RFU Area 4 Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire RFU Quarterly Report - Quarter 2

December 2015

RDO(s) – Andy Highton, Gareth Short, Matt Jefferson Completed:

1. Retaining & Developing Current Players:  Holding on club support – Retention and transition of players at U14 – senior rugby at targeted clubs (East Retford RFC, Paviors RFC, RFC, Sleaford RFC, Ashbourne RFC, Glossop RFC and Bakewell Manarians RFC  Return to Rugby – Derby RFC (48 players), Lincoln RFC (38 players)  Returners festivals – Stamford RFC  Corsairs have played their first senior match in 3 seasons against NTU with future matches planned for January. 2. Recruiting New Players:  All Schools – 9 x All Schools programs progressing well at Ashfield RFC, Melbourne RFC and Boston RFC with 21 new players transitioned to clubs across the three projects.  All Schools (year 2) – Mellish RFC, Lincoln RFC and Chesterfield Panthers RFC with 39 new players transitioned to clubs across the three projects.  All Schools (Year 3) – Grimsby RFC and Ilkeston RFC with 37 new players transitioned to clubs.  Broadening Reach into more Secondary Schools projects at Redhill, (Paviors 1 new player recruited) Elizabethan (East Retford 7 new players recruited), Tupton Community School & Tibshelf Academy (Tupton RFC 8 new players) Healing Academy and Humberston Academy (Cleathorpes RFC 5 new players recruited) 3. Retaining & Recruiting High Quality Coaches, Volunteers & Referees:  Coaching Courses across NLD – Rugby Ready (Newark RFC), Coaching Children in Rugby Union (Cherry Willingham), Rugby Ready (Lincoln), Rugby Ready (Boston), Level 1 underway at Kirk Hallam School, Lineout CPD (Ilkeston), Back Attack CPD (Melbourne), Rugby Ready (Matlock), KidsFirst Continuity Post Contact CPD (Melbourne), Scrum Factory (Melbourne),  Front Row Union Evenings – NTU, Nottingham Moderns RFC, Southwell RFC 4. Effective & Efficient Facilities:  Natwest Rugby Force applications are now open  RDOs have attended NLD Facilities Group meetings to aid prioritisation of projects. 5. Effective & Efficient Management & Governance:  New Club Accreditations – Mellish RFC  Leadership Academy Rugby Landscape Evening at Southwell RFC  CB Orientation Evening at Mansfield RFC 6. Integration with the Local Community:  Club led school engagement programs – Mansfield RFC (Primary Schools & Colleges), West Bridgford (girls), East Retford (New girls team), Kesteven RFC (Primary), Scunthorpe (Secondary), Tupton RFC (Primary and Secondary – 29 players recruited)  Bolsover SSP TAG MegaFest Series linked to Chesterfield Panthers RFC, Tupton RFC, Ashfield RFC and Amber Valley RFC.  Children In Need Touch night supported at Chesterfield Panthers RFC. Planned Activity:

1. Retaining & Developing Current Players:  Continued support with targeted clubs (above)  Identification of targeted work for 2016/17  Development Competitions and Tier 2 pitch up and play events. Identification of appropriate playing opportunities to aid the transition and retention of colts to senior rugby 2. Recruiting New Players:  All Schools – continued work  Broadening reach schools - continued work  College summer programme 3. Retaining & Recruiting High Quality Coaches, Volunteers & Referees:  Young Officials Academy  CRCs working with local CCC clusters to provide coach development solutions locally based on Club/Coach need. 4. Effective & Efficient Facilities:  Bad weather planning for Jan – March. Supporting clubs in need of alternative playing venues 5. Effective & Efficient Management & Governance:  Leadership Academy – Continued  Working towards Accreditation – Keyworth, Bingham, Worksop, Boston, Gainsborough, North Hykeham, Sleaford, Dronfield.  Planning for Club Development Evenings in the New Year. 6. Integration with the Local Community:  Planning towards summer touch programmes Coaching, Refereeing & Medical – Darren Gourley Completed:  Award and Non - award course delivery July 1st to December 16th 2015

