June 2020

RFU Council is not scheduled to meet until 02 October. However, it is likely that a briefing meeting will be held before that date.  Community Game Board is scheduled to meet on 16^th July.

Once again, both Jim and Ted hope that you are Staying Safe and Staying Healthy. Since the last of these blogs Lockdown has eased and many of you will be starting some form of socially distanced training and will be looking to re-open clubhouses. Please ensure that you are following both RFU and Government Guidelines. These have been put together to keep us all Safe and, hopefully, if we follow the guidelines then we will be able to re-start contact rugby , followed by a return to competitive games soon.

Competitions Re-Start  – hopefully you will all have seen the Community Game Update and an outline of how and when competitive rugby can resume.  The Adult Competitions Advisory Group (of which Jim Chapman was a member) had a number of meetings throughout May and June to try and envisage how we could return to competition. Uppermost in the group’s minds was Player Welfare and however anxious we are to get back to playing we must consider this first and foremost.  The group worked on four principles

·         Flexible – given the changing and unpredictable Covid-19 landscape, varying competition models were proposed

·         Simple – the requirement that any proposals were clearly understood and provided certainty to Clubs

·         Local – given that clubs would also be re-starting financially it is important in the early stages of re-start that prioritisation be given to fixtures that did not involve long journeys

·         Level – any proposal would need to be delivered at all levels of both Men’s and Women’s game and that this may require differing models.

The group considered three possible start dates when the Game may meet the requirements of Level E on the return to rugby roadmap.

The group’s proposals were considered by RFU Governance Committee and published in the Community Game Update of 26^th June.

At the same time a parallel group considered a return to competition for Age-Grade Rugby and this has also been published.

RFU Council – Council met, virtually on 12^th June. The June Council meeting is, traditionally, the final Council of the season and included :

·         Chief Executive – Bill Sweeney outlined the planning that the RFU are trying to undertake modelling the Business Plan against three possible scenarios (Low impact, Medium and High). Much of this is concentrated around the possibilities of being able to stage international fixtures at Twickenham. The Union’s reaction to Covid-19 has been divided into three phases

o   Response – short-term measures that have been taken to secure the business functions of the RFU and assessing the impact on the Community Game.  Most notably for clubs was the establishment of the Immediate Support Fund

o   Recovery – the current phase where actions are being taken to stabilise the Union and the Game.

o   Renew – planning long term measures to ensure the sport adapts to the new environment in which it will operate.

It cannot be over-stressed how hard staff are working against changes and predictions which alter on an almost daily basis.

·         Furlough – approximately 65% of RFU staff are currently furloughed with most other staff working from home. The furloughing of staff has been extended until the end of October, although staff can be brought back (some on a part-time basis) when required.

·         Autumn Internationals – a number of scenarios are currently being investigated to try and ensure that some games go ahead at Twickenham.  As you may imagine this is very challenging given current restrictions on social distancing and holding mass sporting events. There is much press speculation regarding possible opponents.  Currently NO games are confirmed but it hoped that some may be confirmed by the end of July.  Ticketing arrangements (if any) will then be announced.

·         Leaving Members – under current transitional arrangements a number of Council Members become “time-served” and are unable to apply for re-election to Council.  This is quite a lengthy list but includes

o   Robin Wannop (Durham) *

o   Damian Hopley (RPA)

o   Geoff Irvine (Championship) *

o   Ian Metcalf (Cambridge University) *

o   Norman Robertson (National Clubs Association) *

o   Andy Shorney (Somerset) *

o   Ivor Smith (Essex) *

o   Charlie McGinty (Warwickshire) *

o   Ewen Murchison (Royal Navy)

o   Allan Butcher (Sussex)

Those marked * received Distinguished Membership of the RFU

·         Middlesex Notes – the two Middlesex Reps make notes on each Council Meeting which are then shared amongst clubs in their County.  They have, with many thanks, made them available to all throughout the Game and they are available from this link  *WARN ING : 17 pages in total*

RFU AGM – for the first time in its history the RFU AGM was held virtually and appears to have been a success.  Certainly, for those of us who live in the North it is preferable to having to travel for a 5:00 p.m. meeting in Central London and a range of question were submitted by clubs in the North.

The meeting received reports from The Chief Executive Office (Bill Sweeney), the Chief Financial Office (Sue Day) and both took questions submitted from the floor. It also confirmed the following appointments.

o   Peter Wheeler (Co-Opted) -Immediate Past President

o   HHJ Jeff Blackett (Co-Opted) – President

o   Nigel Gillingham (Gloucestershire) – Senior Vice President

o   Rob Briers (Lancashire) – Junior Vice President

Future Competitions Structure Group – many thanks go to those who participated in the Webinars held during June. The Group are currently analysing the many responses received from these webinars and will meet formally on July 3^rd.  It is then hope to put together some more formal proposals that will be circulated with the hope that they can be discussed with face to face meetings in August.  Formal  proposals will , it is hoped, form part of the Agenda for the Council Meeting scheduled for October 2^nd. Whether implementation can take place in season 21/22 depends on the outcomes of the current season. 

Community Game Update – we hope that everyone connected with the Game is receiving these on a regular basis.  As Lockdown eases and the number of changes to information slows they will NOT be produced bi-weekly but will, instead, appear when there are significant pieces of information to send out. Please ensure that these are circulated to relevant people within your club.

Activities in June (Jim Chapman)

Date
02	Area 6 (Cumbria, Northumberland, Durham & Yorkshire) – Response Group
08	YRFU Committee
09	YRFU Competitions Sub-Committee Adult Competitions Advisory Group
10	YRFU – Response Group
12	RFU Council RFU Annual General Meeting
16	Community Game Board
17	YRFU – Response Group
24	YRFU – Response Group
30	Area 6 (Cumbria, Northumberland, Durham & Yorkshire) – Response Group

Activities in June (Ted Atkinson)

Date
02	Area 6 (Cumbria, Northumberland, Durham & Yorkshire) – Response Group
08	YRFU Committee
10	YRFU – Response Group
12	RFU Council RFU Annual General Meeting
17	YRFU – Response Group
24	YRFU – Response Group
29	Meeting with Nigel Melville ref. Premiership
30	Area 6 (Cumbria, Northumberland, Durham & Yorkshire) – Response Group

NOTE : all meeting are, at the moment, virtual meetings using either Skype or Zoom

Ted Atkinson & Jim Chapman

June 2020