KZN YTC committed to developing young girls on and off the field
The KwaZulu-Natal Women’s Youth Training Centre (YTC) has set its sights on increasing the number of participants in the programme from 540 to 2000 by 2020 as they continue to make a difference in the lives of young girls both on and off the field.
The centre is one of eight SA Rugby YTC’s located throughout the country with the purpose of bolstering the women’s game by developing a bigger pool of players and grooming them for top-class rugby. The other YTC centres are based at the Blue Bulls Limpopo, Blue Bulls, Border, Eastern Province, Griquas, South Western Districts and Western Province rugby unions.
Through the programme players from the ages of 14 to 18 years participate in regular training sessions and matches and have access to conditioning and nutritional programmes.
The KwaZulu-Natal YTC – which covers six municipalities namely eThekwini, uMgungundlovu, ILembe, Amajuba, King Cetshwayo, Zululand – hosts two training sessions per week where the players are taught the correct techniques in all areas of the game, while they are also educated on the Laws of the game.
Over and above this, they receive feedback on their progress at regular video analysis sessions.
The YTC is also committed to developing players off the field as they offer frequent life skills sessions, and in addition to this there is a focus on community development through initiatives such as assisting the elderly at Old Age homes in Clermont and KwaMashu.
The YTC’s main slogan is “building leaders of tomorrow” and they instil the values they believe will contribute to better individuals through punctuality, respect and discipline.
These values are implemented in all facets of their participation in the YTC with one of the examples of its implementation being that the players and coaches have to be 15 minutes early for all team activities.
“The YTC’s forms an integral part of our rugby development structures in South Africa, and we are pleased to see the progress made since the inception of the programme in 2015,” said SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux.
“Women’s Rugby is growing steadily worldwide, and with the re-introduction of our women’s 15-a-side programme, the YTC’s have, and will continue to play a crucial role in allowing us to develop skilled players who could contribute to competitive national team.”
Females between the ages of 14 and 18 wishing take up rugby and individuals in the KwaZulu-Natal region who would like to get involved in the YTC can contact the centre’s administrator, Lusanda Mtiya on lusanda@thesharks.co.za
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