Youth rugby

Under 18 Coach – Peter Shields

The club’s under 18 team have traditionally been the breeding ground for aspiring young players who hope to make the transition from youth rugby into the adult sides. A number of the current 1st XV players have come through the ranks of our under 18’s so considerable investment has been “ear-marked” for this area.

Coach, Peter Shields has worked closely with our 1st XV coach Jason Taggart to ensure that players receive similar coaching techniques to the adult sides. This has helped many players make the switch into adult rugby. Ballymoney have put a lot of faith into their youth set-up and 1st XV coach Jason Taggart is only too ready to bring these players into the 1st XV squad when they leave the under 18’s.

Under 16 Coach – Gareth Shields

This has been the first year that Ballymoney have managed to field a team at this level and much of the credit must go to our Youth Development Officer Gareth Shields who has been busy developing rugby in the local secondary schools.

The team trains from 7pm to 8:30pm on Wednesday evenings and the lads are looking forward to the remaining league fixtures. The team has also been entered into the prestigious under 16 cup, which begins at the end of January.

Under 15 Coaches – Toss Skelton & John Devlin

This is very much a team, which represents the town of Ballymoney and consists of players from both Dalriada and Ballymoney High School. The lads have played together since “mini” rugby and a tremendous team spirit exists amongst the squad.

The lads’ train at Ballymoney Rugby Club on Wednesdays from 5pm to 6:30pm with an average of 20 players attending the session. To date the team has played 16 games and have produced some memorable displays against top quality sides such as Coleraine Inst, Campbell College and Regent House. Consequently we are looking forward to the rest of the season with great enthusiasm.