How we built a team from five players to 25 and why they loving coming back to play

·47 min·4 clips

How Rugby Coach Weekly's new program helps clubs recruit and retain volunteer coaches with ready-made plans.

This episode features host Dan Cottrell interviewing Graham Borton, head coach of Milton Keynes Under-15s, who has led the team since 2016. They discuss the practical strategies Graham used to grow his squad from just five players to a full team of 25. The conversation focuses on the foundational elements of building and sustaining a successful youth rugby team. Graham details his initial, direct approach of personally calling parents of potential players to invite them to training. He emphasizes the critical importance of creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for every new player and their family from the very first session. A key tactic involved actively engaging with parents on the sidelines, making a concerted effort to learn and use everyone's names. The club provides honest, constructive feedback to parents about their child's progress, noting specific skills like catching, passing, or tackling. Graham explains that building a reliable coaching team was essential, recruiting assistants by asking for help from parents who were already regularly attending. He structured training to be highly organized and purposeful, ensuring every minute was valuable for player development. The club fostered a strong social community by organizing regular team events outside of rugby, like meals and gatherings. A surprising insight is that Graham believes the quality of the initial phone call to a parent is more important than flashy marketing or social media for recruitment. He argues that a welcoming first training session is the single biggest factor in retaining a new player. Graham claims that honest, direct communication with parents about their child's strengths and weaknesses builds greater trust than vague praise. He observes that many parents, once integrated into the club's community, naturally volunteer to help with coaching or other roles. The coach states that focusing on fun and player enjoyment was a non-negotiable priority that directly fueled the team's growth. Graham concludes that sustainable growth stems from systematic, personal effort rather than waiting for players to simply show up. The tone is highly practical and conversational, with the host drawing out actionable advice from the guest's direct experience. The style is educational and mentorship-focused, providing a clear blueprint for other volunteer coaches. This episode is ideal for any grassroots rugby coach or club volunteer struggling with low player numbers and seeking a proven, step-by-step growth plan. Listeners looking for discussions on advanced rugby tactics or professional-level analysis might find the content too foundational.

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