News Archive

Following Round 1 of the NLD U14 Shield at the weekend the full results are available to view below.

The draw for the next round of matches on 5th November has also been confirmed.

The first round of the NLD U14 Cup will also be played on 5th November.

As you may be aware the RFU offer the Leadership Academy programme every two seasons to help identify & develop the next generation of Club, Constituent Body and Referee Society leaders.

Alongside the Rugby Development Officers we have identified a small number of people within NLD who we think will benefit from the programme but we would also like to open the invitation up to the wider rugby community throughout NLD.  We have a limited number of places available but are now inviting applications from candidates who would like to be considered for this fantastic opportunity.

What is the Leadership Academy?

The RFU Leadership Academy aims to raise awareness of the importance of leadership in rugby.  It helps candidates develop their rugby expertise and confidence, while facilitating networking opportunities to allow delegates to share experiences and solutions to handle similar issues.

You can find out more about the Leadership Academy by watching the video below & clicking here.

What is the commitment?

The proposed dates are available below and there would also be an additional couple of dates that you agree with your Mentor between meetings at mutually agreeable times & locations.

15.11.17 – LA Launch – Pride Park
05.12.17 – Rugby landscape workshop – Newark RFC
14.01.18 – Leadership Day – Pride Park
07.02.18 – Risk assessment session – Venue TBC
08.04.18 – Training Day – Pride Park
23.05.18 – Celebration & review – Pride Park

What is the cost?

The whole programme is available at a subsidised rate of £100 per candidate with 50% being refunded by NLD on completion of the course.  In order to secure the funding for the course we would advise you to speak to your club to see if they would be happy to support you as they will obviously benefit from the programme too!

What happens next?

We have a limited number of places available on the Leadership Academy for 2017-18.  If you would like to be considered for nomination please apply in writing to Nicole Brown by Monday 9th October.  Please include a short rugby CV and explain why you would like to be enrolled on the Leadership Academy.

If you have any queries regarding the programme please contact Nicole or call 01636 640800.

The Colts structure is proving a great success in retaining young players and transitioning them into the adult game and is to be applauded.

The first few weeks of the season have brought into focus a few issues which we need to clarify to ensure the success of this structure and to manage the risk to players, coaches and clubs. This is not placing barriers in the way of Colts rugby, it is the opposite – ensuring that barriers imposed by existing criminal laws and RFU regulations are properly managed so they do not impact adversely on this important transition.

1. Age Grades

Colts rugby is Age Grade Rugby, and has to adhere to RFU Regulation 15. http://www.englandrugby.com/mm/Document/General/General/01/31/97/52/RFURegulation152016-2017_English.pdf

Age Grade Rugby is played by players in the Under 18 age grade and below. That is, by players who are not yet 18 on the 31^st August of the preceding season.

Players who are 18 or older before the start of the season cannot play in a Colts game unless they have been suitably risk assessed and have applied for and received NLD CB approval to play down. Details of this process and the application form are set out in the Playing Out Of Age Grade guidance here https://nldrfu.co.uk/resource/playing-age-grade/.

Players in the Under 16 and Under 17 age grades may play up in an Under 18 Colts team if they have been assessed as able to do so and the Playing Out Of Age Grade form has been completed, signed off by the club and submitted to the NLD office. U16 players may not play in the front row of contested scrums if playing up in a Colts game.

If the game is classed as an Under 19 game then this is Adult Rugby. In this circumstance the following apply:

• all players must have reached their 17^th birthday.
• Any player under the age of 18 must have been suitably risk assessed and the club must have completed the RFU Playing Adult Rugby form for them. http://www.englandrugby.com/mm/Document/General/General/01/32/60/47/PlayingAdultRugbyForm2017_English.docx
• Any player over 17 but not yet 18 must not play in the front row of contested scrums.
• There should be a suitable mentor assigned to each player under 18.

1. DBS requirements

Anyone coaching or supervising age grade rugby (including Colts rugby) is taking part in regulated activity as defined in the Children’s Act and supporting legislation and MUST have a valid DBS check. The RFU requires that this is an RFU sponsored DBS and that it is registered on the GMS system.

1. Safeguarding issues when playing on a Saturday.

General

Be careful to ensure that behaviour of adults in and around the changing rooms and clubhouse sets a good example and does not exclude those U18.

Ensure that any involvement of U18 players in post match activities is age appropriate and does not expose the players, adults or club to breaches of the law.

Under 19s

If the game is an Under 19 game, that is there are no players under the age of 17 AND all those not yet 18 have been signed off to play Adult Rugby, then there are no other safeguarding issues to address.

Colts

Colts teams can include players aged 15 to 18. The following apply:

• All supervising adults must have a current DBS recorded on GMS
• Age Grade players must not share changing room or showering facilities with adult teams.

There are several simple precautions which can be put in place to ensure the changing and showering requirements are not an issue.

• Where a club has sufficient changing rooms and dedicated showers for each changing room there are few issues to address. Ensure sufficient supervision is in place to prevent accidental issues such as unauthorised access to changing rooms or showers used by age grade players.
• If there are not sufficient facilities to allow segregation of adults and colts then you could stagger the games. If shared showers is the issue, why not start the colts game 30 minutes or so before the adult games, giving time for the colts to vacate the showers before the adult game finishes?
• If there are insufficient changing rooms to avoid sharing, then the game should be played at a different time, either earlier on the same day or another day.

If you have any queries regarding the above please contact NLD Safeguarding Manager Chris Johnson.

We are pleased to now invite applications from clubs to access NLD funding for the 2017-18 season.

As some of you may be aware the NLD PFR (Planning, Funding & Reporting) Plan outlines the CB’s budget for each season.  The budget itself is split down into various key areas covering the RFU’s Key Drivers and is available to view in full here.

