The beaches of Ospreylia were converted into rugby pitches by the region's Community Rugby team recently for a week long beach tag rugby festival.
Participation Officers from the three Districts in the region, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Bridgend, invited Year 5 and 6 pupils from local primary schools to participate in a series of day long events taking place at beaches in their area where they were given the chance to enjoy rugby in unique seafront environments.
130 children took part at Rest Bay in Porthcawl, 142 at Swansea Bay and 240 were at Aberavon, where they played in mixed teams of boys and girls against other schools.
WRU/Ospreys Regional Community Manager, Ben Rose, said that the festival had been a success, with a repeat next year set to be even bigger:
“The beach tag rugby days were great for the Community Rugby department and for the schools involved. All the children and staff fully engaged with the Participation Officers and their Community Coaches, working on communication, motivation and fair play.
“It was fantastic to see so many children enjoying rugby in wonderful surroundings, the coastline of Ospreylia. Some of them were regular rugby players with their local clubs but the majority were youngsters that we hope we can ignite a lifelong passion for rugby in.
“We’re looking to build on this festival now, making it an annual event and growing it in size, allowing even more local children to experience beach tag rugby.”
To see a gallery of images from the beach tag rugby click here