Discovery Bay Pirates Rugby Club was established in 2005 and has become the cornerstone sports team in Discovery Bay. Homegrown and 100% community based, the DB Pirates have a proud and strong history of success, with many players moving through the club's pathway and representing Hong Kong men's and women's 7’s and 15’s teams
Over the last few years, the club has grown into a multiple sports club, offering Netball, Hockey, and Dragon Boating, allowing the DB Pirates to engage and provide more opportunities to the sporting community of Discovery Bay.
As the 2022/2023 rugby season approaches, I met with DB Pirates Head of Rugby, Simon Tasker. Simon has an extensive rugby resume. As a player, he represented Hong Kong at the Age Group and National Level and played top-level rugby in the UK and Hong Kong.
Simon is passionate about rugby, and it's no surprise that he has transitioned from playing to coaching. Having coached at the DB Pirates for ten years, he is a qualified coach educator for World and Hong Kong Rugby and is working towards completing his World Rugby Level 3 coach certificate.
His role as Head of Rugby is to have a strategic plan in place thats emphasizes developing pathways for players to progress and guiding and educating coaches. He regularly runs in-house courses for coaches to upskill themselves and provide players with the best and latest coaching practices.
The DB Pirates pathway focuses on long-term development and is divided into the following structure:
Mini Rugby - boy and girls (u6-u12)
Youth Rugby - boys and girls (u13 -u16)
Senior Rugby - Men
In Mini Rugby, players are introduced to and coached foundational rugby skills that will help them progress through club pathways and age groups. Each age group is coached, by a qualified World Rugby Level 1 coach and follows training principles and guidelines set by World and Hong Kong Rugby and the philosophy and culture of DB Pirates Rugby.
The upcoming season will begin on the 4 September, and Simon sees this as an opportunity to rebuild and grow the club after the effects of the Covid pandemic. He believes the club has positioned itself to become Lantau's premier rugby and multisports club.
He will be working on providing players of all ages and abilities the opportunity to play rugby and be part of the DB Pirates family. Joining the DB Pirates will encourage new and returning members to maintain physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
As the new season draws near Simon, wants to thank all members for their support and is looking forward to welcoming new and returning members to the DB Pirates and is looking forward to seeing many of you on the pitch for the upcoming season.
To get more information on the DB Pirates or if you would like to get involved please click on the link or email:
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