We are absolutely delighted that the Government has given its approval for 15-a-side contact rugby union to return at grassroots level, subject to adaptations.
We have now received further guidance from the RFU with regards to the return to rugby and therefore the Club’s Covid Compliance Officer, Rugby Management team and Committee are pleased to share the below guidance for all our members.
A further communication on training and matches will be sent by our Rugby Management Team to each Junior and Mini Head Coach in the coming days outlining training and match schedules.
Training for our mini and junior sections will return on Sunday 6th December and Senior training will commence on Tuesday 8th December. To give all players and coaches the time to understand the new adaptations and get physically ready, we have decided that competitive matches with other Clubs will resume on the weekend of 9th and 10th January 2021.
Please continue to keep an eye out on the website and the Club newsletter for updates, which we will continue to share once we receive more news from the RFU.
Guidance from the Club’s Covid Compliance Officer, Andy Clark
Sevenoaks RFC continues to operate a first class programme of coaching and training, with various innovative activities joined on. That we have managed to do this without any health scares or public complaint is to everyone’s credit, and I ask for your continued forbearance, as we look to move ahead.
Like everyone else I am delighted to see a glimpse of a horizon of recovery for our long suffering game. Having viewed the updates from both County and National RFU, can I please ask everyone to bear the following in mind:
1. Actual Training and Playing can now go ahead under stage E, and incorporate the adjusted rules (no scrums, mauls etc). Coaches will be expected to be up to date on them. Of course, the guidance may change, so please remain vigilant. We must stick within the guidelines to ensure there is no criticism of our game management.
Please review these short age group specific RFU return to play webinars to make sure you are fully up to speed.
Stage E – U7-U13s
https://www.workcast.com/register?cpak=5307427612924297
Stage E – U14s-U18s
https://www.workcast.com/register?cpak=3749721349817590
Stage E – Adult
https://www.workcast.com/register?cpak=5838872564607470
2. Hygiene must remain a top priority, so notwithstanding that we are back to playing contact rugby, no sharing of equipment (apart from sanitised rugby balls or tackle bags/pads) or water bottles. Please do not relax on this. If clean, healthy individuals turn up to play in clean, non shared kit, the chances of anything going wrong are vastly reduced.
3. Please continue to keep a record of attendees as well as ensuring the self-certification of health form is completed each session.
4. The advice for anyone either testing positive or sharing a home with someone else who has remains the same.
How long to self-isolate
If you have symptoms or have tested positive for coronavirus, you'll usually need to self-isolate for at least 10 days.
You'll usually need to self-isolate for 14 days if:
· someone you live with has symptoms or tested positive
· someone in your support bubble has symptoms or tested positive
· you've been told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace
5. Curiously, we are being advised (and therefore we will abide by it) to maintain social distancing for spectators and to permit a maximum of one parent/guardian per player. Please bear this in mind.
6. Coaches will need to maintain the same staggered starts and dispersal of players over multiple sites as they have thus far.
7. Travelling to participate in rugby activity:
Adult players living in Tier 1 or Tier 2 can travel within and between Tier 1 and Tier 2 areas to train or play.
Adult players living in Tier 1 or Tier 2 cannot travel into a Tier 3 area to train or play.
Adult players living in Tier 3 can travel within their own specific Tier 3 area to train or play.
Adult players living in Tier 3 cannot travel into another Tier 3 area, nor into a Tier 1 or Tier 2 area, to train or play.
Age Grade players may, due to Government exemptions for U18s, travel across all tiers to train or play. However, to protect all involved, we strongly recommend that wherever possible training and match play follows adult guidelines.
Age Grade players can be accompanied by one parent or carer from, or into, a Tier 3 area to train or play.
Volunteers (including coaches and match officials) may travel across all tiers where necessary to enable participation to take place. However, to protect all involved, we strongly recommend this is kept to an absolute minimum.
Additional exemptions are in place for people with disabilities. Click here.
8. Frustrating as it is we are not able to permit the sale of alcohol except to take away. The bar will therefore have to remain closed until circumstances change.
9. We are permitted to sell non alcoholic refreshments “through the door” at the Clubhouse, so Diane’s excellent provision of bacon rolls and coffees can continue as it has been. Please note though that it is for “Takeaway only”, so we cannot permit seating at tables on the balcony like a cafe. The rules are all about preventing grouping, so please stay spread out.
The conduct of the Club has been outstanding so far; well done everyone and let’s keep it that way. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
