A talented Teesdale rugby player has launched his own coaching academy.
Paul Davis, who represented Durham at county level and played for Barnard Castle, wants to pass on his decades of knowledge to the next generation.
And that’s why he has launched RCA (Rugby Coaching Academy).
“I took redundancy from GSK late last year but I’m too young to retire,” he told the Mercury.
“I was thinking about my options and my wife Kathy said, ‘Do you think there would be scope for you to go into schools to coach rugby?’ It all started from there.
“I was already qualified as a coach and had completed my DBS check so I did a first aid course and sorted insurance. I took the time to prepare to kick-off the business properly and it’s going great so far.”
Paul reached out to schools in Teesdale and has already held sessions at Green Lane, in Barnard Castle.
“I go into the school on a Monday and a Wednesday, coaching years three and four,” he said.
“The kids love it, they absolutely love it. After a recent session we had a little question and answer session at the end because I love to get some feedback.
“I asked them if there was anything they didn’t enjoy about the session and they said they enjoyed all of it, which is great.
“We train indoors if the weather is bad, like it has been lately, but when it warms up we’ll go outside for the sessions,” added Paul.
“I’m starting at Staindrop next term holding after-school session for anyone wanting to give it a go.
“At that age it’s tag rugby, not full contact, but I can coach full contact as well and I’ve offered schools tag or full contact or a mixture of both.”
Paul is director of coaching at Barnard Castle RFC and is passing on his knowledge to players at both ends of the age spectrum at the club.
“I’ve been talking to the rugby club,” he said. “They have young children who can’t play in tournaments, they’ve asked me to take them on.
“So I have two-and-a-half-year-olds up to five-year-olds – the Little Ruckers, as we call them! For the first session I had 24 so that was brilliant.
“Previously, they would have stood on the sidelines watching their older siblings play, but now they can be involved too.
“That’s free, that’s a voluntary thing. And we’re also doing voluntary walking rugby for those who have retired from playing or aren’t up to playing full-contact rugby.
“And the club is applying for Sports England funding that would enable us to offer schools free coaching, which is the goal.”
