| Coronavirus (Covid-19) update This week’s headlines include: 1. Lockdown Rugby Activity 2. Age Grade Playing Calendar 2021-22 3. Inner Warrior Update 4. Webinars and on-demand videos 5. Hinckley RFC 6. Share your ideas Rugby Union Winter Survival Fund  Applications opened last Friday for clubs to submit applications for grants. The deadline for applications is 5pm on Thursday 25 February. The aim of the fund is to support community clubs at Level 3 and below that have been severely impacted by Covid-19 restrictions. Below is a video from RFU Rugby Development Director, Steve Grainger, to help explain the fund, its aims, and criteria for the application process. It covers a six-month period, from 1 October 2020 to 31 March 2021. Clubs need to demonstrate financial need for funding to ensure survival. You can find out more about the criteria and how to apply using the funding link below. We are working with Sport England to define the criteria and process for a Loans Programme, in addition to this grant funding, and will communicate this to CBs and clubs later this week when we have confirmation. Watch Video Funding Page Lockdown rugby activity England players go back to school Home-schooling was given an added rugby twist this month, when ten England players joined online school assemblies from their Guinness Six Nations training camp. Players answered pupils’ questions as Eddie Jones and England Rugby tried to help motivate students by giving them and their teachers something different to start their school day. The activity was part of England Rugby’s wider programme of support for the community game, aiming to keep players engaged in rugby while they can’t play. Red Rose Shaunagh Brown live Q&A Shaunagh Brown joined us live last Wednesday after a two-day training camp with the Red Roses. While discussing the upcoming Women’s World Cup later this year and the Women’s Six Nations, now scheduled for April, she also answered players’ questions on how to stay physically and mentally motivated during lockdown. Watch the Q&A on demand here. Position Workshop Series This week we were joined by second rows Courtney Lawes and Jonny Hill. Both players analysed match footage to share their insights, thought processes and how they use the Principles of Play. Back To School Inspired To Play Ag Grade Playing Calendar 2021-22 A final reminder that the Age Grade Playing calandar for 2021-22 is now with CBs, CSUs, Academies, Centres of Excellence, RPPGs and other local stakeholders to populate together. We hope this has started to be shared and published on websites to give everyone the best planning notice possible. Inner Warrior update Warrior Camps are now on hold until May. Should any tier system return, and if clubs are able to host a Warrior Camp as part of their permitted activity, then clubs are welcome to hold an event in April. We will run a targeted recruitment campaign in May and will invite clubs to host a Warrior Camp between 1st and 30th May. Information on how to register your event will be shared at the end of March, subject to Covid-19 restrictions. If you have any queries, please contact innerwarrior@rfu.com Webinars and on-demand videos We know that you might be Zoomed out, so we have made sure all our webinars are available when you need them on demand if you can’t see them live. RFU’s Head Groundsperson Jim Buttar Q&A – Thursday 18 February – 7pm We want to help you with the challenges you are having with your pitches but also to celebrate your success. Jim Buttar, England Rugby Head Groundsperson, will be answering your questions throughout the Webinar so send any questions or photos to groundsmenconnected@rfu.com. Register today Introducing the Mental Wellbeing for Players webinar – Wednesday 24 March – 7pm Welcome rugby players of all ages to a healthy discussion about mental wellbeing, creating kinder cultures and the importance of looking out for each other. Guest speaker, David Beeney, who has years of experience talking about (and not talking about) mental health is joined by former England Rugby captain Dylan Hartley. We put player welfare at the heart of the game in order to keep the community healthy with help from our trusted healthcare partner Simplyhealth. Register today You can see all our previous Coaching, Refereeing, and Club webinars online. Hinckley RFC Hinckley RFC are yet another club making a difference, like so many during this pandemic. They have called in a number of volunteers to help produce over 500 individually packed meals a day to distribute to children and their families during the weekdays of half term. Hinckley Share your ideas Please let us know if there are any further resources or specific support that clubs and CBs could benefit from during lockdown, by contacting ClubSupport@RFU.com or emailing ChrisDodd@rfu.com. We continue to highlight the wonderful activities of our clubs and their teams on our England Rugby channels. Please share your stories and videos with ChrisDodd@rfu.com or PatriciaMowbray@rfu.com. |
Cowan-Dickie starts against Italy
Congratulations to Cornishman Luke Cowan-Dickie who has been selected at hooker against Italy in Saturday’s Guinness 6 Nations game at Twickenham. This will be Luke’s 28th appearance for England.
