02
Fri, May

Hello All,

 

Please find your January 2021 Newsletter featured here.

 

This months edition contains:

Chairman's note

Mental health help

Covid stage by stage guidance - Back to stage A :( 

Club help and support (all info with links below)

Training info.

 

Please note:

There is a members meeting on Monday 25th January at 7pm via zoom. Meeting details will be sent out on the day of the meeting for security reasons.

 

Following the members meeting will be a training session lead by our very own development squad.

 

Kind Regards,

 

George Richardson

Training and Promotions officer

Dear All,

 

Following Government’s national lockdown announcement to counter the steep rise in Covid-19 infections, all community rugby activity in England is suspended until further notice.

In line with current Government policy, all adult and age grade rugby training and fixtures must stop. This means we return to Stage A on the Return to Community Rugby Roadmap for all players. Outdoor organised sport for disabled people is allowed to continue.

Community rugby includes all levels below the Greene King IPA Championship (scheduled to restart in March) and the Allianz Premier 15s and Gallagher Premiership, which follow elite sport return protocols.

Click here for a summary of what is and isn’t allowed during the national lockdown. The new restrictions become law on Wednesday 6 January, but people should follow them as of now.

There is an exemption in place that allows elite sportspeople (and their coaches if necessary, or parents/guardians if they are under 18) - or those on an official elite sports pathway - to compete and train.

Indoor gyms and sports facilities will remain closed. Outdoor sports venues, including rugby clubs, outdoor gyms, tennis courts, golf courses, swimming pools, archery/driving/shooting arenas and riding arenas must close.

What exercise can I do?

People can only leave their home to exercise, and not for the purpose of recreation or leisure.

You can continue to exercise alone, with one other person from outside your household, or with your household or support bubble.

This should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.

You should maintain social distancing while exercising.

Organised outdoor sport for disabled people is allowed to continue.

You can exercise in a public outdoor place including:

● parks, beaches, countryside accessible to the public, forests
● public gardens (whether or not you pay to enter them)
● the grounds of a heritage site
● playgrounds

While this is not the way we hoped to start 2021, we all need to play our part and strictly adhere to Government guidance over the next few weeks. This will help to protect our communities and to enable the vaccine to be as effective as possible, so we can all begin to return to a more normal way of life, including rugby, in the coming months.

We would like to thank you all once again for your commitment and resilience in the face of adversity. We appreciate the support you have provided for your rugby communities and thank you for your understanding during the toughest of times, for the sport and society as a whole.

If you have any queries, please visit our Coronavirus advice & support page or contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..


Kind Regards,

 

George Richardson

Training and Promotions Officer

The RFU Council has today made the difficult decision to cancel the Adult Competitive Leagues (Level 3 and below for Men, Level 2 and below for Women) for the 2020/21 season. We believe that, even if a return to full contact rugby becomes possible, playing a meaningful competitive league season resulting in promotion and relegation is no longer feasible.
 
Given the Government’s additional restrictions to curb the increase in Covid-19 cases in locations across the country, and growing concerns around travelling significant distances outside immediate localities to fulfil fixtures due to increased risk of transmission, the decision has been made now so we can provide clubs with some certainty for the remainder of the season.
 
The Championship remains on course to start in January 2021, with this league subject to Government’s Elite Return to Play protocols.
 
What rugby can we play?
 
We have been in daily contact with Government about moving towards some form of contact rugby that will enable as many matches to take place as possible.
 
Steve Grainger, Rugby Development Director, said; “We are very keen to see competitive rugby being played again and have been pushing extremely hard to accelerate a return to contact rugby. However, we also need to be realistic about the prevalence of Covid-19 cases in society and, given the introduction of further regional restrictions, we are working with Government to create alternative solutions.
 
“Progress has been made following productive conversations with DCMS and the Office of the Deputy Chief Medical Officer who have shown a willingness to work with the RFU to explore other available options.”
 
Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said: "I know that today's decision from the RFU will be disappointing to players and fans across the country however protecting people's health is absolutely paramount. The government is continuing to work closely with the RFU on ways in which we can bring the competitive, community game back in some form ahead of a return to full contact as soon as the public health situation allows."
 
Steve Grainger added: “While many people have looked forward to contact rugby returning, we are receiving more and more feedback from clubs and players that adaptations would be acceptable. There is an increasing appetite to play an adapted format of rugby rather than having no fixtures at all.
 
“We will do everything we can to enable the rugby community to return to contact matches as soon as we can, but our priority is to keep players, coaches, referees and volunteers safe. We will provide an update to our community clubs as soon as we can. We would like to once again thank everyone for their incredible efforts in implementing the necessary changes and for their continued support in keeping formats of rugby going during this challenging season.”
 
For the current time we remain at Stage D on the Return to Community Rugby Roadmap.
 

 

Page 8 of 17