We are now inviting clubs to submit applications for access to the funding that is available to bid for, all of the details of which are available on the attached information sheet.

Expression of Interest PFR v1

PFR Club Information 2017-18 v1

Please encourage your club to apply for funding by completing the attached application form and returning it to me (with all of the accompanying signatures) but Monday 9^th October at the latest.  Applications can be either emailed or posted to NLD RFU, Northgate Business Centre, 38 Northgate, Newark, Notts, NG24 1EZ.

Applications will be considered by each of the budget holders and the relevant committees and decisions will be made as quickly as possible.

If you have any queries regarding the process please do not hesitate to get in touch with either your local Rugby Development Officer, Jeff Mapp or Nicole Brown.

This is a fantastic opportunity for your club to access the funding to develop grassroots rugby within NLD – please make sure you take advantage of it!!

The draw for the Quarter Final of the NLD Senior Knockout Competition. The “play-on” date for these matches is 7^th October but I am aware that some clubs may be involved in RFU knockout matches on this date. In those cases the match should be played on 28^th October. If clubs are unable to play on 7^th they should notify Dave Miller as soon as possible.

Cup

Shield

Plate

Vase

The NLD W&G Committee last met on 4th September 2017 and a copy of the minutes are available to download here.

For more information on NLD Women’s & Girl’s rugby please visit their respective pages.

Applications are now open for U15 & U18 Girls to Trial for the 2017-18 NLD Representative Squads.

For more information on the NLD Girls Programme & what is required for players to trial please see below.

NLD Girls Player Expectations 2017-18

NLD Trials Guidance for Coaches 2017

NLD Trials Guidance for Players 2017

NLD Trials Process 2017

The trial will be held on 1st October 2017 at Southwell RFC, a full copy of the NLD Girls Calendar can be found here.

The closing date for applications is 22nd September 2017, any applications received after this date may not be considered.

This year we will be using a simple Google form for all applications.  Please click on the relevant age group below and complete in full to apply.

NLD U15 Girls Application Form

NLD U18 Girls Application Form

Please note that everyone attending the trial should wear a plain, white T Shirt.

The NLD Referees Society hold training meetings throughout the year and these are open to any Coaches or Club Referees who would like to attend to further their knowledge of the management of the game on the pitch.  You do not have to be a member of the Society to go along – all are welcome.

The central meetings are always held at the Saracens Head in Southwell and start at 7:30 pm, ending at 9:00 pm

As the new season approaches and pre-season training comes to a close, there are plenty of things going on behind the scenes to get the season up and running. This isn’t only on a constituent body level, but also on a national scale.

One of these activities that was going on behind the scenes was recruitment for the RFU National Youth Council. The RFU National Youth Council is a voluntary consultative body, which is made up of 12 16-25 year olds from across the sport. The National Youth Council has been up and running since 2014 and in that time, it has developed the Young Rugby Ambassadors Programme. The council focuses on a variety of different projects and issues across the game such as:

• The retention and recruitment of young volunteers, players and referees within the game.
• Developing and leading the Young Rugby Ambassadors Programme.
• Being ambassadors for the RFU and the sport across a variety of events and conferences.
• Consulting and advising across the RFU on programmes and projects which have an impact on young people within the game.

Three new council members were added to the National Youth Council this September, these were Jazmin Wones (Norfolk), Michael Kirby (Buckinghamshire) and James Phillips (NLD).

James Phillips is currently the Young Match Officials Programme Lead within NLD, as well as being a referee for NLDRFURS. James has also conducted over 100 hours of volunteering on the Young Rugby Ambassadors Programme. James will sit on the RFU National Youth Council for 2 years, where he will look to shape the future of rugby for 14-25 year olds across the game. James said,

“I am very excited to be joining the National Youth Council at such an exciting time. England Rugby is at its best point for years and with an increase in women’s rugby of 215% over the last 4 years the game is growing more and more. Rugby has always been a passion of mine and it is a great honour to be able to work with NLD and the RFU to help improve and develop rugby for generations to come.”

If you are interested or want more information on the Young Match Officials Programme within NLD or about the Young Rugby Ambassadors programme then please get in touch with James on the following emails: [email protected] or [email protected]

Work is now underway on five new Rugby 365 England Rugby Artificial Grass Pitches set for completion by next season in Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Durham, West Midlands and Yorkshire.

Derby RFC have been selected as one of the host clubs alongside Billingham RUFC, Keighley RUFC, Shelford RFC and Stourbridge RFC and follow on from completion of the first three AGPs in Buckinghamshire, Somerset and Lancashire at the end of last year.

NLD Honorary Secretary Tracy Edmundson commented; ‘We are delighted that there will be an AGP in NLD and it promises to offer a huge number of playing opportunities in the local area.  It is an exciting time for rugby within NLD’.

England Rugby’s investment in AGPs is part of their Rugby World Cup 2015 legacy of delivering over £50m over four years into the development of 100 AGPs across England.

In four months of on-season usage since the first three Rugby 365 pitches opened in January, they have hosted over 250 matches and more than 30 festivals of rugby with a combined footfall of 20,000 players enjoying the experience.

The RFU expects the creation of additional AGPs will generate over 16,000 participants playing at least once every two weeks, with 58,000 players introduced to rugby for the first time each year.

Alongside the Rugby 365 programme, the RFU is investing £10m over four years into partner organisations to part-fund 40 Rugby Share pitches on community sites.

The University of Hull and University of Gloucester are due for completion by next season and will offer even greater access to rugby across their respective communities through multi-sport AGP playing surfaces.

For more information on the RFU’s Rugby 365 AGP programme, click here.