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1. ACTION REQUIRED RFU Annual General Meeting 2024 The RFU’s AGM takes place online at 6pm on Monday 17 June. Find out details and how to vote in this piece. Game Management System (GMS) season switchover We know that GMS is busy at the start of each season as users engage with a range of processes to get ready for the new season. Find out more in this section. 2024/25 League Season Update & Travel Funding Find out when the 2024/25 RFU league season fixtures will be live and learn more about the RFU’s travel funding policy. National Boys U18 and Girls U18 & U16 Cup Competition Entry Now Open The National Boys Under 18s Cup competition and National Girls Under 16s and Under 18s Cup competitions have been announced. Find out how to apply to enter. Get your club ready for Adult Player Registration From next season, all players, in all formats of the game (including non-contact from April 2025), will be required to register themselves annually to play rugby. Find support and information here. Legal & Regulatory Responsibilities for Clubs All incorporated clubs have legal and regulatory responsibilities. Find relevant support and information for your club here. Payment of Players Declaration 2023/24 – Deadline 30th June Time is running out to make Payment of Players declarations for this season. Check out what you need to do and guides to help in this section. READ ONLINE > |
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2. ACTION IF OF INTEREST Regulation 9 and CRISP Recruitment Find a reminder of the Regulation 9 requirements in this section and find out how you can become part of the Community Rugby Injury Surveillance and Prevention Project (CRISP). Become part of the IPF Squad 🏉 Flats and Topsy are on a mission to mobilise the IPF Squad and recruit more teammates. Find out who’s on their target list and what roles they’ve been assigned – and how you can get involved too! Upcoming webinars & support available for your club Get access to the ‘off field club support’ services provided by the RFU – many of which are free – and register for important upcoming webinars. |
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3. FOR AWARENESS Check out the Red Roses ticket offers for clubs Make sure your club gets access to ticket offers for Red Roses rugby matches. The deadline for this offer is 11 July. Introducing the Inclusive Leadership Delivery Group The Inclusive Leadership Delivery Group have recently been recruited and we are delighted to share their profiles with the Community Game. Routes Into Rugby – Our New Series In the latest episode of our new series, Ugo Monye heads back to the home of England Rugby for the Twickenham Takeover, which brings teams from across the grassroots game together to showcase their skills on the biggest stage of all. Clubs win training sessions with an ex-Red Roses captain! Read about why ex-Red Roses captain, Tamara Taylor, delivered training sessions to groups of age grade girls at Ashfield Rugby Club, Bolton RUFC, and Eastleigh RFC. Community News – monthly round up Read this month’s roundup of the best community rugby stories – and find out how to submit your own story. READ ONLINE > |
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Honda Volunteer of Year Awards
We were delighted to hold this event at Truro RFC on the occasion of Cornwall Women’s Gill Burns Cup match against Hampshire Women.
As ever it was inspiring to hear the stories behind our valued volunteers and all the hard work they put in at their clubs.
Pictured just a few of our worthy award winners.
Congratulations to everyone who picked up an award.




RFU Community Game Update May
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1. ACTION REQUIRED Get ready for Adult Player Registration To help get ready for Adult Player 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. Don’t miss out on International Tickets – upload your fixture data now International ticket allocation is fixed for two seasons, and these allocations are determined by the number of 15-a-side rugby matches played. The deadline for entering all 2023/24 matches is Friday 24 May 2024. Update on National and Regional Leagues Following approval at governance, we can now announce the Men’s and Women’s Structured Seasons and National 1 – Regional 2 League Structure for next season. Age Grade Regulations for next season – 2024/25 The updated version of Regulation 15 – Age Grade Rugby for 2024/25 is now available. Find out about the changes in this section. READ ONLINE > |
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2. ACTION IF OF INTEREST Developing England Players – U14-U18 Skill Development Programme – book now! Book your place on the FREE Developing England Players (U14-U18 Skill Development Programme) coaching courses 7s Guidance With the 15-a-side season drawing to a close, you can find guidance and regulations in place 7s camps, festivals and tournaments in this section. National Volunteers’ Week: 3-9 June Volunteers’ Week provides a great opportunity to recognise the amazing contribution that volunteers at your club, CB or referee society have made, as well as inspiring more people to make a difference. HMRC letter on Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) status Many affiliated clubs registered with HMRC for special tax status under the Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) scheme will receive a letter from HMRC by the end of May. View guidance on what steps to take next here. IPF Survey It is unlikely you will ever need to contact the RFU Injured Players Foundation (IPF) as, thankfully, life-changing injuries remain extremely rare in rugby union. However, it is important you know what to do if someone from your rugby family does need support quickly. 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 Papa Johns Community Cup Finals Last weekend saw some incredible rugby being played in 28 Papa Johns Community Cup Finals across four venues. See the full winners and a report here. Routes Into Rugby – Our New Series In the first episode of our new series, Routes into Rugby, Ugo Monye joins Clifton College student and Bristol Bears academy player James to discuss his unconventional route into rugby and look at how the sport has helped his development. 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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Developing England Players (U14-U18 Skill Development Programme)
This course is for Coaches of U14-U18 Players and focuses on the development of high quality coaching of catch and pass skills. The course explores how we use the game zone/skill zone model to introduce, develop, and stretch players ability to catch and pass under pressure.
