Teams 
Welcome to the November 2020 Community Game Update. We hope you find the update useful, and if you have any feedback, queries or content that you would like to feature, please email Chris Dodd, Communications Executive (chrisdodd@rfu.com). Our communications to you are based on the data held in the Game Management System (GMS). Please check the information held on this system is up to date and active. This communication is only sent to the roles highlighted in the distribution list above. Please share it with others in your club who need to see it. Check out England Rugby social media channels this weekendOn Saturday community rugby clubs will be recognised at England v Georgia in the Quilter Internationals 2020, part of the Autumn Nations Cup, including the club shirts we’ve received so far as part of the Show Your Shirt campaign, you can read more below. On Sunday we’ll kick off the #GetYourShirtsOn campaign, which aims to keep age grade players active and engaged with their clubs during the national lockdown. We will be live streaming fitness and rugby activities for 6-18 year olds on the England Rugby YouTube channel on Sunday mornings throughout November. These sessions, led by England legends, will include a mix of fun activities for all age grade players (and their parents!) to enjoy.Club Shirts RFU Cluster Fixture ProposalsFollowing the decision from the RFU Council to cancel the 20/21 League Season for Men’s (Level 3 and below) and Women’s (Level 2 and below) RFU Leagues, plans have been developed to instigate local cluster fixtures, to help facilitate a return to contact rugby when permitted to do so (hopefully in the New Year). This local cluster competition would not be used to determine League positions for the 2021/22 season. The proposal is based around five principles: • Providing clubs with structured local competitive fixtures • Based on contact rugby (either full contact or adapted variations dependent on Government advice) • Minimised travel times • Local clusters of up to seven teams (this number will vary according to specific regions and agreed local needs) • Relaxed regulations to remove barriers to participation All teams in RFU Leagues (Men’s level 3 and below / Women’s level 2 and below) will have been contacted by their Organising Committee on Friday 13 November with more detailed information about local clusters and how you can sign up. Equally, clubs are free to opt out if they wish to play in another locally organised model, or to simply arrange matches on an ad-hoc basis. Age grade playing calendars seasons 2020/21 and 2021/222020/21 Age Grade Playing Calendar We are pleased to confirm the following points relating to the Age Grade Playing Calendar this season, as outlined to RFU Council on Wednesday 11 November which you can read on the button below. The staging of all these activities and format of play must be in line with our Return to Rugby Roadmap and the Government Covid-19 guidance in place at the time. 2021/22 Age Grade Playing Calendar Due to the impact of Covid–19 it has not been possible to release the Age Grade Playing Calendar for 2021/22. We are aiming to have this out in December to enable planning for next season.Age Grade Calendar Age Grade Registration – GMS Data Tidy-UpTo help with preparation, we will be assisting clubs with tidying up their data, starting with the removal of the duplicated email addresses against age grade records. This process will involve removing a duplicate email address against a record that is under the age of 15 where the email is shared with the parent/guardian linked to their account.GMS Help Portal Postponement of 2020/21 Level 3 Coaching AwardDue to the recent Government lockdown announcement, the uncertainty this brings regarding a full return to rugby and potential future local restrictions, we have taken the difficult decision to postpone the 2020/21 England Rugby Advanced Coaching Award (formerly Level 3 Coaching). The course requires participants to demonstrate a range of coaching knowledge, skills, experience and behaviours that they might not get the opportunity to demonstrate in what remains of this season, through an amended game format or via a remotely delivered course. We therefore believe postponing gives the participants the best opportunity to develop and enjoy the experience the full course would offer. It is our intention to start the 2021/22 course in May 2021, all eligible participants will be contacted and offered the opportunity to apply in the spring. The pre-requisite courses and work for applicants who were intending to apply for the 2021/22 course will run in the New Year. This will be communicated directly to clubs, schools, colleges and universities, via EnglandRugby.com and social media channels. Emergency First Aid in Rugby Union Courses from Friday 1 JanuaryA new booking process is in place in which clubs will liaise directly with the tutors to organise courses, allowing for some local flexibility and better engagement between the club and the tutors. Clubs/venues hosting a course will be required to ensure they can provide a Covid-safe environment. One-day closed events, i.e. all attendees are from the same club, and held in a room booked for exclusive use that allows for appropriate social distancing to help mitigate risk of Covid transmission and reduce the additional cleaning, administration, etc. as per the RFU’s community club guidance and facility re-opening guidelines. Please note that the ability for clubs to host courses and tutor availability may be affected by local/national government restrictions in place at the time of a course.First Aid Courses NatWest Rugby Club Finance GuideFollowing the Natwest RugbyForce weekend in September, NatWest have produced The NatWest Rugby Club Finance Guide, which is a practical guide to help support your club. The guide covers: creating a budget, looking at the bigger picture, boosting your income and a support toolkit and resources for long term sustainability.Read Guide Warrior Camps returnThe successful Inner Warrior campaign will return in January, when we will encourage clubs to host a Warrior Camp to welcome players back into the club environment. Further information about how to sign up to host a Warrior Camp will be available in early December. In the meantime, get in touch via innerwarrior@rfu.com for advice and support. Key dates and where to watchWe are delighted to confirm that England Women’s Autumn Internationals against France will be shown live on BBC TV. November: 14 – England Women v France Women (1.15pm) (Stade des Alpes, Grenoble) – BBC Two and BBC iPlayer 14 – England Men v Georgia Men (3pm) (Twickenham Stadium) – Amazon Prime 21 – England Women v France Women (12pm) (Twickenham Stadium) – BBC Two and BBC iPlayer 21 – England Men v Ireland Men (3pm) (Twickenham Stadium) – Amazon Prime and Channel 4 28 – Wales Men v England Men (4pm) (Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli)– Amazon Prime December: 06 – England Men v TBC (Twickenham Stadium |
