Social Club Rugby

[Niegs]

Does anyone still play or are you involved with your club in another capacity? I'm looking for examples of ways other unions are retaining / attracting the type of player who might not be that good, is getting on in years, doesn't want to treat it like the Premiership after work/family because they're in the 5th bloody tier.

I've had fun working with our women's thirds this year, our players ranging from 19-53 years old, none with more than five years experience, half in their first or second year of playing. We haven't come close to winning a game, but I think people are having fun. We're rare in the province, being the only club with a true development squad, but I think there needs to be more for this type of athlete.

It feels like the majority of those few who move on to club rugby from school are those who were in 'player pathways'. Where other clubs have just one side or a reasonably strong 2nds team, I suspect the in-it-for-fun, not-that-serious player ends up quitting. Even at my own club, before the head coach came on board, there are a lot of missing faces from team photos.

The simple decision is to form another tier below our current 10-a-side division, where half the teams in the pool are mostly young, fit athletes. But I wonder if there are things going on in the world to make games more fun, fair, account for lack of numbers, slowly integrate complete noobs, etc. One thing I convinced two teams to try was playing on a half pitch to cut down on the space between defenders, making it more competitive and less about giving it to the one sprinter. Long breakaway tries still happened, but fewer of them, and we also did away with time-wasting conversions (the matches in question weren't for league points, so the score didn't matter).

Any other ideas?

[Uncle fester]

Social tip rugby in the club every week. Try and nab vets who would retire from the game fully otherwise

[Niegs]

Social tip rugby in the club every week. Try and nab vets who would retire from the game fully otherwise

I've had two comments about this that have stuck with me... the larger lad who said "I hate touch. Flag football allows a little bumping, but accidentally bump into someone in Touch and you're penalized." And someone else: "I like Touch, but it's show up, play, leave. I miss training and being with the girls. But I have the body of a 70 year old and can't do tackle anymore."

We're hoping to attract the latter into our setup, but there's no organized non-contact league (maybe there needs to be one). People refuse to run anything of the sort during the Sept - May season saying 'everyone's playing, coaching, reffing' (while ignoring all the lost players who no longer play contact rugby), and the summer touch venues are both random and frustratingly large (like 15 people per side running endless crash balls because there's no room).

Organizing it is long over-due.

Something I've also thought could be worth experimenting, is a 'social division' taking on the over-40s rules regarding contact for under-40s. (Tackle players in black shorts, Wrap and roll ball players in red, Two-hand touch and roll ball in yellow.) Bring the non-contact player into twice-a-week trainings and 'proper' games, with the travel, post-match food and drink, etc.

[Raggs]

Club I'm part of has a poor attitude in my opinion. Talk about 1 club, but many seem to think that means it should be all about the 1s. When they have very low numbers they try and get people like me to come and play for the ones, then try and guilt trip me when I refuse.

All that does is make me think feck it, I'll stop turning up to training, and stop making myself available for the 2s. Over the last few seasons our side has lost a lot of 2s players, in part due to this attitude.

A few of the guys I coach with are looking to try and start a local vets play around between the 3 local clubs, 3 days one at each ground, single match or round robin if there's the numbers.

[Uncle fester]

Also youths. Former players will bring their kids and that keeps the whole show going.

Get a girls/womens team going also. Stale, pale male clubs are a thing of the past.

Clubs need to be community focused. The ones losing senior status in Ireland are the ones that don't have that community setup.

[Slick]

Also youths. Former players will bring their kids and that keeps the whole show going.

Get a girls/womens team going also. Stale, pale male clubs are a thing of the past.

Clubs need to be community focused. The ones losing senior status in Ireland are the ones that don't have that community setup.

Exactly the conversation I have been having at our club this week. There was a club meeting a few weeks back and the women and girls were not mentioned once. If clubs want to keep going as rugby clubs they are going to have to embrace the girls game and look to introduce competitive touch at all age levels.

To their great credit the committee did take in board our comments and are looking at employing a female youth coach and we have been given permission to run an all girls mini/junior session once a month pulling in all the girls from the various age groups

[Niegs]

Club I'm part of has a poor attitude in my opinion. Talk about 1 club, but many seem to think that means it should be all about the 1s. When they have very low numbers they try and get people like me to come and play for the ones, then try and guilt trip me when I refuse.

All that does is make me think feck it, I'll stop turning up to training, and stop making myself available for the 2s. Over the last few seasons our side has lost a lot of 2s players, in part due to this attitude.

A few of the guys I coach with are looking to try and start a local vets play around between the 3 local clubs, 3 days one at each ground, single match or round robin if there's the numbers.

That's exactly what's going on here with both women and men. Three clubs, each have two men's sides that are very competitive. Talking to a 42 year old slogging it out last weekend, I said "I heard the first game today was 3rds, so glad to hear that!" Him, "Well, it's not like the old 'third div' of 30+, it was basically me, [similarly aged hooker], and the rest were all under-23." It's good to have those two, for young guys who aren't quite ready for men's, let alone men's Prem and Prem Reserve as basically are the only options here, but what about the "I'm kinda crap / fat / slow, but bloody love the sport." players?

