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| 1. ACTION REQUIRED Men’s RFU League Structure 2023/24 – League Deadline and unplayed fixtures With some teams left with games to play that may take them beyond the scheduled end of season, the RFU Adult Competitions Management Committee have set out a process to manage the situation. Get ready for Adult Player Registration – prizes available To help get ready for Adult Registration next season and to support the health of the game, we are asking clubs to make sure that players’ email addresses are verified on GMS. Age grade rugby 2024/25 playing calendar We are pleased to provide the framework for national competitions and player pathway activity throughout the year. Women’s Fixture Scheduling – Have Your Say We want to hear from Players and Volunteers from the Women’s Game about when you’d most like to play matches and the benefits of Saturday vs Sunday fixtures. READ ONLINE > |
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| 2. ACTION IF OF INTEREST Become a member of the RFU National Youth Council The RFU’s National Youth Council (NYC) is helping to grow rugby and is currently recruiting for new members to join the group. Love Rugby Summer Activity Programme The RFU are providing support for clubs to run girls’ activity including a Love Rugby Camp in May followed by four weeks of rugby sessions in June & July. Honda Rugby Grounds Connected National Events 2024 We are delighted to announce our events for 2024, fully loaded with amazing people, great machinery demos, and the opportunity to connect with others in the industry. Have you made use of an AGP yet? Artificial grass pitches supplement good quality natural turf pitches – the enduring surface for rugby union – by providing playing, training and education facilities with a consistent surface throughout the year upon which the game can develop. Padel Tennis – An Opportunity For Rugby Clubs? In order to support rugby clubs who may be looking at Padel as a potential income generator, the RFU has developed some guidance to consider when working with a Padel company. Support available for your club! The RFU provides various ‘off field club support’ services, as well as regular webinars on a range of topics – find them all here. |
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| 3. FOR AWARENESS Community News – monthly round up In case you missed them, check out some of the top community rugby stories over the last month from the England Rugby website. Community Rugby in the news From London EmpowerHER to the Contintental Tyres Schools Cup, it’s been great to see community rugby in the news over the last month, check out some of the highlights here. READ ONLINE > |
RFU Community Game Update February
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| 1. ACTION REQUIRED Adult Player Registration – verify your players’ email addresses To help get ready for Adult Player Registration next season and to support the health of the game, from February 2024 we are asking clubs to make sure that players’ email addresses are verified on GMS. The National Rugby Survey is live! Every year the National Rugby Survey is your way to share how your season has gone so far and what you would like the game to look like in the future. Papa Johns Men’s Community Cup Draw & Finals Information We are pleased to announce the draw for this seasons Papa Johns Men’s Community Cup, as well as details on where the finals will be held this season. Your chance to play at Twickenham with Play Together, Stay Together Be in with a chance of playing at Twickenham stadium, by telling the RFU what your club is doing to help age grade players transition to adult rugby. READ ONLINE > |
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| 2. ACTION IF OF INTEREST Age Grade Rugby – Key Reminders in the second half of the season It is great to see Age Grade Rugby back up and running after the Christmas break across clubs, schools and colleges. Check out these key reminders for the rest of the season. RugbySafe HEADCASE Concussion Tracker Over 400 clubs are already using the Proactive App to assist their incident and injury recording, pre-session checks and emergency action planning and now the system includes a groundbreaking concussion tracker feature. Feature in an England Rugby film! The RFU is searching for inspiring girls within the community game whose story can be told via a content film. Youth Group Offer for Red Roses v Ireland Ahead of the Red Roses v Ireland match, the RFU is running an offer for youth groups to attend this fixture. Support available for your club! The RFU provides various ‘off field club support’ services, as well as regular webinars on a range of topics – find them all here. |
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| 3. FOR AWARENESS 2023 Community Rugby Inclusion & Diversity Survey Results In October 2023 the RFU launched the fourth Community Game I&D Survey. Many of you will have contributed to this and you can discover the findings in this section. The Clubhouse: Episode 3 The latest episode of The Clubhouse, the RFU’s magazine show that takes a closer look at the community game was released last week. Community News – monthly round up In case you missed them, check out some of the top community rugby stories over the last month from the England Rugby website. READ ONLINE > |
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RFU Community Game Update January 2024
