Rugby Pathways

Providing pathways into rugby for all

YOUTH RUGBY

Tiny Reds (pre-school)

We start young! Our programme for Tiny Reds is aimed at pre-school youngsters (boys and girls) aged 2 and over. It’s about exercise, games and fun and takes place on Saturday mornings at 10am, usually in the Indoor Training Centre, and parents / grandparents are encouraged to get involved!

Wee Reds (primary school age)

Youngsters of a primary school age (again both both and girls) train and play in their primary school class groups (P1 to P7) in a structured manner that gradual introduces them to the game of rugby, building up from touch rugby.

Wee Reds Micros (P1 to P3)

The early years (P1 to P3) are known as Micros and sessions run on Sunday mornings at 11am, either outdoor in the spring and summer months or indoors during the autumn and winter. Towards the end of the season, which runs from mid-August to end May (with school holiday breaks), the older Micros will get the opportunity to play in a couple of Festivals, including our own home Micros Festival which is held in March.

Wee Reds Minis (P4 to P7)

Mini Rugby has been long established in Scotland and has a clear staged pathway to the full game, playing on small pitches with limited numbers and gradually introducing tackling, scrums and line-outs over the years. Mini Rugby is open to both boys and girls and our teams train and play on Sunday mornings and also train on Wednesday evenings, outdoor in the spring and summer months and indoor during the autumn and winter or when the weather is poor. 

Girls Only After-School Rugby (P4 to S1 inclusive)

Following a successful trial over the last summer term, we are now introducing a Girls Only after-school group on Mondays between 4pm and 5pm at the Rugby Club. To accommodate this, we have introduced a new membership category for girls’ only rugby, with an annual fee payable over 10 months – no additional charge for any girls already registered as Wee Reds Minis.

Young Reds (secondary school age)

We continue rugby development through each of the secondary school years, culminating in age group rugby in the senior years.

Young Reds S1 to S3

Starting at 13-a-side at S1, we progress through the three school years to the full game of rugby by S3 level, with the focus very much on safety and fun for the players. Training is outdoors on Monday and Wednesday nights, with an indoor option (ITC) for inclement weather. Matches are usually on Saturday mornings, with occasional Sunday fixtures.

Reds U16s and U18s

In the final years as Young Reds, all games now adhere to strict age groupings – Under 16s and Under 18s. For player safety these transitions are strictly monitored by Scottish Rugby through their player development and registration system. Training is on Tuesday and Thursday nights, with an indoor option (ITC) for inclement weather. Matches are usually on Saturday mornings, with occasional Sunday games and midweek cup fixtures. Special strength and conditioning sessions may also be arranged in the Club Gym.

Work in local schools – School of Rugby

The Club runs a School of Rugby is conjunction with partners Linlithgow Academy, West Lothian Council and Scottish Rugby. This involves specific curricular and extra-curricular rugby activities in Linlithgow Academy and the cluster primary schools, in addition to outreach activities to other secondary schools in the north of West Lothian. The curricular activities are integral to the wider Health and Wellbeing agenda within schools. It is through the School of Rugby that we have started a Girls’ Development Squad and hope to grow this further over the next few years. We also run smaller ventures at both Armadale Academy and Queensferry High School.

Rugby for Girls

There are now an increasing number of options for girls to play rugby at Linlithgow. We hope to expand these options further in coming seasons. The current options are:

Membership will be by category above, but please note that girls enrolling for Wee Reds Mini Rugby will be able to attend the after-school girls group at no extra charge.

SENIOR RUGBY

The Reds

The Club has two regular senior teams and, when and where numbers permit, occasionally turns out a third team for special matches. The Reds 1st XV plays in Arnold Clark National League Division 4 and also the National League Cup. The 2nd XV plays in Arnold Clark East Region Reserve League Division 1. Most matches are on Saturday afternoons, with occasional Friday night under-the-lightsgames. The combined senior squad trains on Tuesday and Thursday nights at 7-30pm, with an indoor option (ITC) in inclement weather. Special strength and conditioning sessions may also be arranged in the Club Gym.

Vintage Reds

For those beyond the age of 50, staying active is important to health! The Club has a Walking Rugby group that trains and plays largely indoors (ITC), although they are occasionally allowed out if the weather permits! Sessions are roughly fortnightly all year on Monday mornings at 10-30am, with some occasional festivals during the year.

Tartan Touch

The Club also participates in the Tartan Touch programme of Scottish Rugby and over the summer months runs weekly sessions on Friday nights open to all ages and genders, whether participants are Club members or not. We will look to extend this over the season, with sessions moving indoors over the autumn and winter months. This extends our offer for rugby as widely as possible across the community.

and more…

As part of the Sporting Memories’ initiative, the Club runs a Rugby Memories’ Club with a monthly social gathering and the Club has the only Rugby Club Male Voice Choir in Scotland. It practises weekly throughout the year and participates in various concerts both locally and nationally.