Chiefs players inspire the next generation at Community team’s residential

Exeter Chiefs players Julian Heaven and Harry Wilson were delighted to give back to the community and inspire the next generation of aspiring young rugby players at this week’s Community Chiefs residential camp.

Held at Blundell’s School in Tiverton, the five-day summer camp is a fantastic opportunity for children aged 13 to 16 to receive professional coaching and gain insight into the modern game.

On Tuesday evening, after an opening two days of team building activities and skills development sessions, the 60 campers were joined by the two Chiefs players for a relaxed Q&A session before they joined the kids for a last exciting team session of the evening.

Heaven said: “It was such a great evening, and one I was delighted to be included in. It’s great to see the community team in action. They’re all so good at their jobs, and you can really see the passion they have for helping the kids to create memories and progress in their rugby journeys.”

Wilson added: “Having arrived as a new Chief this week, I’ve been made to feel welcome immediately. Getting such an early chance to see how much of an impact the community team’s work has on the local area and on kids’ passion for rugby was fantastic.”

One of the residential’s main objectives is to create an inclusive and engaging environment in which all attendees can feel nurtured to reach their full potential and be the best version of themselves.

Head of community Tom Steer said: “I can’t thank Julian and Harry enough for dedicating their personal time to come and see what the important work our community team does is all about.

“Every member of our team relishes this time of year as our residential camps are always fantastic fun. As staff, we get to watch the kids flourish throughout the week and many leave here having built new friendships and developed new skills, so we couldn’t really ask for much more.

“I know that the kids all really enjoyed getting to meet the players and hopefully it’s given a little extra encouragement to any potential future Chiefs players that they could pull on an Exeter shirt one day.

“I’d also like to extend our thanks to Blundell’s School for hosting us. They’ve been fantastic to work with, and their great facilities allow us to incorporate multi-sports aspects into the camps, which is another great opportunity for the kids.”

The community Chiefs’ next residential camp and booking information will be released later this year.

If you would like to learn more about how the community team contributes to schools and rugby clubs across Devon and Cornwall, visit their page on our website here.