These courses are FREE, book via GMS.
Time 18:30 – 20:30
Pre-requisite – Coaches must be at least 16 years old on event start date
3rd June at Saltash RFC https://tinyurl.com/5t33a33m
5th June at Launceston RC https://tinyurl.com/3vy7meve
17th June at St. Austell RFC https://tinyurl.com/4j9kxpvv
10th July at Redruth RFC https://tinyurl.com/3xu94nxd
Congratulations Josie Plant
Congratulations to Josie Plant who is named on the bench for England Women Under 20 against France Women Under 20 to be played in Rouen this Saturday.
Josie came through the age grades at Perranporth RFC.
The match is available via RFU Youtube channel, which you can find in the link.
Wooden Spoon Cornwall Golf Day
Please refer to the poster above regarding details.
Regulation 19 – Consultation
Feedback on the re-write for Regulation 19 is open until 24th April
Regulation 19 draft re-write can be found in this link
There is a link in the letter through which we are asking everyone to submit their feedback so that we can capture it in a structured way. This is the link for all feedback from the Game –
https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/a44c1eada0654cb8824bcf17aeb79eef
As mentioned, there is a large section (marked in green) which is mandated content from World Rugby and which we cannot edit. In addition, whilst we will make any small changes to the appendices, the intention is to review these over the course of the next season as phase two of the rewrite. If you could therefore focus the feedback on the definitions list and the 5 additional sections in the draft of Regulation 19, we would be grateful.
The deadline for providing any feedback is Wednesday 24 April after which time we will collate all feedback and update the draft before the next RFU Governance meeting in early May.
To help answer any questions, discuss any concerns or any other matters relating to Reg19, there will be a drop-in call on Wednesday 17th April at 6pm. The zoom details are as follows,
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85893654832?pwd=ZWgi07Y8G8msN6P9z3uDFuH1Z2Yc7v.1&from=addon
Meeting ID: 858 9365 4832
Passcode: 683084
RFU Community Game Update April 2024
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1. ACTION REQUIRED Get your club ready for Adult Player Registration We are asking clubs to help your players with accounts on the Game Management System (GMS) to verify their email address. This will help you to help get your players ready for next season and support the health of the game. Don’t miss out on International Tickets – upload your fixture data now International ticket allocation is fixed for two seasons, and these allocations are determined by the number of 15-a-side rugby matches played. The deadline for entering all 2023/24 matches is Friday 24 May 2024. Age Grade Summer Activity Framework 2024 The Age Grade Summer Activity Framework for 2024 applies to any age grade rugby activity in the off-season. View it now. READ ONLINE > |
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2. ACTION IF OF INTEREST Have your say through our next Player Engagement Panel The 4th Community Player Engagement Panel is taking place on the 24 April and we want you to be involved! Impact ’25 Connecting Communities Programme The Connecting Communities programme provides clubs with the opportunity to work with new partners, apply for funding and access a range of resources to encourage more women who have never been involved in rugby to use the club facilities. Papa Johns Community Cup Travel Funding Travel funding support will be available to Men’s and Women’s clubs competing in the Papa Johns Community Cups that travel over 98 miles (round trip) to play a group or knockout fixture. Food For Rugby A suite of Food for Rugby nutrition advice toolkits are now available for the community game. Trips, Tours, and Overnight Stays Guidance We are pleased to provide the RFU’s Trips, Tours, and Overnight Stays Guidance, updated to assist you with any planning for upcoming tours or overnight stays. 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 Impact ’25 legacy programme The RFU celebrated Impact ’25, a transformational legacy programme at North Bristol RFC today (Tuesday). Upcoming GMS Updates Some improvements to the Game Management System (GMS) will be made over the coming months. These updates have been made following feedback from volunteers, clubs and CBs. Continental Tyres Schools Cup Finals The Continental Tyres Schools Cup Finals took place over three days at StoneX and Twickenham stadium this month, with nine teams taking home silverware at U15 and U18 levels. RFU Injured Players Foundation (IPF) announces new patron Former British & Irish Lions and England captain and current World Rugby Chair, Sir Bill Beaumont, will start his tenure as IPF Patron this month. 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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Injured Player’s Fund – New Patron
The RFU Injured Players Foundation (IPF), England Rugby’s Official charity, is today
(Wednesday 27 March) delighted to announce Sir Bill Beaumont (GBEDL) as its new Patron.
