THE SCC RUGBY ACADEMY IS EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT FORMER ENGLAND 7s PLAYER, JOHN BRAKE, HAS JOINED THE COACHING TEAM
We are delighted to announce that John Brake has joined our rugby coaching team following his move to Singapore from the UK. John recently retired from playing professional rugby after a very successful ten-year career with England 7s and Northampton Saints and immediately turned his attention to coaching which he will now continue with the SCC Rugby Academy.
John joins a well-established and experienced group of Academy coaches – we are already fortunate to have several other ex-professional, first-grade and international players in our coaching ranks which we will feature on our website and newsletters in future weeks – who together with the familiar faces of Su Amran and Bryan Lim completes the line-up for our head coaching team.
John has already helped run the first Saturday training sessions this term – please do look out for him on a Saturday morning and say hello/feel free to share thoughts, ideas and suggestions. John will also head up the Thursday night coaching sessions at the SSC Dempsey training ground for the U11 to U17 squads.
John is also a qualified personal trainer and works for UFIT, Singapore’s largest independent fitness community, and John’s arrival at the SCC Rugby Academy heralds a new partnership between the Academy and UFIT. Through this association we aim to build a mutually beneficial relationship that we hope will bring a wealth of resources, offers and opportunities. We will shortly be sending out information about Academy boot camps that UFIT will be organizing, and they are also offering a special discount to parents of Academy players on Personal Training sessions – the first 5 Personal Training sessions for $399 (usually $600).
John, together with Su, Bryan and the other Academy senior coaches, will work across all age groups giving Academy boys and girls the best possible rugby training experience possible, drawing upon a wealth of experience from their own rugby and coaching careers and providing vision and leadership for the long-term goals of the Academy.
John says, “It’s been a great couple of weeks – I’ve had a very warm welcome from everyone and am impressed by the enthusiasm of the coaches and players, and the huge presence of family and friends at the Saturday training. There’s such a great community feel at Dempsey.
The standards of playing have exceeded my expectations and I’m looking to forward to pushing on and being competitive across all age groups and to doing what I can to help further build the reputation of the club. I’m also looking forward to supporting coaches alongside Su and Bryan, and helping support individual player development as well as coach development.
I look forward to adding some new fresh outlooks, and certain values that can cross over from professional into an amateur game – and to keep creating an environment that is enjoyable so players want to be there.
What I’ve found really refreshing is that kids want to be here and they are so receptive to learning as opposed to being forced to be there. And also they’re conditioned very well for the weather. When I came here for a tournament on a previous trip we had to play in air-con as we couldn’t handle the heat. But two weeks in and I’m now used to it!
I really love being here – there are so many exciting opportunities and everything is new and refreshing. I’m making lots of friends and I’m looking forward to making a great contribution to kids rugby here!”
If you would like to read a little more about John, his full bio can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brake
COLLECTION OF PRE-LOVED ITEMS FOR CHILDREN IN MANILA
We will be having another collection of quality used items to send to the Cararoo Foundation in Manila. This charity helps disadvantaged children by supporting them through their education and after school activities.
Collections will be held this Saturday 9th September, and Saturday 16th September up at the club house at Dempsey. For those who attend Touch training on Sundays, please hand your items to Zoe down by the pitch.
Please don’t bring in after this date as we cannot store items.
What to send?
Good quality sports kit and equipment (which will fit in box)
Kids clothes
Small games or children’s books in English
Please make sure they are clean (especially shoes and boots), and of good quality – things your own child would be happy to have second hand!
BOOT SWAP
To coincide with the Cararoo collection, we will be holding boot swaps both this Saturday 9th September, and next Saturday 16th September. If you have any boots at home that no longer fit, just bring them in and swap them for a pair that do! Any boots that are leftover will be sent to the Cararoo Foundation.
PLEASE COULD YOU TIE THE LACES OF YOUR BOOTS TOGETHER TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR THEM TO REMAIN A PAIR!
TRAINING FEES DUE FOR 3RD TERM 2017
Training fees for Term 3 are now due. To check how much you owe for your child, please go to their TeamSnap profile and select the Payments tab – fees due for this term are indicated there.
Please note that on your TeamSnap “home page”, it will show that you have no fees due for “Registration” – you paid this when your child first joined the Academy. You need to select your child’s profile, and then the Payments tab, to find this term’s Training Fees.
LATE PAYMENT CHARGES
Please note that we have introduced a late payment charge. A 10% charge will be added to all unpaid fees after the 4th week of term – for this term, the late fee will come into effect on Friday 22nd September 2017.
PAYPAL
We now accept PayPal through the TeamSnap application. Just go to the Payments tab on your child’s profile, and you will find the fee amount due and a link for PayPal if you would like to use this service. Please note that the PayPal link can only be found in the web version of TeamSnap, and does not show on the app version.
Alternatively, you can also pay by bank transfer. Details for a bank transfer are as follows:
Account Name: The Rugby Academy Ltd
Account No: 0339049654
Bank Name: DBS
Branch Code: 033
Swift Code: DBSSSGSG
Please reference your child’s name and age group on the payment.
We do not accept payment of training fees by cheque or cash.
ON-LINE KIT STORE
Our on-line kit store is finally up and running! In stock are training jerseys, socks, rugby shorts, touch shorts, caps and visors. To access the store, please click here – SCC Rugby Academy Kit Store
Over the coming months, we will be expanding the products on offer in the store, such as kit bags, rucksacks, polo shirts, rugby balls and scrum caps.
Orders
The on-line store is based in Australia, so shipments will be sent to the Academy and available for pick up at Dempsey at training on Saturday mornings (for rugby), and Sunday mornings (for touch).
Orders in by Sunday midnight will be shipped on Monday for pick up on Saturday.
PLANNING AHEAD – KL SARACENS TOURNAMENT 2018
The KL Saracens Tournament 2018 will be held over the weekend of 3rd/4th March 2018. We will be sending out more information on the tournament, and registrations of interest, later in the term.
ASIAN RUGBY AWARDS 2017
Rugby Lovers Guide to Asia, the largest online media resource for Rugby in Asia, are organising the first ever ASIAN RUGBY AWARDS. These awards are a chance for Singapore Junior Clubs to show the world all the great stuff that is happening here. There are several awards up for grabs for Junior Rugby, and its up to you to nominate!
You can nominate your favourite tournament, the best club (the SCC Rugby Academy of course!), try of the year, tackle of the year, plus many more categories.
Visit their website at ASIAN RUGBY AWARDS 2017 for more information on all the categories available, as well as how to nominate.
Coaches and parents – get voting for your club, team and players!
TERM DATES
Term 3 – Saturday 26th August 2017 to Sunday 10th December 2017