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| 1. ACTION REQUIRED Age Grade Registration prize winners and new Prize Draw! Congratulations to the winners of our Age Grade Registration competition! We are now pleased to announce the Age Grade Girls Registration Prize Draw. Prizes include the opportunity to win a training session with an England Red Rose player and £2,000 club kit vouchers, meaning there are five opportunities to win! Honda Volunteer of the Year – Nominations now open! The Honda Volunteer of the Year Awards 2024 recognise volunteers for their achievements over the past 12 months. We want to celebrate all the volunteers who help make rugby happen, whether on the pitch or behind the scenes, and hear about those who make your club or organisation great. |
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| 2. ACTION IF OF INTEREST Club and CB Support and Webinars The RFU provides various ‘off field club support’ services – many of which are free. Find out how to access support on everything from Legal matters to insurance, as well as the wide range of upcoming webinars, in this section. Get Involved with touch to Twickenham After a successful first year in 2023, we are delighted to launch Touch to Twickenham in 2024. With 48 events around the country for U14 and U18 mixed-gendered school and college teams, Touch to Twickenham aims to get more schools and young people engaged with rugby and presents a fantastic opportunity for clubs to link with, and support, their local schools. Your chance to play at Twickenham with Play Together, Stay Together The Twickenham Takeover Day is returning in 2024! Once again eight community teams will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play at the home of England Rugby. Find out how to enter in this section. |
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| 3. FOR AWARENESS Aggravation of Sanctions for all Match Official Abuse (MOA) cases from 1 January 2024 The RFU Head of Judiciary, Richard Whittam KC, has issued guidance to all disciplinary panels that any instance of Match Official Abuse (MOA) will be subject to mandatory aggravation of any sanction by a set number of weeks depending on the level of the offence. The additional weeks will be applied to every level of the adult game. Getting ready for Adult Player Registration Over the next few months, we will be sharing information to help your clubs and players get ready for Adult Player Registration. Further guidance will be shared in February’s Community Game Update. Clubs can start to get ready for Adult Player Registration by making sure that their current registered players have a verified email address and up-to-date personal details on the Game Management System (GMS). The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) 2024 Prohibited List The WADA 2024 Prohibited List came into effect on 1 January 2024. The Prohibited List details what substances and methods are banned in sport and applies to all players regardless of the level at which they play. Community News – monthly round up In case you missed them, check out some of the top community rugby stories over the last month from the England Rugby website. READ ONLINE > |
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RFU Community Game Update December
| COMMUNITY GAME UPDATE TUESDAY 12 DECEMBER READ ONLINE > |
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| 1. ACTION REQUIRED Age Grade Registration – Beat the 45 day deadline! With over 160,000 Age Grade players registered, it’s been a great start to the season. However, with the season starting in September, most unregistered Age-Grade players are now beyond the 45 day deadline and their club is now operating outside of the regulations. Access help with registration and discover incentives in this piece. Your chance to play at Twickenham with Play Together, Stay Together The Twickenham Takeover Day is returning in 2024! Once again eight community teams will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play at the home of England Rugby. Find out how to enter in this section. |
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| 2. ACTION IF OF INTEREST Want to be a part of the Governance and Representation Review Group? Earlier this year, the RFU Council agreed to form a Governance and Representation Review group to review the RFU’s Governance structure. We are now inviting expressions of interest from the wider community to be a part of the group. Have you accessed our Grant Search Tool yet? Our free to use grant search facility allows you to search through the thousands of grants and loans that could help your club. Honda Volunteer Hospitality registrations for Guinness Six Nations As part of the Honda Volunteer Recognition Programme, club volunteers who already have match tickets to one of England’s Six Nations home fixtures can register for up to four tickets each for pre-match hospitality. Find out more in this section. Represent your Premiership Club at the Gallagher Premiership Final 2024 Premiership Rugby are giving sixteen young fans the chance to become part of the match day build-up as flag-bearers when the two finalists run out centre-stage. Register your interest in this section. |
