FEATHERSTONE ROVERS FOUNDATION 

Featherstone Rovers Foundation, registered Charity to the Championship club Featherstone Rovers, ‘Junior Rovers’ Rugby League sessions in Ackworth will now transition into a brand new Junior team for Ackworth Jaguars.  

The sessions which have been partially funded by the Sky Try initiative have been running for the last 3 years for children aged 3 to 12 at Carr Bridge playing fields in Ackworth. In addition to the after school offer, Rovers Foundation have also provided 100 hours of Rugby League curriculum time coaching to Years 1 & 2 in local schools, Mill Dam, Ackworth Howard and Bell Lane completely free of charge. The interactive, fun activities have been delivered by RL Development Officer Paul March, who not only had a successful Super League career but who joins James Webster on the coaching team at Rovers as assistant coach.  

The Junior Rovers sessions have provided an ideal stepping stone from school sessions to joining a Rugby League team, focussing on the development of core skills (grip, passing, tackling, kicking) and incorporated lots of fun games. The sessions have also provided a great opportunity for children in Ackworth to take part in physical activity, meet new friends, develop team work skills and improve confidence levels.  

Due to the success of Junior Rovers a new team will now form and take their place in the Yorkshire Junior League from March 2021 as Ackworth Jaguars U7s. The team will now be supported by Featherstone Rovers Foundation staff to ensure a smooth transition for the start of the upcoming season. Given that the Ackworth Jaguars Open age team has also recently reformed since the fundraising campaign in support of Rob Burrows began early this year. The first U7 training session which took place just before lockdown number 2 had 20 players attend and the open age team played their first friendly against Upton RLFC with a 22 10 victory. The future is certainly looking bright for Rugby League in Ackworth.  

Training sessions will start again after Christmas on Sunday morning’s at Low Ackworth playing fields and new players are encouraged to join. 
Mini jags (3-5-year) 9.15am - 9.45am 
Ackworth Jaguars U7s (year 1 and 2) 10.00am -11.00am 
For more information please contact team coach Martyn Dickinson on Martyn_dickinson@hotmail.com or Rovers Foundation paul.march@featherstonerovers.co.uk