Age Grade Registration 2023-24 is well underway – thank you In a record first week of Age Grade Registrations, over 22,000 age grade players from more than 500 clubs have already registered. What an outstanding effort! This would not have been possible without our brilliant club volunteers and registrars who have taken such a positive approach, as well as all the parents/guardians who have renewed registrations for their children or dependents. Focusing on getting ahead of administrative tasks before we reach September is great and will allow us to concentrate on what happens on the pitch when the season begins. As announced in the recent Community Game Update, we want to say thank you for all the hard work. With that in mind we have arranged a great offer for every club to claim 10 free tickets to England v Wales in the Summer Series at Twickenham Stadium on 12 August. Every club that registers an Age Grade player by 6 August will be able to apply for their 10 tickets via international ticket contact (ITC). The ITC will be sent an online application form on 24 July to complete, tickets will then be sent to them via the Twickenham Stadium App for onward distribution. We will be updating our Ticketing Team with the list of clubs every couple of days so that nobody misses out. We also have some other important updates for you: Help the handover Handing GMS accounts over to U17s and U18s from 2022/23 and U18s from 2020/21 and 2021/22 allows them to take ownership of the way they engage with the game as they move forward into the adult game. You can help us with the handover by encouraging these players to register. As a reward from us, any players in these groups that take ownership of their GMS player registration before 7 August will be entered into a draw to win tickets to the England v Fiji Summer Series game on 26 August at Twickenham Stadium. Two lucky winners will also win five tickets to the West Car Park Fan Village hospitality area for this fixture. Players will become eligible to take part in the prize draws once their record has been handed over to them and the player has verified their email address. Find more details about the Help the Handover competition here. Please note that the hospitality ticket winners must be over the age of 18. Full terms and conditions here. Age Grade Registration options in GMS Online Age Grade Registration ensures that parents and players are in control of their unique record and their data is secure and up to date. Although this will largely remain an adult-led process for safeguarding and data protection reasons, we have received feedback in the past two years that some groups of players would benefit from being able to manage their own record and registration. Therefore, in the limited circumstances where regular parental engagement is genuinely not possible for a club or parents become less involved for older teenage players, we will make a new optional feature available. This will empower the player to take on management of their own record, to register as a player and to register for and purchase courses. We stress that this is an optional feature for clubs. Please see our guide on how club registrars and volunteers can assist with this process. More Registration support is available here and via Community Rugby Help if you need to contact our team. And in other news… Thank you to everyone that joined our most recent Age Grade Registration Webinar. The session took place on 12 July and covered the updates in this email in more detail. If you missed it, the recording is on the Platform 4 Rugby YouTube channel alongside a host of other useful videos for registrars. The Age Grade Registration Prize Draw is back! All clubs that register more 2023/24 Age Grade players than they managed in 2022/23 will enter the draw to win prizes including kit packages, vouchers and a visit from an England Rugby Legend. Could you be like our 2022/23 winners Cockermouth RFC, who received a visit from Lewis Moody? Full details are here. Check out the Summer Activity Framework for July. The Framework provides support and guidance on rugby activity during the off-season here. New resources have been added to our Tackle Height Hub to help everyone across the game get ready for the new season. Click the button below to see the hub and please share this with your age grade network. Tackle Height Hub |
Lee Maher attends Honda Volunteer lunch at HQ
Chair of Competitions with the CRFU Lee Maher recently attended a Honda Volunteer Recognition Lunch at Twickenham.
This was to acknowledge the work accomplished by Lee to support competitions and to assist development opportunities to engage more players.
Well done Lee who is pictured above with other CB participants and outgoing RFU President Nigel Gillingham.
Cornwall & Devon England Rugby Referee Awards
Cornwall and Devon England Rugby Referee Awards
Course links 23/24 to be booked via GMS
ERRA Truro College Cornwall 26th October 2023 and 30th May 2024
https://bit.ly/3NQ5dbs
ERRA Plymouth Albion RFC Devon 12th November 2023 and 12th May 2024
https://bit.ly/3PWJJwB
ERRA Exwick Sports Hub Devon 19th November 2023 and 16th June 2024
https://bit.ly/3rskCqV
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 |
Cornwall Women & Girls Rugby Forum 2023/24
Wednesday 19th July at 7 pm.
On Zoom, to register please click on the link below.
Cornwall CCD & England Rugby Coaching Awards 2023/24
Cornwall CCD & Award Courses 2023/24
Kids First Tag
Bodmin 20th September https://bit.ly/431IvTy
Kids First Contact
Bodmin August 14th– September 6th https://bit.ly/3PAGr1N
Penryn August 23 rd – September 20th https://bit.ly/436zJDM
Saltash August 30th – September 25th https://bit.ly/3PEswHX
Principles of Scrummaging
Truro 4th October https://bit.ly/3D7Gzyt
Saltash 9th October https://bit.ly/4304sCf
Redruth 30th October https://bit.ly/3rfMJcP
England Rugby Coaching Award
Hayle Academy Saturday 30th Sept 2023 – Saturday May 11th 2024 https://bit.ly/3PGhuln
Callywith College Sunday Oct 22nd 2023 – Sunday June 2nd 2024 https://bit.ly/44fbNQ8
Launceston RC Sunday Nov 26th 2023 – Sunday June 30th 2024 https://bit.ly/44nUWux
Any questions please contact your club coaching co-ordinator, or Wayne Reed, Daubroy Delahunty (Game Development) or Tony Knightsbridge (Age Grade).
