The Cardiff Blues Community Foundation are gearing themselves up for a busy summer across the region, following a record-breaking half term in May.
Last month, the ever-popular Cardiff Blues rugby camps were taken to three venues across the region, with almost 200 aspiring young rugby players attending.
More than 100 children attended the one-day camp at Barry RFC, which makes it the biggest camp held outside the capital city.
There were also camps held at Cardiff Arms Park and Nantgwyn School in Tonypandy, and the youngsters were had an opportunity to brush shoulders with some of their Cardiff Blues heroes, including Seb Davies, Owen Lane and Aled Summerhill.
This summer, the Community Foundation will be offering more camps than ever before, across the whole of the region, with details due to be confirmed in the near future.
They will also return to Christ College for a two-night residential camp, which gives youngsters an opportunity to live like a professional rugby player.
Community Programmes Manager, Dan Jenkins, is delighted with the progress made across the region and is excited for an action-packed summer.
“The camp at Barry during half term was fantastic, and with more than 100 children attending, it’s the most successful camp we’ve taken outside Cardiff Arms Park.
“These are a fantastic opportunity for our local clubs to showcase themselves, and it’s a great way of encouraging new players to join clubs across the region.
“We always enjoy the camps at Cardiff Arms Park, as it gives aspiring and local rugby players a chance to emulate their heroes by playing at the iconic stadium.
“However, taking our camps to the region is an equally important part of our provision to engage with the whole community.
“Each day is packed with fun and dynamic skill development sessions, and it’s brilliant to see the children’s faces when some of their Cardiff Blues heroes turn up to take part in the sessions, and the aim is to inspire the next generation of regional and international players.
“This summer, we’re looking forward to build on a successful half term by holding more camps than ever before, and we’ll be making sure that we visit all the unitary authorities in our regional pathway.”
Star wing, Owen Lane, attended the rugby camps as a youngster, and returned to take part in a meet-and-greet at Barry RFC last week.
The youngster progressed through the Cardiff Blues pathway and academy system before becoming a breakthrough star in 2017/18, and was awarded the Peter Thomas Player of the Season in 2018/19.
The Wales squad member said: “These events are what I remember as a youngster, and I remember the first team players turning up and I know from personal experience how much it means to these young players.
“Hopefully me and Aled [Summerhill] managed to put a smile on their faces on the day!
“When you turn up to the camps, and do the player visits to each club, it’s clear to see the great job that the community foundation are doing and they’re excellent at engaging with the entire region.
“It’s easy to forget that they have to go out and do that hard work in all types of weather and a lot of their work will go under the radar, but they deserve to be appreciated.”