I like the idea of having a pool of people to regularly get together and just play regardless of club affiliation. (That's how the over-40s works... generally have enough for two teams that'll square off with each other, but will play a match each month against three clubs that are a bit of a hike to get to.) I suppose the trick in Canada is that registration is tied to a specific club, and they'll charge you something like $500 a season to play (with nearly half being insurance and provincial/national union fees). It's up to the clubs to recognize these fringe players and give them the value for those fees, guaranteeing x amount of games, be it local matches from the pool of extras and throwing in some 'friendlies' against other clubs or similar setups.

[Raggs]

Club I'm part of has a poor attitude in my opinion. Talk about 1 club, but many seem to think that means it should be all about the 1s. When they have very low numbers they try and get people like me to come and play for the ones, then try and guilt trip me when I refuse.

All that does is make me think feck it, I'll stop turning up to training, and stop making myself available for the 2s. Over the last few seasons our side has lost a lot of 2s players, in part due to this attitude.

A few of the guys I coach with are looking to try and start a local vets play around between the 3 local clubs, 3 days one at each ground, single match or round robin if there's the numbers.

That's exactly what's going on here with both women and men. Three clubs, each have two men's sides that are very competitive. Talking to a 42 year old slogging it out last weekend, I said "I heard the first game today was 3rds, so glad to hear that!" Him, "Well, it's not like the old 'third div' of 30+, it was basically me, [similarly aged hooker], and the rest were all under-23." It's good to have those two, for young guys who aren't quite ready for men's, let alone men's Prem and Prem Reserve as basically are the only options here, but what about the "I'm kinda crap / fat / slow, but bloody love the sport." players?

I like the idea of having a pool of people to regularly get together and just play regardless of club affiliation. (That's how the over-40s works... generally have enough for two teams that'll square off with each other, but will play a match each month against three clubs that are a bit of a hike to get to.) I suppose the trick in Canada is that registration is tied to a specific club, and they'll charge you something like $500 a season to play (with nearly half being insurance and provincial/national union fees). It's up to the clubs to recognize these fringe players and give them the value for those fees, guaranteeing x amount of games, be it local matches from the pool of extras and throwing in some 'friendlies' against other clubs or similar setups.

You can register at a club here at no cost usually, and just pay the match fees (not much).

I don't mind playing with a bunch of younger lads to a degree, but it depends if they're the ones that are nutcases and hit bloody hard, or just the ones that have played since little and just want to keep doing it for the beers.

[Niegs]

You can register at a club here at no cost usually, and just pay the match fees (not much).

I don't mind playing with a bunch of younger lads to a degree, but it depends if they're the ones that are nutcases and hit bloody hard, or just the ones that have played since little and just want to keep doing it for the beers.

I was shocked at that when I played in the UK... a bit suspect, too. "Sorry, I don't have to pay 100 quid or whatever up front for insurance? I don't have to sign a form?" Here, you're not supposed to do any contact without that bit, and many clubs tie their dues into the same system, so you're on the hook for the whole thing before you can do one tackle drill. (Not all will, but the insurance is a must.)

Gather it's an 'entire club fee regardless of member numbers' in the UK? What's funny / frustrating, is that school sport insurance is like that. You're a student, you're covered for all sports and rugby is quite common... and a shorter window might mean less chance of injury, I'd argue that it's higher risk because of the lack of training time and less likelihood of knowledgeable coaches. But some how Rugby Canada either opted for or were given a really bad insurance deal (added to it... you can't even claim anything unless you basically lose a limb, sever a spine, or die ... though I do recall a couple of appeals over the years where spinal injury victims were in need of more support)

[Paddington Bear]

I believe the RFU insurance policy covers any and all rugby activity at any affiliated club, someone like SaintK who is heavily involved in running a club is probably best placed to say how the RFU recoups some of this.

In my own sphere in cricket the ECB’s now mandatory public liability insurance scheme is more expensive and offers less cover than the one we sorted ourselves, nice work from all concerned

[SaintK]

I believe the RFU insurance policy covers any and all rugby activity at any affiliated club, someone like SaintK who is heavily involved in running a club is probably best placed to say how the RFU recoups some of this.

In my own sphere in cricket the ECB’s now mandatory public liability insurance scheme is more expensive and offers less cover than the one we sorted ourselves, nice work from all concerned

I run sponsorship, International ticket distrbution and sit on the licensing committee so not close enough to know what the insurance procedures now are.
Howdens (This years main sponsor for the Lions) are the RFU insurance brokers.

RFU affiliated clubs that play at level 3 and below are provided with liability insurance that protects them in respect of all their activities on and off the pitch, against claims resulting from injury to a player, volunteer, match official, coach, employee, spectator or general member of the public, or damage to their property.
Cover is included for a wide range of activities, including playing and training but also the clubs’ administrative, commercial and fundraising activities.

https://help.rfu.com/support/solutions ... he-game-