NLD 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 NLD

Overview NLD CPD (including Towards L3 & Conference) 101 Tag (kids 1st, school & club) 0 Rugby Ready 170 Scrum Factory 52 Level 1 Referee Children 0 Level 2 Referee XV a side (ELRA) 39 UKCC L1 0 UKCC L2 0 UKCC L3 0 RFU 1st Aid 0 Play it safe 108 Rugby Union in Secondary Schools 0  Community of Practice 16- 24 events at Southwell RFC, Lincoln RFC & Chesterfield RFC Planned Activity:  Award course delivery  Workforce CPD  Educator Training  Developer Training  Sign off unaccredited workforce  Second Communities of Practice events Women & Girls – Simon Boyd Completed:  Club visits to Derby, Mellish, West Bridgford & Ashfield to discuss their LRP development plan and recruitment.  Pitch up and Play at Ashfield RFC. Clubs included Sleaford, Ashfield & Amber valley. 24 ladies attended in total.  Pitch up and Play at West Bridgford. Included Nottingham Uni and had 35 ladies attended in total.  Met with both Notts & Derbs RFU development team to discuss focus clubs.  Attended NLD PFR meeting in Mansfield.  Attended W&G forums  Midlands CB festival. NLD U15s won the festival, beating East Midlands in the final. The U18s finished 5th overall.  Both U15 & U18 CB matches have been played.  Ashfield/Chesterfield, Long Eaton, Mansfield, Mellish, Melbourne, Newark, Lincoln & Boston all played fixtures in the girls cup competition at U15 &U18.  NLD clubs festival at Long Eaton .  NLD U18s & Senior players Pitch up and Play event at Southall in December. Planned Activity:  Women’s Pitch up and players planned at Billborough College & Lincoln RFC.  NLD U18s & Senior players Pitch up and Play at Southall RFC in Feb.  W&G Forum on 20th January  Girls cup comp fixtures  Club visits Universities Development – Richard Marelli Completed:  University of Nottingham (Main) – IMS programme continues to grow in numbers, with two more teams this year, continues to play within the 4 local rugby clubs. Men’s and Women’s BUCS clubs have sustained strong playing numbers, Touch rugby on main campus remains a term one and term three programme. Tag rugby in the community has continued this year with a number of student volunteers delivering within local primary schools.  University of Nottingham (Sutton Bonington) – Students continue to support the BUCS programme within main campus and run their own SBRFC men’s and women’s teams (weekend teams) playing within the Pennant league. Touch rugby continues to be strong here within SB campus (40+ per week)  University of Nottingham (GEMS) – A new Women’s Club has formed with a growing number of players training alongside the men at the moment, a coach has been sent on a RR/SF courses and we are currently looking to set up some Med school fixtures in the NY. The Men’s club are maintaining numbers despite a high number of students from this campus work away from Derby for quite long periods, this requires a larger than normal squad size, possibly enough for two teams in normal terms to get one out weekly.  University of Nottingham (Medical School RFC) – Strong recruitment has allowed three men’s teams – NAMS XV + Local Pennant league XV + IMS team, there are a small number of interested women who are been linked up with GEMS new team in Derby.  All of the above has been developed by the rugby coordinator role at University of Nottingham (NLD RFU PFR – Part funded) this role has been instrumental in maintaining and increasing the number of students playing rugby at the university of Nottingham.  NTU – BUCS Club playing numbers has remained strong with a new women’s team been sustained for the second year in BUCS (BUCS 2nd XV), however the IMS programme seems to be stuck at one team, it was hoped that it could extend to two teams this year but that dose not seem to of happened, injury’s and unavailability within the BUCS teams has prevented IMS getting the second XV out. The IMS team plays within the Nottingham University programme, within local clubs  Brackenhurst (NTU) – strong links to Southwell RFC have been put in place and a good number of student now play weekend rugby for the club and the College.  University of Lincoln – A strong University & Club link has been maintained with the students training and playing at Lincoln RFC on a weekly basses, the men’s club have enough players for 3 teams, though the 3rd XV (J1M) have trained well they have not played yet, with unavailability and injury’s within the BUCS 2nd XV the cause, it is however the aim to get the 3rd XV out playing in the NY. Students (Male/Female) playing weekend rugby is strong via a good game Finder programme.  Bishop Grosseteste University (Lincoln) – The Men’s Club have sustained its one team and have increased its numbers, this is due to many of the BG students going out on work experience (Teaching Uni) a new women’s club has been formed this year with not quite enough to play games yet, but with a link to the women’s club at Lincoln RFC it is hoped more students will get involved and a team can be entered into BUCS eventually.  University of Derby (Main) – a new build sports centre and full size rugby pitch (3G AGP) with rugby posts and pitch furniture has been put in pride of place (first thing you see when coming into the main gate) Rugby Union has arrived! – Men’s club 3 teams (from 1) Women’s club with a team in BUCS (from 0) – Rugby League has disbanded due to unsustainable playing numbers (from 2 teams to 0) – University has two more 3G AGP’s on campus, they are going to be re carpeted over the next 12 months, it is hoped with Shock pad’s, This site will be worth the CB looking at in terms of local (CB) Player/referee/Coach development opportunities, courses, and a great place to play NLD fixtures from? University very open to discussion on use by Rugby union – CB/RFU/Local clubs etc….  University of Derby (Buxton) Buxton remains quite difficult to move away from the one team offer, largely due to numbers of students in Buxton and the large number of sports course students at this campus, where football is by far the largest sport. One men’s team has been established for a few seasons and struggles to recruit enough numbers to sustain the one team. A link with the local rugby club allows some students to play weekend rugby, but this link has been quite hard work sometimes to maintain with the club facilities vs the amount of Charges it wants to allow the students to play there.  Planned Activity:  Continue to support the Universities with player retention and assist them to maintain playing numbers.  Provide support to the student Game Finders and encourage as many students to play local club rugby at the weekend. Provide opportunities to coach/referee/volunteer within the local clubs/schools/colleges and University.  Provide support to recruit new committee for next year, through a planned succession programme including “Student Leadership Academy” both delivered locally and feed into national programmes through the SRFU and BUCS.  Plan and support an area 7s programme.