The former British & Irish Lions and England captain and current World Rugby Chair will
start his tenure as IPF Patron this month, with the two roles running concurrently until his
second term in charge of the world game comes to an end in November.
Alongside Sir Bill will be a team of equally high-profile rugby personalities who will support
the charity’s ambition to raise awareness of its essential work among the rugby community.
From Rugby World Cup winners and current England internationals to world-class referees
and coaches, the IPF Squad will be on hand to support the charity and players.
Those already signed up to the squad include Jason Robinson, Danielle Waterman, Mike
Brown, Topsy Ojo, Emily Scarratt, Jonny Wilkinson, Katy Daley-McLean, Austin Healey,
David Flatman, David Barnes, Maggie Alphonsi, Alex Sanderson, Sarah Hunter, Wayne
Barnes, Luke Pearce and Nick Mullins.
The IPF is a charity which supports players at all levels of the game, from grassroots to
professional rugby, who have sustained a catastrophic spinal cord or traumatic brain injury
while playing rugby union in England.
Knighted for his services to rugby, Beaumont commented: “I am honoured to have been
asked to become Patron of the RFU Injured Players Foundation, a charity that for me
epitomises the rugby spirit.
“Rugby is about people. It’s a sport built on so many great values, but at the heart of it all is
the rugby family. There’s always great comfort in knowing that when you face big challenges
in life, your rugby community will rally around you. Thankfully, these types of injury remain
extremely rare in our sport, so most players will never need to contact the IPF. However, it’s
important they know the charity is there to help in the unlikely event a catastrophic injury
happens, and it will continue to be there to support a player and their family for life.
“Rugby will never stand still when it comes to player welfare. A big focus for me as Patron
will be advancing the great work achieved to date in bringing together Foundations,
Governing Bodies, and medical experts from different countries to share knowledge and
research findings as well as developing successful models of support for catastrophic injury
and reduction of its causes.
“On behalf of everyone at the Injured Players Foundation, I would also like to share our
sincere thanks to Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, for his leadership and support of the IPF
as Patron since 2010. We appreciate the time and commitment he has given to our rugby
community over the years and I’m looking forward to keeping him updated on IPF work and
player achievements.”
Through the IPF’s range of programmes, the charity offers both immediate and long-term
support for players, their families and clubs involved. This support is available for life and
includes working with players’ health and social care providers to ensure they can access the support they need, continued rehabilitation, financial support and identifying and making
adaptations needed for their homes. The charity also provides emotional and practical
support for players’ families, enabling them to focus on caring for their loved ones.
The IPF supports players back into work or education, reducing barriers to employment by
offering vocational rehab, physical and mental support to address challenges in changing
roles. It funds training programmes or required adaptations to offices as part of its support
packages. This is a hugely successful programme with 76% of IPF clients employed or in
voluntary roles or education compared to a national average of 37% for those with spinal
cord injuries.
Another key focus for the charity is working with relevant partners to support research, which
aims to reduce the incidence or impact of catastrophic injury within rugby union and to find
ways to improve the lives of individuals who have sustained spinal cord or traumatic brain
injuries.
England Rugby’s most capped player, Sarah Hunter, explained why she was so keen to join
the IPF squad, saying: “The work the IPF does for players across all levels of the game and
their friends and families is unrivalled and it’s important we make as many people aware of
the charity as possible, so catastrophically injured players are able to access the support
they need.
“Rugby is a community and I have benefited hugely from that aspect of the game throughout
my career. I have been so fortunate in what the game has given me. To be able to give
something back in this way is really important to me and I can’t wait to get started.”
Stephen Pearson, Chair of Trustees for the IPF added: “I echo Bill’s heartfelt thanks to the
Duke of Sussex for his tremendous support of the charity. I’ve been fortunate to see first-
hand how his empathy and encouragement has helped players. We warmly welcome Sir Bill
Beaumont as our new Patron alongside an incredibly exciting support squad. With Bill’s
already extensive legacy across both the global and domestic game, he is the perfect person
to lead us into a new era in which we hope to expand services available to our IPF clients,
increase understanding of the range of these programmes, share our IPF client’s inspiring
stories and raise awareness of the charity within the rugby community. We are looking
forward to working together and to introducing Bill to our players.”
Community Game Update – March
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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 > |
