"The Maids' Way": Chris Wojciechowicz on building rugby for life at Maidenhead RFC

Photo credit: Maidenhead RFC.

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Maidenhead’s director of youth rugby Chris Wojciechowicz has been part of the fabric of the club for more than a decade, having initially started coaching when his oldest son first picked up a ball and started chucking it around for Maidenhead Minis at u6s level.

He coached his boys’ team through to u16s level and had some real success with that side along the way, winning leagues and cups at the various age levels while also implementing the philosophy and ethos that are the bedrock of the club.

Now, having moved onto the committee as director of youth rugby he’s more involved in the overall strategy for the youth section of the club, developing a pathway for players to move through the various age groups without faltering or losing interest and enjoyment.

The hope is that the young boys and girls who start throwing a ball around at the age of six will one day run out as senior first team players and there have been many examples of that over the years.

The key thing at Maidenhead - whatever level people are playing at - is enjoyment.

Winning matches is secondary to enjoyment and playing the game with a certain style and panache.

“Our barometer of success is looking at how many boys and girls we retain in the game through the colts and into senior rugby,” said Chris.

“And that’s not just about representing Maidenhead, which is great. But when players leave for university or whatever, have we set them up with the tools and confidence to continue playing the game elsewhere.

“That’s the overarching philosophy that we’re looking to instil, and we bring in subject matter experts (coaches and senior players essentially) to help the players in their transition from minis to youth to colts and senior rugby.”

He added: “It’s about giving them life skills and being the best versions of themselves on and off the pitch.

“We’ve always had that philosophy. It’s about how we behave on the pitch but also how we behave and treat others off the pitch. That’s the ethos we look to instil.”

This club wide philosophy was brought in a few years ago by former director of rugby, Myke Parrott and it’s called the ‘Maids’ Way’. The hope is that players will develop a love for the game from a young age, understand and exhibit the club’s core values – teamwork, respect, enjoyment, discipline and sportsmanship - and retain that passion to play through the various milestones and hurdles, such as when contact rugby is introduced or when players move from the youth section to play colts rugby.

Teenagers also have plenty of other distractions that compete for their attention as they grow older.

“When they start playing in league and cup matches, and there’s streaming from the age of 13 it all becomes a little more serious,” said Chris.

“That’s when we bring in senior players and coaches to work with our volunteer coaches. It’s teaching them that we’re all playing to the same script so that when they transition up to the colts and the seniors, they don’t think ‘oh my god, I don’t know what I’m doing’.

“If their enjoyment drops, they’ll maybe think this isn’t for me. We also see challenges when they turn 16 as their heads are turned by social aspects and it’s a big psychological step up for a 16-year-old to move up to the colts and play alongside 18-year-olds.”

Chris added that it’s the parent volunteers, who give up their free time to coach and provide first aid and perform all the administrative tasks that holds the youth section together - they are ‘the glue’ and without them he doesn’t think there’d be a Maidenhead Rugby Club. With them they have nearly a thousand players at the various age groups developing their skills and loving the game.

“One of the things I talk to the players and parents about is that this is about creating positive memories and bonds of friendship that can stay with them forever,” he said. “That comes from being themselves and expressing themselves. It’s also about parents giving up their time.

“They are the coaches, the first aiders and at each age level we have an age group manager who does all the administrative stuff. They are the glue that holds everything together.

“We put on courses for them to make sure they are trained up and we also have a coach to coaches’ programme, so for example, David Mobbs-Smith (head coach) and a couple of players will run drills for them and show them some games they can do for younger players.

“These people are giving up their free time and wanting to contribute to the club. Without them there wouldn’t be a Maidenhead Rugby Club.”