Tag Rugby Is Good For Your Club!

Clonmel Rugby Club enjoyed a great experience during June and July of this year, with droves of people visiting the grounds at a time when the club would usually be closed. It was all down to Tag Rugby. We had been watching with interest the growth of this social sport in Dublin (700 teams registered there this Summer) and other cities over the past few years and last year we contacted ITRA, who run Tag Rugby as a franchise. However, they didn't seem interested in coming outside the cities so we dropped the idea.

This year we decided to have a go ourselves. In spite of the usual doubters we formed a dynamic sub-committee and set about Clonmel's first Tag Rugby Festival. Eldon's Pub, Clonmel's unofficial rugby headquarters, joined us as sponsors in this leap of faith. With this done we got the publicity machine into gear, using local radio, newspapers, roadside signs, mail shots to firms, e-mailing, etc. We also used our club website, www.clonmelrfc.com to good effect. Having done all that, we sent out entry forms to every club and organisation in the area. At this stage the sponsorship was spent – there was no turning back. We waited in trepidation. A trickle of enquiries came in. As the closing date for entries approached we set up a “launch night” in Eldon's and prayed that this would happen.

With less than a week to go the floodgates opened – teams arrived from the most unlikely quarters and we launched the festival with 32 teams, each having a panel of 10 people. It is important to point out here that the key to Tag success is the social aspect – each team has to have at least two female members on the field at all times. It is a totally non-contact game – “run at spaces, not faces”. At this stage of course we had drafted a simple set of rules and had trained a panel of referees. Let's go – six Thursday nights in a row!

The club's three pitches were split, allowing us to run six games at a time. Six half-pitches means that all 32 teams could be present almost every night and have a game. It also meant, crucially, a great social scene with almost 500 people present each night between team and supporters. The bar, which would normally be closed, did a roaring trade! We helped this along by having a barbecue each night and two “oldies” discos! It was an amazing sight – people who never played a sport in their lives togged off to throw a rugby ball around.

Over the first few weeks the skill levels shot up and while still “social” the competitive edge soon emerged and the referees had to be on the ball (are female players more argumentative or is it just me?). The 32 teams had been broken into groups, guaranteeing them at least four games. As the weaker teams became apparent, we set up a “plate” competition to keep everybody involved up to the finish. Off the pitch the reaction around Clonmel was really something – everybody was talking about Tag Rugby and those firms who hadn't entered really regretted it. It's going to be some event next year!

My own company, Flancare, typically reflects what happened in this festival. We entered two teams, totalling 20 people which included only one rugby player. Some of the ladies who emerged from the offices were a revelation – one of them being awarded “female player of the festival”, having scored at least one try in every game (try scored by a man gets 1 point while a female try scorer gets 3 points). The two Flancare teams got down to some serious training and after a little “conflict resolution” picked two teams, Flancare Arrows and Flancare Baa Baa's. Both teams had a number of soccer players aboard and they had speed to burn. After six weeks of matches the Flancare Arrows, with only one person who had ever played rugby aboard, became the first holders of the Eldon Cup. There were also plate winners and numerous prizes for “best-dressed team”, “best team name”, etc.

As far as we are concerned, this Tag Rugby Festival is the best thing we have done in a long time. It kept the club alive during the close season, brought the club to the notice of a whole new constituency, brought some new male and female players to us and proved to be a great fundraiser. The reaction to it astounded us – some firms are now planning internal Tag Rugby tournaments and we have had numerous requests for “blitzes” and under-age tournaments. Our attitude at present is “let's keep them hungry” – this will be a massive tournament next year and we hope to make it a broader festival by attaching more side-events. Tag Rugby can be good for your club – try it!

J.J. Killian

Director of Rugby, Clonmel RFC

Articles from Summer '05 p.1 p.2 p.3 p.4 p.5