Game Stalwarts Honoured at CRFU AGM
At a well attended AGM outgoing CRFU President, John Sumnall was pleased to make the following awards of Life Vice President of the CRFU to two stalwarts of the game.
Bill Ryan of Saltash RFC, Bill was one of the founder members of the club in 1969 and has held numerous positions at the club over the past 54 years, and is currently Club President.
The second award on the night was made to Keith Lean, a former Camborne and School of Mines player, Keith has been involved in coaching and youth rugby at club, county, division and national level over many years, he is currently Chairman of the South West Group at Under 18 level.
The meeting also saw the appointment of Andy Reed as CRFU President from season 23/24 for the next three seasons.
Age Grade Registration 2023-24 Opens on 3 July 2023
As previously communicated, Player Registration (including Age-Grade Registration) will open for the 2023/24 season on 3 July when the season switches over on GMS. Registered players from the 2022/23 season will automatically be de-registered at this time. Following feedback from the game last season, the switch-over is again happening early in the summer, providing clubs with the opportunity to begin their registration renewal process early if they wish. From Monday next week, parents/guardians who have registered young players to play rugby during the 2022/23 season will receive an email asking them to renew the registration of their dependents. We’d recommend encouraging parents/guardians to verify their email address to ensure they receive the communication. The communications will be sent to parents/guardians across the country in a staggered format as below: 3 July: North 4 July: Midlands 5 July: London & South-East 6 July: South-West Renewal of an Age-Grade registration will be a quick three-click process: • Click on the child you want to register • Click renew registration once the child’s profile is open • Finally, click save at the top of the page If you cannot see your child, the below guide may help. Access Guide |
A reminder that Regulation 15 requires that all Age-Grade players must be registered. Registration needs to be completed, at the latest, 45 days after an Age-Grade player starts their season. This, along with the July registration kick-off, gives plenty of time for the process to be completed. Following the success of Cockermouth RUFC’s session with Lewis Moody, the 2023/24 season will also see the opportunity for clubs who register more Age-Grade players than in the 2022/23 season to win a training session with an England Rugby legend. There will also be Umbro kit packages for four clubs. More details will be provided in a Community Game Update at the start of the season. |
Help and Support If you have any issues, you can find additional guidance here or visit our Community Rugby Help centre if you need to contact our support team. Our Age Grade (AG) Registration Webinar in May was attended by over 100 Clubs and provided some great support, reminders and tips for registering players. Registration helps reduce volunteer workload, gives players control over their data and helps the RFU understand the health of the game. If, having viewed the self-help information available, clubs are still struggling with GMS, support around key identified topics from our small network of GMS Support Trainers is now available. Many thanks for your support of Age Grade Rugby. We appreciate the great job that club volunteers do to help get our young players registered each season. Community Help Centre |
Match Official Abuse Escalation – maintained for season 23/24
Having reviewed the impact the extra week’s sanction imposed on all Match Official Abuse/Disrespect cases since the adoption of this regulation, it has been decided by the Disciplinary Committee to maintain this for the whole of season 23/24.
This will also be the case for Age Grade and Schools rugby played.
Bill Hooper
CRFU Discipline Secretary
June 2023
The Longest Try supporting MND Association
The Longest Try is a charity relay run, engaging clubs at a local level, and taking place from 24 July to 12 August 2023 in support of the MND Association, Ed Slater, the Gloucester lock and Paul Rendall*, ex England and Wasps FC, both men diagnosed and living with motor neurone disease.
We are also making donations to MND Scotland and My Name’5 Doddie Foundation. Rugby clubs throughout the country take part by submitting 15 runners to run one mile each to carry the ball over 1,700 miles. The run kicks-off at Twickenham Stadium on Monday 24 July, heads north to Edinburgh via Leicester, Newcastle and Hawick before moving south skirting the Lake District, into Wales, passing through Cardiff into the west country to Cornwall and back to Twickenham Stadium via Exeter and Bracknell.
The try will be scored on Saturday 12 August at the England v Wales World Cup warm-up match. We are asking for a registration fee of £10 per runner and runners will seek individual sponsorship for their mile. Funds will also be raised via donations, a silent auction and raffle. Please join in the fun to support people living with motor neurone disease… Thank you.
To Donate click on the link. https://thelongesttry2023.co.uk/?donate&pkey=003f4fdb2aa404ef8b54e6bbf8b1f252
Sue Dorrington Longest Try, Project Lead Red Rose #32 and Hall of Fame #156
As mentioned the nearest it gets to us is North Devon and, as they won’t allow any road running, this pretty well excludes anything we can do down here. However if we can put this out to all the Cornwall clubs and ask if they can donate in the name of Cornwall, then that would be great.
- Sadly Paul Rendall passed away on 13th June. RIP.