Making Rugby More Fun

Rugbytots, the worldwide rugby play program for preschoolers and toddlers, arrived in Hong Kong earlier this year. Ben Cullen, who is the Director of Rugbytots Hong Kong, brought this program to Hong Kong with the aim of providing fun rugby sessions for children aged 2-7. Cullen's partner, Bryan Rennie, brings a different angle to the business. He is general manager of Hong Kong Scottish and played rugby professionally in the UK for over a decade in which he amounted over 100 appearances.

As a current rugby player playing for the Hong Kong Scottish Rugby Club, Cullen is passionate about rugby. “I’m from Wales and I have a degree in sports science and rugby performance. After graduating, I went to the United States to work for USA Rugby. Then, I did my master’s degree and got an offer to move to Australia and played rugby there. During that time, I was a part time coach for Rugbytots in Australia,” says Cullen. With his passion and confidence in Rugbytots, he decided to invest with Rennie in the franchise when he moved to Hong Kong.

Rugbytots Hong Kong was first started in January this year. Cullen says “We brought the Rugbytots program to Hong Kong because we saw the need here in the city. Rugby is a sport which is growing rapidly in Hong Kong. There are lots of rugby clubs and schools, but nothing much for children below 5 years old.” Cullen points out that Hong Kong has plenty of sports activities or classes for children but they are mainly focused on soccer or basketball. The youngest children in schools are not given any chance to touch a rugby ball. By the age of 6 or 7, they may already love playing soccer or basketball because they have had exposure to these sports. With the Rugbytots program, which is designed for 2 to 7 year olds, young children can develop an interest in rugby and eventually contribute to the growth of rugby in Hong Kong.

With their motto of “make it more fun”, Rugbytots has its unique play program for different age groups. There are three different age groups that Rugbytots classes cater to. The beginners’ class, which is for 2 to 3.5 year olds, introduces the most basic skills forrugby. Toddlers are taught to follow instructions and learn about matching colors and shapes. For 3.5 to 5 year olds, classes focus more on specific rugby skills. Through playing rugby, children can develop physical and social skills while having a lot of fun. For 5 to 7 year olds, the older age group, the program involves team games and rugby coaching. Classes cover some tactical skills too, to prepare students for their future rugby journey. “Our main focus is to have fun. We want our program to be fun so thatchildren enjoy the classes. That’s the main objective for all three age categories,” says Cullen.

The reason why Rugbytots doesn’t offer classes for children older than7 years old is because kids aged 7 and onwards would be playing in tournaments for specific rugby teams. Rugbytots is now building relationships with various Hong Kong rugby clubs. “We now have a very successful relationship with the Flying Kukris in New Territories. We will continue to connect with different rugby clubs. What we do at Rugbytots is quite different from rugby clubs. Students are welcome to come to us to practice their individual skills while learning how to play rugby games as a team at clubs.”

Regarding the qualifications of Rugbytots’ coaches, Cullen believes that the coaches need to be entertaining and engaging. “Everybody on the coaching team needs to have a rugby qualification, but it’s more important that they are entertaining and get along well with the kids. It’s also important for them to have a good relationship with the parents so that parents understand what we are doing in class. Some parents who don’t know much about our program and may think playing rugby is dangerous for their kids. But our play program is actually suitable for young children as we use soft sponge foam balls in class.” Cullen emphasizes the importance of building relationships with parents. “As a new education provider in Hong Kong, we need to take feedback, both good and bad ones. If parents have any feedback or suggestions, it’s important they share it with us.”

“We understand the cultural difference between Hong Kong and other countries. Hong Kong parents focus more on children’s academic development, while in western countries like United Kingdom and Australia, sports play a very important role to their daily lives.” With currently 225 students per week, Cullen hopes to have Rugbytots expand to 2,000 students per week in 5 years. “Rugby is definitely growing in Hong Kong, and I believe it is going the right way as Hong Kong Rugby Union works very hard to get into local schools as well. I want Rugbytots to continue to improve and be the best sports provider in Hong Kong for children under 7. We are very proud of what we do and want people to talk about it,” says Cullen. With the majority of students coming from referral, Cullen thinks that word of mouth is the most powerful way to promote a business. Having listed on whizpa.com, he hopes to receive more feedbacks from parents about the Rugbytots program.

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