WELCOME BACK!

Welcome to the new mini and youth rugby season at Sevenoaks Rugby Club, starting this Sunday for most age groups*. Our dedicated, volunteer coaches have been hard at work planning a season packed with fun, growth, and team spirit.

WE CAN’T WAIT TO WELCOME YOU ALL BACK!

In this week’s update you can find some actions we need all parents to complete, this Sunday’s pitch plan and some key coaching resources.

*NB Under 5s train on Saturdays - starting on 9th September. The Under 7s and 9s will start on 10th September owing to availability of coaches.

ACTION REQUIRED BY ALL PARENTS - RFU REGISTRATION AND CLUB MEMBERSHIP

As is the case every year, we need you to complete two important actions as soon as possible at the start of the season.

ACTION 1 - REGISTRATION

We’re now in our second season of the Rugby Football Union’s (RFU) registration process (previously known as affiliation. The RFU have now sent emails to everyone who registered last year (to the email address you used at the time) - if you haven’t received an email, please check your Junk Email or log in directly to GMS  here https://gms.rfu.com/GMS/

It’s very important that you complete it as soon as you are able to as it helps the RFU to direct support and funding, is a critical part of our insurance (for training, matches and festivals) and is a mandatory requirement for the Club. The RFU are offering rewards to Clubs for increasing their numbers. Likewise the Club will reward the age groups at Sevenoaks for the quickest to achieve 100% and/or the largest increase in affiliated members by the end of September.

This process is free and separate from membership. The RFU have designed it to be a three click process, but if you have any issues, please ask your head coach

ACTION 2 - MEMBERSHIP

You should have received a message and payment request via Spond in respect of this year’s membership subscription which is now due. Membership is a pre-requisite for club insurance for playing and coaching, so its vital that it is paid promptly.

If you have any issues, please contact Donna Swallow (Membership Secretary) . For any new players joining us we allow 4 free sessions for your child to settle in before committing.

Once paid, you should be able to pick up your new membership card (new members only) or use your existing membership card within 5 working days.

Times are tough at the moment and anyone can suffer financial difficulties, so we’re open to finding solutions that work for anyone for whom affordability becomes a concern - whether through payment plans, discounts or support with kit. If you’d like to talk discreetly with someone you can talk to your Age Group Lead or Donna Swallow (Membership Secretary).

NEW TACKLE HEIGHT REGULATIONS

Many of you will have seen lots of press concerning the new rules on the Tackle Height in rugby - all of our coaches will have familiarised themselves with the rules themselves as well as the supporting information from the RFU on how to coach the new rules.

We’d also invite parents and players who to have a look at the information provided here.

HELP US TO GET MORE CHILDREN ACTIVE & PLAYING RUGBY - LIKE & SHARE

Our purpose is to get children playing rugby, so we’re always open to new players of any age and ability. We’d appreciate it if you could help us to get more children playing rugby by:

i. Following the Club on Facebook and Instagram  and like and share Club posts - starting with the video here.

ii. Think about and invite any friends and family members who are interested in playing sport/getting fit/trying something new to come and try out rugby - Reception to Infinity!

iii. Specifically we need more girls playing rugby in our Minis (Reception to Y6) and U12 (Y7)

New Look Web Page

We’re in the process of updating our website and have already simplified and updated out Mini and Youth page which includes lots of helpful information for prospective members and existing parents and players. Check it out here!

 

ALSO COMING SOON

ALSO COMING SOON

All of our amazing coaches and other volunteers are invited to our annual Thirsty Thank Yous and Coaches Kick off on Friday 8th September

For all our amazing kids and families - don’t miss the Savills Fun Day on Sunday 10th September

Details of our Ball Technicians and Curtain Raisers will follow

First Aid Training for our age groups will be confirmed soon

COACHING COURSES & RESOURCES

We’re looking to improve the accessibility of resources to all of our coaches, including sharing session plans across age groups and passing down knowledge from year to year. In addition, we’re signposting some of the key courses and resources available.

ONLINE RFU COURSES & RESOURCES

There are plentiful resources here at the Keep Your Boots On website, but check out some of the resources directly below.

KIDS FIRST TAG

This course is designed to help you coach and referee contact rugby to your U9-11 players safely and effectively. You'll find the England Rugby codes of practice, ideas for games to coach your players, information about the rules of play and tips for successful refereeing of children.

KIDS FIRST CONTACT

In this eLearning course you'll find the England Rugby Codes of Practice,  ideas for games to coach your players and information about the rules of play.  This course is designed to complement the face to face Kids First Tag Rugby course.

RFU VIDEO RESOURCES

Short, sharp and Informative RFU videos to show you how to get started as a rugby coach or referee. Playlists about available courses as well as insights from the coaches and referees who go on them.

FACE TO FACE RFU COURSES

KIDS FIRST TAG

For those coaching and refereeing U5 - U8 players. This course supports the development of active, purposeful, enjoyable and safe tag rugby environments for children. Participants will also learn the rules and practice refereeing tag rugby.​

KIDS FIRST CONTACT

For those coaching and refereeing U9 to U12 players. This course supports the development of active, purposeful, enjoyable and safe tag rugby environments for children. Participants will also learn the rules and practice refereeing contact rugby.​

ERCA

The England Rugby Coaching Award (ERCA) is the entry point for those coaching U12 and above. Provides the knowledge, skills and attributes to safely and effectively coach young players and adults.

We have a limited budget available for coaches to attend courses appropriate to their age groups. Please contact Hendo, Justine or Adam Bowman for more information

RFU AGE GRADE RUGBY REGULATIONS

Age Grade Rugby is played to RFU Regulation 15 which is available on the RFU Regulations page here. It is important that everyone involved in the age grade game is familiar with and applies the regulations in full throughout the season and off season. The regulations for summer 2023 and the 2023-24 season are confirmed. The key updates to the regulations are covered in the Updates document; please click the link below which provides the latest version and share this across your networks:

Age Grade Regulation & Playing Updates 2023-24 

SAFEGUARDING

All our volunteer coaches need to be DBS checked in order to coach at the Club and the club regularly monitors that its coaches are up to date. Coaches can proactively check their status on GMS.

HEAD CASE

THIS SUNDAY’S PITCH PLAN

OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT YOUR CLUB

Don’t forget that there are plenty of other ways to support the Club:

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