Supporting clubs in our County
We are aware every club is dealing with the situation differently and taking different approaches but we wanted to let you know that although there is a reduced RFU Local Development Team due to some of the staff being furloughed, there are still 4 of us in place across Area 6 (Yorkshire, Durham, Northumberland and Cumbria) to support any needs or queries you may have. We’ve spoken to a large number of clubs over the last 8 weeks and we are working with Yorkshire RFU on a daily basis to ensure we’re able to provide the support everyone needs. The four of us still in post are;
Hamish Pratt – Area Manager
hamishpratt@rfu.com
Alex Bowden – Area Facilities Manager
alexbowden@rfu.com
Andy Fradgley – Rugby Development Officer
andyfradgley@rfu.com
Liam Nicholls – Rugby Development Officer
liamnicholls@rfu.com
You may be aware that the RFU launched an immediate support package for community clubs during this challenging period. This includes a range of financial support programmes and guidance around the Government grant and rate relief support, which you will hopefully have seen in the ‘Community Game Update - Covid-19’ updates that are being sent to clubs weekly. Full details can be found here.
We know there’s been an immediate need for clubs to focus on maintaining facilities as well as considering when rugby might return. We hope those of you who have a rateable value have been able to access the government retail and hospitably grant, and for those not eligible that you’ve been able to reduce costs until rugby returns.
The Community Game Updates are also published twice a week. These are full of the latest information for the game and can be found here.
If you do need assistance please let us know as we’re happy to support, or even just have a catch up on rugby matters at your club. We can then plan a call in with one of the non-furloughed RFU Development team.
Stay safe,
Local RFU Team