall, the Eastbourne Rugby Club Mini’s festival was a great success; boys and girls coming together to play rugby and showcase their talents, teamwork and ability within the sport. This would of course not be possible without the dedication from parents and carers bringing their children to training week in, week out, to train and play in the games and festivals.

It takes a strong team of volunteers to organise, run and make a festival like this a great success, and it is very clear to see just how great the community is within our rugby club.

Want to get involved? Get in touch to find out about volunteering – chairman@eastbournerugby.com