UK Coaching Awards Winner Darren Rea Captures Hearts with ‘Katie Peel Haka’
News by UK Coaching
At the UK Coaching Awards this year, rugby coach Darren Rea brought the room to its feet with an emotional performance of the ‘Katie Peel Haka’ after collecting his award.
Darren Rea, Youth Chair and a coach at Gosford All Blacks RFC, was announced as the winner of the UK Coaching Inclusive Coach of the Year Award sponsored by Inclusive Employers. He won the award for setting up a rugby programme for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Up on stage, Darren brought everyone in the room together by performing the ‘Katie Peel Haka’. Katie Peel, daughter of Wallingford Wolves head coach John Peel and the first member of their SEND rugby team in Oxfordshire, sadly passed away in 2024.
Katie was well-loved in the local community, and when she passed away, it was suggested by a fellow rugby coach that they should do a haka in her honour. They performed their version, now named the ‘Katie Peel Haka’, at her funeral, with her father, John, admitting that “it felt like a real celebration of her life.”
The ‘Katie Peel Haka’ is a fun twist on the iconic pre-match ritual, focusing on Katie’s favourite things, including chips, ketchup and crisps. It uses Makaton, a form of communication that combines signs, symbols, and speech to help those with learning difficulties.
The lyrics of the ‘Katie Peel Haka’ go as follows: “Katie Peel, Katie Peel, Chips and Ketchup. Katie Peel, Katie Peel, Crisps and Cake. Katie Peel, Katie Peel, Foxes and Wolves.”
Before the UK Coaching Awards this year, Darren promised John, now one of his closest friends, that he would perform the haka in Katie’s honour. He is now delighted that it has become an iconic part of the community.
He said: “It first started as something that was supposed to be in memory of Katie, but it's great that we can now say it's become a legacy. That's brilliant.”
John added: “It's a great way to bring everyone together. It has a real communal sense, and for her mum and me, to have her name on the lips of people that never met her is wonderful.”
Darren started his coaching journey when his eldest son began playing rugby at the age of four. While coaching his son, he recognised a lack of opportunities for children with additional needs, so he launched the SEND rugby provision at Gosford All Blacks RFC.
Darren worked alongside John at Wallingford Wolves and Gareth Lewsi at Witney Wolves to strengthen SEND rugby across the county. In 2024, they combined to set up a SEND county rugby festival and a county Oxfordshire Wolves team. The first festival took place just a few months after Katie passed away, so they named it ‘Katiefest’ in her honour.
The first two editions have epitomised the strength of SEND rugby in Oxfordshire, thanks to the commitment of Darren, John, Gareth and other like-minded individuals in the area. More than 120 SEND children take part each week at their respective clubs, and the ‘Katie Peel Haka’ has become an ever-present part of Katiefest. The next edition in 2026 is set to take place on April 25th.
Working alongside the likes of John and Gareth, Darren dreams of SEND rugby becoming something normal rather than ‘extraordinary’.
The UK Coaching Inclusive Coach of the Year said: “We have different groups and age ranges at our clubs, but the end goal is always the same. We want to achieve the same thing.
I want this to not be extraordinary anymore. I want it to just be normal. Every club that wants to and is able to should have a SEND rugby team.”
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