Rugby Club Terres Rouges will be based out of Kennedy Stadium where, starting in September 2017, young people aged between 4 and 12 can train and play each Saturday from 10am to 12 noon.

“When I started in mid-2015 we announced one of the federation’s goals was to grow the rugby family, of fans, viewers and at club level,” technical director of the Luxembourg Rugby Federation Alexandre Benedetti told Delano.

The southern town of Dudelange with a population of over 20,000 residents was selected after an assessment of the hundreds of people playing in the country’s three existing (players') clubs: RCL, Walferdange and CSCE.

“We looked at where our members were coming from and a large number of families came from the south of the country,” said Benedetti, adding: “It made sense to reduce travel times and start something in the south.”

The new club will share the pitch with American football team The Steelers. It meets the size requirements of a rugby pitch but currently has American football posts, for a which a solution will be easily found, said Benedetti.

Already, seven potential trainers (pictured above) have expressed an interest in running the sessions. “For me it’s important because despite all the goodwill, if you don’t have dynamic volunteers to make it happen, it becomes very complicated to have a club,” said Benedetti.

Rugby Club Terres Rouges will be a “local club” for local residents, the rugbyman stresses. That said, trainers speak a number of languages so players speaking purely English will not be turned away. Once the club grows, it is hoped it will be opened up to other age ranges.

Benedetti said: “I don’t know if we will create a team in every category but, short-term, the goal is to have young people play in tournaments, either with other clubs or as a club. The first step is to attract 30 to 50 young people aged 4 to 12, to play.”

To find out more about Rugby Club Terres Rouges, email [email protected]