Splash Waterworld
Swim, slide and splash to your heart's content inside Butlin's brilliant family pool complex.
We’re delighted to be returning to Butlin’s award winning resort on the South Coast in 2025 to stage the Tigers Challenge. Butlin’s resort is booked exclusively for the festival, meaning around 175 mini and junior rugby teams from all over the UK will be taking part in the event.
The Tigers Challenge combines a professionally organised rugby festival for U7 - U12 teams and U12 & U14 girls teams, with superb touring facilities and accommodation options at Butlin’s resort in Bognor Regis. Join us on tour and make 2025 a year to remember for your players, coaches and supporters!
Read MoreIf you’re looking for a action-packed tour, there’s nowhere better than Butlin’s! The Bognor Regis Resort has a fantastic range of facilities for everyone to enjoy.
Butlin’s £40 million swimming pool complex includes flumes, Helter Skelter and Stick of Rock slides, a wave pool and Pleasure Garden river rapids – your children are going to love it! There’s also the Funfair with free rides, which is another firm favourite for our teams. For extra thrills, you can pay a small charge for activities like the High Ropes course with Climbing Wall and Zip Wire, Go Karts, Adventure Golf and Ten Pin Bowling.
When the evening comes around, there’s a great variety of live shows, tribute acts, live bands and discos, so your party will enjoy an amazing family entertainment programme, at no extra cost!
Read MoreThere’s a great range of accommodation on resort at Butlin’s Bognor Regis. Those who crave a bit of luxury can book into one of Butlin’s contemporary hotels – the Shoreline Hotel with fantastic sea views, the Wave Hotel with its own Games Port or the Ocean Hotel with its own spa!
There’s also a wide selection of places to eat and drink on resort. Butlin’s Dining plans are always a popular choice, with breakfast and an evening meal included. There’s plenty to choose from and you can go back for seconds as many times as you like, perfect for hungry young rugby players!
Read MoreWith dramatic sound and lighting effects, our spectacular presentation ceremonies are the highlight of the tour for many of our teams.
Every team gets their moment of glory, when they are invited onto the main stage to meet our special guest. From current superstars, to legends of the game, every player gets to meet a celebrity guest at the presentation.
Special guests have included Martin Johnson, Lewis Moody, Will Greenwood, Geordan Murphy, Matt Tait, Vicky Macqueen, Neil Back, Louis Deacon, Tom Croft, Scott Hamilton, Jeremy Staunton, Craig Newby, Freddie Tuilagi, Dan Hipkiss, Harry Wells and George Ford in previous years.
All players receive a quality medal as a memento of the Tigers Challenge. In addition, there are superb team awards for the top placed teams in each section of the Festival.
There's a fantastic range of facilities at Butlin's Bognor Regis, to keep everyone entertained while you're on tour!
Swim, slide and splash to your heart's content inside Butlin's brilliant family pool complex.
Go round, up, down, spin and whizz through the air in Butlin's fairgrounds - with loads of free rides!
When the Rugby stops the fun continues! There's a fantastic range of facilities on resort at Butlin's.
Live shows, tribute acts, discos and more will keep everyone entertained throughout the weekend.
There's a great range of places to eat & drink, with Half Board meal packages also available.
4 - 7 April 2025:£160pp - £230pp
Special guests have included Matt Tait, Tom Croft, Neil Back, George Ford, Harry Wells, George Chuter and Freddie Tuilagi and many more.
Every child receives a quality medal as a memento of Tigers Challenge at Butlin's Bognor Regis. In addition, there are superb individual and team awards presented in each age section.
Your team will feel like they’re in the Gallagher Premiership with live fixture updates and tour info in the Tigers Challenge App.
Recommended Touring Squad Sizes
U7 Mixed = 6
U8 Mixed = 8
U9 Mixed = 10
U10 Mixed = 12
U11 Mixed = 15
U12 Boys = 20
U12 Girls = 12+
U14 Girls = 12+
DAY 1, FRIDAY – ARRIVAL DAY:
No rugby is played on the day of arrival. Accommodation units should be available from 4pm – Butlin’s will confirm your check in time prior to your break. Guests can arrive on resort from 1pm and use the facilities at Butlin’s. There will be a full evening entertainment programme on the Friday. Our welcome meeting for coaches will take place on Friday evening at around 8pm.
DAYS 2 & 3, SATURDAY & SUNDAY:
All teams will participate in festivals that take place on both the Saturday & Sunday. Each Age Grade will be organised in accordance with the RFU guidelines. The event format may vary depending on the number of teams registered in each Age Grade.
The celebrity presentation ceremony will take place on the Sunday evening. Teams are welcome to travel home on the Sunday evening after the presentation, or Monday morning.
DAY 4, MONDAY – DEPARTURE DAY:
Check out of accommodation is 10.00am but you do not have to leave the resort until Midday.
AGE QUALIFICATION DATES
Consideration will be given to official dispensation where held under RFU Regulation 15. However this is at the discretion of the Organisers and subject to specific Tigers Challenge Rules. Please contact ESF Events for further details if required.
We would advise International teams from Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland and other countries to read RFU Regulation 15 carefully, so that you are aware of the Age Grade regulations of the RFU. As the Tigers Challenge is an RFU approved festival, the festival is played in accordance with the RFU regulations and subject to Tigers Challenge Rules.
PLEASE NOTE: As per RFU guidelines, mixed teams of boys and girls are not permitted in the U12 age sections. Therefore, girls cannot compete in the U12 boys age sections, and boys cannot compete in the U12 Girls and U14 Girls age sections at the 2025 Tigers Challenge in Bognor Regis.
If you have any queries regarding the eligibility of players, please contact ESF Events via email at info@tigerschallenge.co.uk
Age Group | Born on or after | Born before |
---|---|---|
U14 Girls | 1 Sep ’10 | 1 Sep ’12 |
U12 Girls | 1 Sep ’12 | 1 Sep ’13 |
U12 Boys | 1 Sep ’12 | 1 Sep ’13 |
U11 Mixed | 1 Sep ’13 | 1 Sep ’14 |
U10 Mixed | 1 Sep ’14 | 1 Sep ’15 |
U9 Mixed | 1 Sep ’15 | 1 Sep ’16 |
U8 Mixed | 1 Sep ’16 | 1 Sep ’17 |
U7 Mixed | 1 Sep ’17 | 1 Sep ’18 |
TIGERS CHALLENGE WRISTBANDS
Each guest who has booked accommodation through ESF Events will receive a Tigers Challenge wristband when they check in at Butlin’s. The Tigers Challenge wristband is required to attend the playing venues as a player, club official or spectator, attend the presentation ceremony at Butlin’s, and enter evening entertainment venues at Butlin’s.
Tigers Challenge wristbands are not available to purchase separately. If you are not booked through ESF Events at Butlin’s, you are not part of the event and do not have permission to attend the playing venues as a player, official or spectator, or to attend the presentation ceremonies at Butlin’s.
IMPORTANT: Accommodation for your whole party, including players, families, managers and supporters, must be booked through ESF Events. If members of your party do not book accommodation through ESF Events, the team will not be permitted to participate in the Tigers Challenge. The only exception to this is ‘local’ teams who are invited to participate in the festival to ensure the best possible format in each age group.
TEAM ENTRY FEES
There are no Team Entry Fees to enter the Tigers Challenge. All costs involved with staging the festival are included in the accommodation charges. As such, it is a condition of entry to the festival that all members of your touring party (players, coaches, officials, family members etc.), book accommodation through ESF Events.
Please note: If you have any queries or any other information regarding any of the tournament information detailed above, please call 01664 566360 or click here to email ESF Events.
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