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| 3. FOR AWARENESS The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) 2024 Prohibited List The WADA 2024 Prohibited List comes into effect on 1 January 2024. The Prohibited List details what substances and methods are banned in sport and applies to all players regardless of the level at which they play. RFU Annual Report 2022/23 Last week the RFU published its Annual Report for 2022/23. Read the key summary and highlights in this piece. DCMS Evaluation of Sport Survival Package The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has published an independent evaluation report into the Sport Survival Package initiated during the pandemic. The report highlights the significant investment that Rugby Union secured from this fund. Safeguarding Bulletin December’s Safeguarding Bulletin includes details of how the Safeguarding Team is following up with clubs following the club safeguarding audit, the DBS Update Service going live, a reminder on how to share concerns, and what’s to come in 2024. Coming Soon – England Rugby Advanced Coaching Workshop 2024/25 The England Rugby Advanced Coaching Workshop webinar will be going live for booking from 19 January. The completion of this webinar is essential to be able to book onto Part 1 of the England Rugby Advanced Coaching Award – Developing Advanced Coaching Practice. Thank you for joining our Adult Player Registration engagement sessions We would like to thank everyone who signed up to take part in the Adult Player Registration online engagement sessions held throughout October. Find out more about what happened at the sessions in this section. Heartfelt thanks from the Injured Players Foundation The IPF team have been reflecting on the year and want to say a massive THANK YOU for all the support you, your clubs and players have given us throughout 2023. Community News – monthly round up In case you missed them, check out some of the top community rugby stories over the last month from the England Rugby website. READ ONLINE > |
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RFU Community Game Update 14 November
| COMMUNITY GAME UPDATE TUESDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2023 READ ONLINE > |
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| 1. ACTION REQUIRED Age Grade Registration – Beat the 45 day deadline! With over 155,000 Age Grade players registered, it’s been a great start to the season. However, with the season starting in September, most unregistered Age-Grade players are now beyond the 45 day deadline and their club is now operating outside of the regulations. Access help with registration and discover incentives in this piece. Don’t forget to enter the Papa Johns Men’s Community Cup! The entry window for any 1st team playing in RFU Leagues from Regional 1 down to Counties 5 closes on 24 November – don’t miss your chance for cup glory and enter your team now! |
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| 2. ACTION IF OF INTEREST Volunteer Recruitment Project Applications are now open for a £500 grant to support the recruitment of more volunteers. Read more and find out how to apply. Boost your social media with #PlayTogetherStayTogether We’re giving community clubs the chance to win a Digital Promotional Pack to help you get more players back on the pitch. Find out how to enter the competition in this section. Regulation 7 Review – share your feedback! A review group has been set up to review the Payment Regulations. This group will look at the regulations themselves as well as the Payment Thresholds for each league, currently set out in RFU Regulation 7. Give your thoughts on the process through a short survey in this section. Upcoming Club Support Webinars The RFU Club Support team have a number of upcoming webinars to support clubs across a huge range of topics. Find out more information about each webinar and sign up! Have you used the Club Health Check yet? As part of our wider ‘Flourishing Rugby Communities’ strategy to help clubs ensure they are healthy both now and in the future, we have created an online self-assessment health check tool. Discover more and access the tool. |
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| 3. FOR AWARENESS Thank you from the RFU Safeguarding team! A huge thank you from the RFU Safeguarding Team to all clubs that were required to complete the annual Club Safeguarding Audit by the deadline. For more information and any questions, visit this section. Community News – monthly round up In case you missed them, check out some of the top community rugby stories over the last month from the England Rugby website. READ ONLINE > |
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RFU Community Game Update October 2023
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| 1.ACTION REQUIRED Community Rugby Support Fund 2023/24 The Community Rugby Support Fund for 2023/24 is now live! The purpose of this fund is to support voting member clubs, CBs and referee societies who are in greatest financial need and the window to make a claim closes on 7 November. Love Rugby – our new campaign for girls rugby Love Rugby is a new campaign to give girls a voice and raise visibility that rugby union is a game where girls belong. Find out more about the campaign. #PlayTogetherStayTogether – 2023/24 Season Play Together, Stay Together is back for the new season and we want you to get involved! Remind yourself of the campaign goals and find out how to get involved in this section. 135K and counting! Keep registering your Age Grade players Over 135,000 Age Grade players are now registered for 2023/24 – an increase of 35,000 since the last Community Game Update! Check out the support on offer to help get your players registered! 