A flock of Ospreys dropped into the latest summer kids camp at Llandarcy Academy of Sport last week.
Gareth Owen, Marty Holah, Shane Williams and Duncan Jones met with the youngsters attending the course on Friday morning, passing on rugby tips, signing autographs and posing for pictures.
It was the highlight of the two-day course, hosted by Community Initiatives Officer Ioan Cunningham along with a team of Community Development Officers, which provides an opportunity for boys and girls aged between U6 to U11 to develop their basic rugby skills in a fun and non-competitive environment.
The players took time out from their busy pre-season schedule, enjoying their session with the next generation of Ospreys who were understandably thrilled to come into such close contact with their heroes.
The visit followed on from an unexpected treat for participants on Thursday morning, when the children were fortunate enough to be able to watch the returning Welsh internationals going through their fitness testing, a real bonus for any young Osprey.
Speaking about the visit, Gareth Owen said that everyone present had a great time:
“It was a brilliant visit, it was great to see so many young kids in Ospreys shirts really enjoying themselves and their rugby. They were so enthusiastic and I think that rubbed off on the boys who were there.
“The Community guys are doing a fantastic job in promoting the Ospreys and rugby development, which is really important if we are going to get more youngsters playing the game in the region.
“We really enjoyed being there. We had a busy day, but just by popping in we helped to make the camp a bigger success and had some fun with the kids, which will hopefully bring them even closer to the Ospreys.”
Ioan Cunningham added:
“Player visits always go down well with the boys and girls on the kids camps. There is always a huge demand on the players time, particularly during pre-season, so it really is great that they can pop in and spend some time with the youngsters. It’s memories like that which can translate into a lifetime supporting the Ospreys.”
Although demand is always high, there are still a limited number of places available at the two remaining camps this summer, a similar camp for U6-U11 at Pencoed College on 19/20 August, and a special camp for children in the older U12-U13 age grades the following week on 23/24 August.
All courses run from 8.30am to 3pm on both days.
The cost of a place on the two-day camp is £40 per child. To book, please download an application form from www.ospreysrugby.com and return it to:
Ospreys Rugby, Liberty Stadium, Landore, Swansea, SA1 2FA.
In addition to first class coaching from the Ospreys community coaches and a visit from some of their Ospreys heroes, all the children will receive exclusive Ospreys goodie bags with gifts and memorabilia.