Player Development – Phil Llewellyn Completed:  Make contact workshops delivered alongside RDO’s as requested to optimise relationship management with local clubs.  Return to Rugby delivered Derby and Lincoln to maximise recruitment and reengagement/retention as part of the Clubs Growth target  Two Tigers RPPG meetings held  Tigers Academy meeting held to discuss player development across the area  7’s strategy delivered to ADT  7’s strategy being actioned for Sumer 2016 roll out  U24 Program rolled out to reignite the development league and create opportunities for pitch up and play festivals to support activity aligned to development league

Planned Activity:  Clubs targeted for Return to Rugby ‘dragons den’ assessment in Feb/March.  Clubs targeted for Holding on program next season.  Continued engagement with Make Contact process at relevant clubs  Manage and review the U24 playing opportunities project alongside LDT to ensure targets are met  Meet R2R Clubs to review program and progress them for continuation if possible  Continue liaison with Tigers academy about player development  Facilities – Pete Shaw Completed:  Clubs shortlisted by the CB Facility Group as potential priorities for RFU funding in 16/17 have been assessed using a weighted scoring template to measure Return on Investment/Level of Engagement & Readiness Factors. Clubs assessed; Amber Valley, Ilkeston, Bakewell Mannerians, Glosop, Ashbourne, Dronfield, Sleaford, Nottingham Casuals, East Retford, Ashfield  Priorities in order for NLD; Ashfield (Clubhouse), Sleaford (Floodlights), Dronfield (Floodlights) & Ilkeston (Floodlights). Budget will determine the number of projects that can be invited into the investment programme.  Financial return monitoring completed to assess the impact on the financial performance at clubs that have received investment and been operation for 12 months or beyond. Club submissions from; Keyworth, Long Eaton, Market Rasen, Matlock, Nottingham Moderns, Southwell.  NLDRFU Facility Meeting held. Notes attached.

NOTES OF MEETING - NLD - Nov 2015.docx   Playing Pitch Strategies; NE Lincs, Gedling, Mansfield, Broxtowe, South Derbys, Erewash.  Club Meetings; Amber Valley (Relocation), Ashbourne (Clubhouse), Ashfield (New Clubhouse), Derby Uni (3G Pitch), Buxton (Keith Kent Visit), Belper (Floodlights), East Retford (Site Development), Long Eaton (Floodlights), Mansfield (3G review), Melbourne (Site Visit), Newark (Clubhouse), Nottingham Rugby (Club Site), Nottingham Casuals (Changing Rooms), West Bridgford (RFF Loan).  Matlock have been awarded a RFF Groundmatch Grant to support the club extension for a gym. Planned Activity:  Initiate the invitation and development of the prioritised projects for RFU Investment during the 2016/17 season  Work with the CB Facility Group to identify key clubs sites and rugby share sites as part of the AGP Strategy applying criteria where there is a demonstrable over-capacity position and the club holds the property in freehold ownership or has a secured leasehold 30 years or more  Continue to support and represent rugby union within local authority Playing Pitch Strategies; NE Lincs, Gedling, Mansfield, Broxtowe, South Derbys, Erewash.  Promotion of the Natwest Rugby Force Programme. Support the CB to prioritise clubs for the Workshops and the Keith Kent Offer.  Promote the Sport Investment Programmes – Inspired Facilities & Protecting Playing Fields Fund