Super Skills Travel, Forte Village, Sardinia

We are delighted to be partnering with Super Skills Travel to offer the perfect holiday for families with sports mad children. Super Skills Travel was founded by England rugby stars Will Greenwood and Austin Healey and offers a unique opportunity for children (boys and girls) to receive coaching from International rugby heroes as part of a luxurious family holiday.

The Rugby Academy takes place at Forte Village in Sardinia, a fabulous Mediterranean resort comprising numerous hotels and villas and extensive sports, leisure and spa facilities. It takes place over five selected weeks this summer, in half-term ( 2- 9 June) and four weeks during the long holidays (14 - 28 July, 18 August -1 September).

No previous rugby experience is required as the training is structured to meet the needs of each group. The rugby is tag and controlled contact, split into three approximate age groups, then split further based on ability. Numbers are strictly limited and the coaching is rotated to ensure that each child receives plenty of hands-on coaching from a legend.

The children receive two hours of coaching each morning (with plenty of breaks for water and respite from the sun) and aims to drive genuine improvement in handling skills, whilst being great fun. But what makes it really special is the highly personalised touches from the legends themselves; they personally call each child prior to departure to explain how the programme works and to get a feel for their level of experience. On arrival at Forte Village, there are welcome drinks and each child is presented with their Canterbury kit jersey, socks, shorts and cap in the appropriate size.

As Will Greenwood explains "Austin and I love getting to know the kids and seeing the enjoyment they can have through sport. We might see and encourage some real talent in a few of the kids but it is more important to see them having a good time. Boys, girls, complete novices or those with a lot of experience, it really doesn't matter to us, but what does is ensuring they have an amazing experience and we guarantee they will".

Parents can join in too. A personal trainer is available on the side of the pitch during coaching to put the adults through their paces should they choose, while watching the kids at the same time (or leave them be and make the most of the resort's facilities) Each week there is a game of touch rugby for dads to test their rugby skills against the professionals which few can resist.

At the end of the week, the legends hand out certificates and medals to the children, personalised with their particular achievements and coaching tips. On returning home, each child receives an individual coaching video clip from their legend.

This summer Will and Austin will be joined by former England colleagues Jason Leonard, Jason Robinson and just confirmed World Cup winning captain and former England Manager, Martin Johnson. For cricket lovers, a one-off Cricket Academy is taking place the week after Easter (7-14 April), with coaching from former England captain Michael Vaughan, Alec Stewart and Paul Nixon.

Cricket Academy 5-12 years and Rugby Academy is for 5-16 years.

Pricing
For 7 nights for a family of 4 (2 adults plus 2 children under 12 years). Cricket 7th - 14th April from £3,100. Rugby 2nd - 9th June from £4,700. Prices for flights and transfers available on request.