The 2025/2026 season has been another highly successful year for the Youth Section at Windsor RFC. Our membership numbers have remained strong and consistent across the Minis, Junior, Colts and Girls sections, reflecting the continued commitment of our players and families. In an environment where many clubs face challenges in retaining young players, maintaining these numbers is a significant achievement and demonstrates the strength of our youth programme.

Our focus remains not only on attracting new players but, more importantly, on creating an enjoyable, inclusive and supportive environment that encourages players to stay involved in rugby throughout their youth journey. The dedication of our volunteers, coaches and team managers continues to play a vital role in achieving this, and we are pleased to see strong levels of player retention across many age groups while continuing to welcome new members into the club.

One of the highlights of the season has been the continued development of our Girls' section. For the first time in the club's history, we fielded U12, U14 and U16 girls' teams with the help of our cluster arrangement with Hungerford. Through the dedication of our Head of Girls, coaches and volunteers, the Damsels section has continued to grow and provide more opportunities for girls to play rugby. We successfully hosted several girls' development events, including Pitch Up & Play sessions that attracted over 200 girls from across the region. We still have a long way to go with our Girls section but with Jodie Cain and Una Bulivuata taking over from Rebecca Curley as joint Head of Girls I am confident we will continue to see growth of female youth players at Windsor RFC.

Our Minis and Junior sections have remained extremely active throughout the season. The Minis Festival and U12 Festival were once again tremendous successes, attracting around 1,000 children and providing valuable fundraising opportunities for our touring programme. Across the youth section, players participated in hundreds of fixtures, festivals and development events throughout the year, demonstrating the strength and depth of rugby at Windsor RFC.

On the field, several age groups enjoyed notable success. The U14s reached Berkshire Cup Finals Day, with the Development team securing victory in their final. The U15s finished runners-up in the Berkshire Youth League, while our Colts competed strongly throughout the season, finishing third in OBB Division 1. Many players across the section also achieved representative honours through Berkshire and Bath Rugby development pathways.

Player and coach development remains a key priority for the Youth Section. Over the past season we have continued to promote RFU coaching qualifications, safeguarding training and referee education to ensure our volunteers are equipped to provide the best possible experience for our players.

We have also established a Youth Coaching Forum to encourage the sharing of ideas, resources and best practice between age groups. Whilst the forum has made a positive start, engagement has been slower than we had hoped and there is still significant work to do to embed a culture of collaboration and continuous development across the section. To help drive this forward, we are actively seeking a Youth Coaching Co-ordinator who can lead the forum, support coaches in their development, identify training opportunities and help create greater consistency throughout our coaching programme. This role will be instrumental in building stronger links between age groups and ensuring that both players and coaches continue to develop within a clear and supportive framework.

Volunteer recruitment and retention remains a priority. The Youth Section is supported by approximately 100 volunteers who give countless hours every week to coach, manage, referee, organise fixtures, support safeguarding and ensure the smooth running of matchdays. Their commitment is the foundation of everything we achieve, and I would like to thank every volunteer for their dedication throughout the season.

Off the field, we have continued to strengthen governance, safeguarding and communication across the section. Regular Youth Committee meetings have improved collaboration between age groups and helped ensure that the needs of players, parents and volunteers are heard and acted upon.

Safeguarding continues to be at the heart of everything we do within the Youth Section, ensuring that Windsor RFC remains a safe and supportive environment for all our young players. I would particularly like to recognise Jen McGeachie for the way she has managed and responded to safeguarding concerns throughout the season. Her commitment, professionalism and thorough approach have been invaluable, and it was especially pleasing to see her work commended by the RFU Safeguarding Team. Safeguarding can often involve challenging and sensitive situations, and we are extremely fortunate to have Jen's experience, dedication and support within the club.

I would also like to give a special thank you to Alan Davies and all of our volunteer referees who give up their time each week to support fixtures across the Youth Section. Refereeing is an essential part of grassroots rugby and, quite simply, we would not be able to host the number of matches we do without their time, commitment and hard work. Their contribution is hugely appreciated by the club, our coaches and, most importantly, our young players.

Looking ahead, we are excited by the opportunities in front of us. The transition of Home Park management to Crown Estates offers the prospect of improved playing facilities. We will continue to focus on growing participation, improving coaching standards and providing the best possible rugby experience for every young person who chooses Windsor RFC.

Finally, I would like to thank our players, parents, volunteers, clubhouse staff, committee members and sponsors for their support throughout another successful season. Together, we continue to build a thriving youth section and a strong future for Windsor RFC.

Anisha Oram
Youth Chair