2. ACTION IF OF INTEREST Have your say on the next steps of Adult Registration Ahead of the start of Adult Registration next season, the RFU is seeking the views of players and those involved in player/team selection on the proposed next steps in the implementation of Adult Registration. Inclusion & Diversity Survey, Toolkit & Policy Guidance Check out the latest Inclusion & Diversity updates, including taking part in a survey, a new I&D toolkit to help the community game and more guidance on the Gender Participation Policy. Reduce your club’s running costs with the RFU Buying Group The RFU Buying Group is a service to support RFU Clubs in significantly reducing their running costs and helping your club to access the best value services from a broad range of approved suppliers. Find out more in this piece. Upcoming Club Support Webinars The RFU Club Support team have a number of upcoming webinars to support clubs across a huge range of topics. Find out more information about each webinar and sign up! Have you used the Club Health Check yet? As part of our wider ‘Flourishing Rugby Communities’ strategy to help clubs ensure they are healthy both now and in the future, we have created an online self-assessment health check tool. Discover more and access the tool. 3. FOR AWARENESS RFU Pregnancy and Match Official Guidance This guidance document outlines points to consider in relation to match officials who are pregnant or have recently given birth. Removing barriers to match officiating benefits the whole game – check out the guidance now. GMS – Email verification & inputting fixtures With the season underway, it’s a great time to make sure that individuals have a unique, verified email address on GMS and that your fixtures are being inputted on the system. Player Welfare resources Read the latest updates from the RugbySafe programme, from the updated HEADCASE toolkit to the case studies recently covered in the media. DBS Update Service All staff and volunteers that require a DBS check will now be prompted to join the DBS Update Service. Find out more about the process and how it works in this section. Community News – monthly round up In case you missed them, check out some of the top community rugby stories over the last month from the England Rugby website. Read Online |
Community Game Update 12th September
| Community Game Update Tuesday 12 September |
| 1.ACTION REQUIRED 100k and counting! Register your Age Grade players today Over 100,000 Age Grade players are now registered for 2023/24. Don’t forget to register the Age Grade players at your club. Find guides and assistance here. Age Grade Rugby Regulations 2023/24 Check out the changes to Age Grade Regulations for 2023/24 and remind yourself of the regulations and guidance around Playing Out of Age Grade in this section. 2. ACTION IF OF INTEREST Adult Registration – Next Steps Consultation – October 2023 Ahead of the start of Adult Registration next season, the RFU is seeking the views of players and those involved in player/team selection on the proposed next steps in the implementation of Adult Registration. Men’s Papa Johns Community Cup Webinars Based on club feedback last season, a number of changes have been made to the Men’s Papa John’s Community Cup for the 2023/24 season. Sign up to the club webinars here to find out more. There’s still time to register to host an Allianz Inner Warrior Camp! Allianz Inner Warrior Camps are an easy and fun way to welcome new women or players returning to the game. You pick the date and time between 14 – 29 October and we will provide you with support and resources to help you promote and run your camp. Make the most of RWC 2023! With 40 more matches being shown on ITV between now and 28 October, the Rugby World Cup is a great opportunity to recruit new players, retain existing members and boost revenue. Community Rugby Injury Surveillance & Prevention Programme (CRISP) Run in conjunction with the University of Bath, the CRISP Project collects injury data from across the community game. In order for it to be a success, we always need clubs and teams to get involved. 3. FOR AWARENESS Honda Volunteer of the Year 2023 Winners Announced A remarkable group of rugby volunteers were celebrated and rewarded at the Honda Volunteer of the Year awards at Twickenham Stadium last Friday. Read more in this section. Safeguarding update As the season begins, we want to ensure that clubs are all set from a safeguarding perspective to create a safe and fun environment for children during the 2023/24 season. HEADCASE Following the publication of the Government’s UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport, the HEADCASE resources have been updated and given a new look to align with these guidelines. Find them here. Community News – monthly round up In case you missed them, check out some of the top community rugby stories over the last month from the England Rugby website. Read Online |
RFU Community Game Update
| Tuesday 15 August Stay up to date with news about the community game by following @RFU |
| Community Game Update Read Online |
