Last week, our F-Leads group of female sports coaches from all across County Clare and Clare Sports Partnership staff took part in an Erasmus+ Sport Mobility programme.
During this four-day visit to Rennes, France, we met with the Comité Régional Olympique et Sportif de Bretagne (CROS) to learn about their social sports model in operation.
As part of our trip, we got to see and speak with the manager of the Robert Poirier indoor stadium. He explained the athletic development pathway in Rennes and how neighbouring primary and secondary schools have access to the facility.
Our coaches received an in-depth overview of how sport is structured in Brittany from CROS.
Moreover, we participated in the 20th annual Sandbellez Rennes social tournament as part of our exchange.
This innovative approach brings beach sports to an urban setting, strategically scheduled so all members of society can participate.
A key ambition of our group was to understand how sporting organisations in Rennes address issues such as teenage girls dropping out of sport. We had a presentation from CD 35 Rugby, the governing body for rugby union in Brittany, on how they strategically aligned their programmes for female youth rugby with existing club structures. This helps reduce the workload on existing coaches by sharing resources across several clubs, creating conditions for female participation.
On our final day, we attended a disability open day in Cesson-Sévigné. This showcased all sports in which people with disabilities could engage. It was an opportunity to meet current coaches and athletes. This event was a real opportunity in sports.
We look forward to seeing the sporting practices we witnessed in Rennes put into practice across County Clare in the coming months.
