Another positive step for Hillfoots

AFTER being named RBS club of the month in October, Hillfoots Rugby Club have added to their rugby development accolades by becoming the first Bill McLaren Positive Coaching Scotland accredited club in the country.

The Positive Coaching Scotland (PCS) programme in association with the Bill McLaren Foundation encourages parents, players and coaches to work together and formulate a mission statement and ethos by which the club operates, with the process being managed by the Positive Coaching Scotland manager, Bosman Du Plessis.

For Tillicoultry-based Hillfoots, whose first XV play in RBS Caledonia Regional League Division 1, they have created a motto “Everybody Plays”, with all players and members from five-years-old to 75-years-old endeavouring to uphold the values of integrity, friendship, commitment and having a positive attitude.

Hillfoots president Peter Norman said: “We believe that playing rugby is not about winning first and foremost, it’s about everyone being involved and making sure every single person wanting to play is given the opportunity to play.

“The work Michael Power and his team in our junior section have put in is just superb and the growth we have seen since the beginning of the season is a testament to the PCS method of coaching.

“But I don’t just think it’s having an effect on the players, I think the spectators and parents and non-playing members see the changes and improvements this programme has made and they want to be involved in promoting our ethos. We will continue to train and coach the PCS way and we will always work to this policy as long as it’s encouraging everyone involved.”

From now, the club will strive to attain this new mentality in every game, coaching session, social event and so on in the belief that winning is the end result of persistent effort and making mistakes is part of the learning process.

Henry Edwards, the SRU head of coach education, added: “It’s great to see Hillfoots become the first club to become Bill McLaren PCS accredited. Their accreditation demonstrates a commitment to creating the right environment for all to enjoy the sport of rugby union.”