Rainey Warriors has been a project for the last few years. It began with the club's CCRO Dean Talbot coaching sessions in Kilronan School, building strong relationships with its teachers and pupils. Now three years later, the first three taster sessions have been completed with great numbers attending each session and amazing feedback from parents.
A special Christmas Training Session will see them finish up just before the holidays and if he can fit it into his busy schedule, a very special visitor from the North Pole may be in attendance!
The work behind the scenes by all the coaches and volunteers at Rainey RFC, especially SEN Teacher and coach, Roisin Martin to promote the new club section has led to 16 players already attending training and looking forward to building those numbers in the future. <br>
Disability Tag is for players with a range of additional needs and anywhere from age 6 upwards. The main goal is to be as inclusive as possible and give players that may not have had an opportunity to play before a safe space within their local rugby community.
The success of Rainey is testament to all the great work that has happened over the years by Dean Talbot and of course by the other disability teams across the Province that have led the way to show that rugby is about the player's ability and not their disability. Everyone is very excited to see what the future holds for this team.
Well done to all the players, parents, and volunteers at Rainey for starting this amazing journey towards Inclusion together! A special mention also has to go to Cliodhna O'Neill who presented the match ball at the Ulster Women's v Munster in August and has been nominated for The Mid Ulster Sports Awards 2025 'Disability Sports Person of the Year'.
For more information on the Rainey Warriors please contact either Dean or Roisin through the club's social media pages. More information regarding the other 12 Teams across the province can be found here. <br>
Alternatively, if your club would like information on starting a Disability Section, please contact our Disability Rugby Officer in Ulster Rugby shel.laffin@ulsterrugby.com.