Mother of two, Laura Cyfka, searched for a sports programme for her children, Noah and Maia, after moving to Portugal four years ago. Having found nothing suitable, she took it upon herself to bring Rugbytots to the Algarve.
Laura has been involved in coaching in some way for most of her life. Her mother was a teacher, and although her own career has taken many twists and turns, she has always come back to teaching. “I have been everything from head of learning and development to an English tutor to horse riding instructor. I love motivating people and seeing that lightbulb moment as things click into place for the learners. So I like to think I have followed in my mother’s footsteps, though in my own way.”
In Portugal, she began searching for a sports programme for children that was fun, inclusive and educational (and that doesn’t run at 9 pm at night!).
“I found Rugbytots a number of years ago and was extremely impressed with the professionalism of coaches, the structure of the classes, and the sheer amount of fun kids have at these sessions.”
So Laura acquired the Lagos, Portugal franchise, which is already gaining traction. Aimed at two- to seven-year-olds, open classes kick off at Boavista Resort on 7 May. Schools are already getting involved with the childcare centre Zany starting sessions in May. Laura also plans to go into schools to deliver the Rugbytots programme as an extracurricular activity.
The ethos of Rugbytots is to create fun, structured play sessions that take children on a journey of sporting imagination with engaging and energetic coaches supporting them every step of the way. They are also taught how to catch, pass, kick, run with the ball and play as part of a team.
“Rugbytots sessions are different to anything I have ever come across. They are completely focused on kids learning whilst having fun. The exercises and games are designed to help children learn counting, shapes and colours, as well as starting out on their rugby journey, learning to pass, kicking and catching.”
Over 100,000 children in 24 countries on seven continents are now part of the Rugbytots family. With Portugal qualifying for the Rugby World Cup this year, Laura is thrilled to be part of the journey here in Portugal and looks forward to seeing many more children at Rugbytots sessions soon.
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