| 1. ACTION REQUIRED Regulation Changes for the 2023/24 Season Ahead of the start of the season, view the full rules and regulations or check out the executive summary of the key regulation changes for the 2023/24 season. Visit the RFU’s Tackle Height Hub ahead of the new season To support players, coaches, referees, volunteers and CBs with tackle height changes ahead of the start 2023/24 season, a comprehensive range of resources are available on the England Rugby Tackle Height Hub. 45,000 and counting! Register your Age Grade players today It’s great to see over 45,000 Age-Grade players registered ahead of the new season. Registering players now is a great way to get the admin out of the way before the season. Find out more information and support available in this section. Age Grade Regulations 23/24 & Summer Framework 2023 View the permitted activity for August 2023, as per the Summer Activity Guide, as well as the new Age Grade Regulation 15. 2. ACTION IF OF INTEREST Entry to the Papa Johns Women’s Community Cup Closes on 20 August As in previous seasons, there will be two Cup competitions (plus two waterfall Plate competitions) in the Papa Johns Women’s Community Cup – enter your team now in this section! Register to host an Allianz Inner Warrior Camp in October! This seasons Allianz Inner Warrior windows are 14 – 29 October 2023 and 6 – 21 January 2024. You pick the date and time and we will support you with organising and promoting your camp. Find out more in this piece. Community Rugby Injury Surveillance & Prevention Programme (CRISP) and New Proactive Reporting Find out how to get involved with the CRISP Project this season, as well as new proactive reporting functionality coming to the game. 3. FOR AWARENESS RFU Arranged Insurance cover As we approach the start of the season it is worthwhile checking your Insurance Protection. Details of the cover provided by the RFU’s insurance for the community game can be found in this piece. Women’s Competitions Advisory Group We are pleased to introduce the Women’s Competitions Advisory Group (WCAG) – a new collective comprised of current players, coaches and volunteers from the game. Meet the members in this section. Community News – Monthly round up In case you missed them, check out some of the top community rugby stories over the last month from the England Rugby website. Read Online |
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RFU Community Game Update July
| Tuesday 11 July Stay up to date with news about the community game by following @RFU on Twitter here. |
| Community Game Update Read Online |
| 1. ACTION REQUIRED Make the most of RWC 2023! The countdown to the Rugby World Cup 2023 is on and the excitement is building! To help you make the most of this opportunity, check out the RFU RWC Activation guides to help you use the tournament to recruit new players, retain existing squad members, and boost revenue. Age Grade Registration 2023/24 is now open Age Grade Registration for 2023/24 opened on 3rd July. Register Age Grade Players at your club and win tickets to England v Wales! Tickets to England v Fiji are also up for grabs for U17s and U18s players from 2022/23 and U18s players from 2020/21 and 2021/22 as they take control of their rugby record. Find out more in this piece. Have you visited the RFU’s Tackle Height Hub yet? To support players, coaches, referees, volunteers and CBs with tackle height changes ahead of the 2023/24 season, a comprehensive range of resources are being produced. Find out about the latest updates on the Tackle Height Hub in this section. Age Grade Summer Framework & Regulations – July 2023 We are pleased to confirm the permitted activity for July 2023, as per the Summer Activity Guide. Check it out in this section. 2. ACTION IF OF INTEREST Training Courses 2023/24 Season – Book now Approximately 20,000 places are available for coaches and referees on Kids First Tag Rugby, Kids First Contact Rugby, England Rugby Coaching and Refereeing Awards and Principles of Scrummaging. Find out how to book in this section. Women and Girls Toolkits Over the coming months, we will be providing brand new resources covering different health and welfare issues impacting female rugby athletes. The first of these Women and Girls toolkits; Menstrual Health was launched on 3rd July and can be found in this piece. U12 Girls Club Start-Up Scheme 2023/23 As part of the RWC 2025 Impact programme, we are about to launch the second year of the U12 Girls Club Start-Up Scheme as we head into the 2023/24 season that gives clubs a kit package and £500 to support or start their team. Applications are now live and close on 31st July 2023. The Community Rugby Injury Surveillance & Prevention Programme (CRISP) needs you The CRISP Project is critical to gaining better understanding and providing data in order to compare and assess trends in injury risk across different playing populations and levels of the game. We need clubs and teams from across the game to get involved and help improve the welfare of players. Be part of the UNIon – opportunity for female University students In partnership with Neal Training, as part of RWC25 Impact, the RFU are delivering a Female Leadership Academy programme under the name of UNIon. University students between the ages of 18-25 will develop their leadership skills and empower them in the rugby landscape. Honda Volunteer Hospitality registrations for Summer Series Club volunteers can register for up to four tickets each for pre-match hospitality in the British Airways Fan Village at Twickenham as part of the Honda Volunteer Recognition Programme. This programme recognises the thousands of volunteers who are an integral part of the sport. Find out how to register for your tickets in this section. 3. FOR AWARENESS Travel Funding Policy The Community Game Board (CGB) have reviewed travel grants ahead of the 2023-24 season. Read more about the policy in this piece. Managing Rugby Pitches In Drought Conditions Good club/facility management is essential during dry weather periods. Find out how to support, educate and communicate with your members as your club or organisation pulls together to help reduce the impacts of restricted water availability. Read Online |
