Planning a rugby tour for a school or club team is a lot more difficult than you might think. If you aren’t careful the whole thing could flop and turn into an unforgettable experience for all the wrong reasons.
To make sure that your rugby tour is a success that tests your team’s skills, builds friendships and is thoroughly enjoyable, here are seven crucial things that you need to consider:
1. What’s the Budget?
First and foremost you should figure out what the overall budget will be. It will affect all other decisions about your rugby tour, and let you get the best bang for your buck.
If you feel the budget is too tight, you could then look at ways to increase it – such as fundraisers.
2. Where and When to Go?
Ideally you should choose a destination that has potential teams to play – but you should also consider your budget as some locations are more expensive, or may have higher travel costs. The same applies for the dates that you have in mind, and you should also look into whether anything is going on at your destination during that period.
3. How to Get There?
Cost is definitely a factor when figuring out your travel options. Generally international (or further) destinations you’re likely to want to take a flight, and for closer destinations choose between rail or coach.
4. Where to Stay?
Typically your choices are between hotels (which are more expensive) or hostels. Don’t underestimate hostels, as not only are they cheaper but sharing bunks with teammates can be quite a bit of fun.
In some locations it may be possible to organize home-stays with your hosts to forge closer ties.
5. Who to Play?
One of the most difficult parts of planning rugby tours is figuring out what teams to play against. Needless to say you want to pick teams that are skilled enough to be a challenge, yet not so skilled that they drub your team.
To choose which teams to play against you need to carefully examine your own team’s record as well as that of potential candidates and try to find a good fit.
6. What Else to Do?
Last but not least you should look at what else you’re going to do on your tour. That can include fun activities at your destination, pub crawls, watching a big game at a stadium, or even participating in local events.
7. What Supplies to Take?
There may be some team supplies that you need to bring such as medical kits, friendship tokens, spare gear, and so on. On top of that you should inform players of what they need to bring, including their own kit and other essentials.
If you take into account all these factors, your rugby tour should end up a success. Keep in mind that it is best if you start planning early and try to book everything as soon as you can not only so that you can confirm it all but also to get the best rates.