RFU Covid Community Game Update 9th Feb
| Coronavirus (Covid-19) update This week’s headlines include: 1. Lockdown rugby activity – Ben Youngs Q&A 2. Player survey 3. #ShowYourShirt reaches 650 4. Itoje and clubs push for laptops at home 5. Webinars and on-demand videos 6. Share your ideas Webinars and on-demand videos  Despite rugby being on pause, we still have some fantastic webinars on-demand that you can catch up on by following the links below. Mental Health webinar – date update On Thursday 18 March we will be running a mental health webinar. We will be sharing the registration details in our CGU and across our social media channels before then. You can see all our previous Coaching, Refereeing, and Club webinars online. To read the rest of the update click on the link |
RFU Community Game Update 2nd Feb
| Coronavirus (Covid-19) update |
| This week’s headlines include: 1. Lockdown rugby activity – Ben Youngs Q&A 2. Player survey Please encourage your players to complete this year’s player survey which is based around the different formats of the game, how Covid-19 has impacted them in the last 12 months and how they might take part in future. Your support will help us to protect and grow the game at this difficult time. 3. #ShowYourShirt reaches 650 4. Itoje and clubs push for laptops at home 5. Webinars and on-demand videos 6. Share your ideas To read the rest of the update click on the link |
RFU Coronavirus Update, 26th Jan
| Coronavirus (Covid-19) update This week’s headlines include: 1. Lockdown rugby activity – digital engagement & England player Q&A 2. #ShowYourShirt – last call 3. GMS help portal 4. Webinars and on-demand videos 5. Birkenhead Park RC raises £75,000 via crowdfunding appeal 6. Share your ideas To read the complete update, click on the link |
RFU Community Game Update, January 2021
| Distribution list: Friday 22 January Constituent Bodies Chairs, Constituent Bodies Honorary Secretaries, Constituent Bodies Treasurers, Club Chairs, Honorary Secretaries, Treasurers |
| Community Game Update – January 2021 Content: 1. Council Election 2021 guidance 2. 150th Anniversary 3. Mitsubishi Motors Rugby Leadership Network 4. GameChangers online courses for coaches 5. #ShowYourShirt part two 6. Defibrillator funding for clubs 7. Webinars and on-demand videos 8. Kings Cross Steelers documentary This communication is only sent to the roles highlighted in the distribution list above. Please share it with others in your club who need to see it. To read the full update please click on the link. |
Game Changers Webinars
Dear Coach
Over the next couple of months, we are running a series of online Game Changers webinars for Age Grade (U7’s-U13’s) and 15-a-side (U14’s-Seniors) coaches/teachers. These webinars are free of charge but coaches will need to register beforehand via GMS. Coaches only need to register for one course that is applicable to the age group that they coach at as these are not a series of events!
Please find below the links to the online Game Changers webinar for;
Age Grade (U7’s-U13’s)
Cornwall Age Grade Game Changers – 26/01/21 = http://bit.ly/3qkQ3xx
15-a-side (U14’s-Seniors)
Cornwall 15-a-side Game Changers – 27/01/21 = http://bit.ly/3qhHQu9
| Wayne Reed England Rugby – Coach Developer Mobile: 07711385927 Email: waynereed@rfu.com |
RFU Coronavirus Update 19th Jan.
This week’s headlines include:
1. Lockdown rugby activity
2. Government financial support update
3. #ShowYourShirt
4. Guinness supporting club re-openings
5. Webinars and on-demand videos
6. Rosslyn Park Slingbacks support NHS workers
7. Share your ideas
| Lockdown rugby activity During the lockdown period we have a range of activities to keep people engaged, some of which can be accessed below. Coming up over the next few weeks there will be player and club challenges, activity for age grade players and virtual Inner Warrior sessions, support for teachers and parents, webinars for volunteer engagement and club development and regular content for schools, colleges and universities. We will continue to post these across our social media channels so please keep an eye out. In our on-demand videos, we also have a link to the Youth Sport Trust after school activities with Nolli Waterman. For now, we have our #GetYourShirtOn videos and the School of Ruck from the World Rugby Museum to help support parents’ home-schooling by providing physical activities and also interesting trivia, reading, and spelling challenges. Online Training Sessions School of Ruck Government financial support update  We are continuing dialogue with Government and Sport England around the eligibility criteria and application process for impacted clubs to access funding support from the Winter Sports Survival package that was announced by DCMS in November, 2020. No funds have been issued yet, either to clubs or the RFU, and hence please don’t think you have missed out on anything yet. The fund was established to help ease the impact of the loss of revenue due to no spectators in the period October 1st to March 31st and we will update as soon as an agreement on eligibility and distribution is reached. This is likely to be an application process and will be needs based, it is not an automatic grant. Sport England has also updated the Return to Play funding that was confirmed by Government last year. They have increased the available budget, as well as extending the deadline until Wednesday 30 June 2021. In September, we also mentioned Covid-19 Business Interruption Insurance. There has recently been an update from the FCA, and policyholders should expect to hear from their broker, insurance advisor or insurer in the coming days if this applies to them. Further info can be found on our funding page below. Funding Information To read the rest of the update click on the link. |
Mitsubishi Motors Rugby Leadership Network
The Mitsubishi Motors Rugby Leadership Network is an exciting and unique opportunity to acquire valuable skills and network with other rugby leaders. Closing date for applications 8th February 2021.
RFU Coronavirus Update 12th Jan.
| Coronavirus (Covid-19) update This week’s headlines include: 1. Resources to support clubs and CBs through lockdown 2. Government financial support 3. Pause on DBS checks 4. Mitsubishi Motors Rugby Leadership Network 5. Webinars and on-demand videos 6. Digital Remembrance Wall 7. Leighton Buzzard RFC becomes a vaccination hub RFU Headlines  Resources to support clubs and CBs during lockdown As promised, we have created a one-stop support centre to help clubs through lockdown. We have compiled information for you to use as and when it suits your club as we understand that clubs may need this information at different times, depending on individual circumstances. We will continue to update our resources in this area as we have more information. While it sounds contradictory to suggest conducting a good governance health check during a pandemic, the national lockdown does provide a pause in the day-to-day running of clubs. This could serve as a time to assess good governance practices, so that clubs can be in as strong a position as is possible during these times, to be able to bounce back when rugby can return. Alongside this, we have included a reminder below of funding options available to address more immediate concerns during lockdown. If you can’t find the information you need on the pages below, please get in touch with us via ClubSupport@RFU.com and we will respond as quickly as we can. Lockdown Support Funding Support To read the rest of the update please click on the link |
