I am the Summer Camps Project Manager, and have been in the post for the past 6 weeks.  My job involves looking after everything to do with the camps- I am responsible for staff selection and training, liasing with venues and sponsors, promotions and liasing with the PA for the professional team to organise player visits. Once the camps get under way I will be overseeing their day-to-day operation, in conjunction with my other duties.

You have been involved with the Summer Camps in previous years- what is it about working in Summer Camps that you enjoy most?

The camps are great fun to visit and I love seeing how the children improve and develop as the week goes on- the first time I did this job, I was very surprised at their progression. I coach with the Ulster Branch throughout the year but rarely get the chance to see one group for a whole week.  Children at the camps are at the perfect age to learn new skills and develop physically, and it is great to see this. I find it funny when the professional players come down and the kids get so excited, and look at them in awe when they speak to them- it reminds me of the time I met Andre Kanchelskis in Heathrow airport aged 9!!

How are the preparations going for this year’s camps, and have you received much interest?

Everything is pretty much in place for now and we are receiving a lot of interest, which is great. I think people from last year recognise how much fun their children had and how it improved their rugby.  We have 20 camps across the 9 counties, so there is pretty much a venue for everyone. We have a new sponsor on board this year- the retail group, Centra- which means this year's Summer Camps look set to be a great success all round. I would definitely encourage parents who would like to register their children for a place at Summer Camps to do so quickly as our numbers are limited. 

Over the past few weeks, I have been visiting the camp venues and have been out and about round schools and competitions in the province armed with leaflets and telling the pupils all about Summer Camps. So the preparations are going well and I’m looking forward to the camps starting in 3 weeks time.

What can children going along to this year's Summer Camps expect?

The children can expect lots of things from the camp. They can definitely expect to gain new rugby skills from the IRFU accredited coaches- they will have the same coach for the whole week, so they can gain a sense of familiarity. They can expect to meet some of the Ulster Rugby players, and get autographs, photos etc; and they will also receive a gear pack provided by Ulster Rugby’s new official kit supplier, Kukri.  Gear packs will include a back pack, T-shirt, baseball cap, water bottle, mouth guard and autographed Rugby ball. Each child will also get a free ticket to one of Ulster’s Magners League games next season.

I would definitely encourage children to come along- I wish they had had this running when I was younger! My dad was pretty much my coach during the summer when I was a lad!

How exactly do people apply for a place at Summer Camps?

Summer camp application is done by form only this year. Application forms can be downloaded from the Ulster Rugby website, or they can be collected from Ravenhill offices or Centra stores across the province.  Once these are filled out, it's just a case of sending them back into Ravenhill with payment of £75 or €110. We will then confirm that the child has a place on the camp and provide the parents with details closer to the time.