ISSUE NO. 1 SEASON 19/20 Dings girls Bo Osbourne-Clarke [left] Lara Jayne [right] GLOUCESTERSHIRE RFU SUPPORTS WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY and invited its clubs to wear yellow to raise awareness of YoungMindsUK www.grfu.org l Email: [email protected] GRFU Issue 1 2019-2020.indd 1 29/10/2019 18:31 Contents GRFU Local Rugby Plan LRP 3 LETTER Guest Writer 4 Club News 5-13 Dear All Fromevery personthe on ourEditor huge database. This Combination Round-up 14-15 includes anyone who has registered their Welcome to Issue 1 of the GRN for email, which can be done by your Club/ Women & Girls 16-17 season 2019-20. Association Secretary or Data Officer. World Cup 18-19 During the last season, I asked Andrea Alternatively, you can contact County to do some market research among our Office and Andrea can assist you. The Sponsorship 20-21 readers, into whether, in this modern circulation of these does not rely on the age of Social Media and electronic postman or on volunteers having to drive Facilities & Funding 23 communication platforms, this format of round the various GRFU establishments. Referees 24-26 the GRN is still appropriate. The benefit of GRFU Bulletins is that they There was considerable opinion that it can come out to you as soon as there is Mental Health 28-29 was rather passé or to use a modern something to shout about. Rather than Volunteers 30-31 colloquialism, “so last week”. tales from our rugby family sitting in my Inbox for six months before being printed Mixed Ability Rugby 32-34 Since County Office was taken over by in a GRN. a much younger and more agile brain, Social Media [SM] within GRFU has gone Our other concern is that many club through the roof. I, personally, never members are not getting to see their SOCIAL MEDIA Update wanted to get involved in SM as I felt I was club’s copies of the GRN anyway, even too old to learn that particular new trick. though there are several sent to each club, With a newly recruited team of GRFU volunteers, In fact, the only tweet I ever wanted to school and association. More upsetting working on our social media platforms this season, hear was from the robins in my garden. is that, sometimes, they remain in the car we’ve been sharing more news with you via And as for ‘Facecloth’, [as one of my boot of whoever has said they’ll distribute Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We’ve covered revered colleagues refers to it], well that them!! Which makes all the hard work of training courses, vacancies, events and best practice. was one step too far and forced me into a the Comms Team a bit futile. darkened room. Here’s a snap shot of our insights: In view of these thoughts, I’m just putting • Facebook following of 2429 As Andrea has proved only too well, I it out there, through this old fashion • 357 more followers on Twitter since hitting our was so wrong from GRFU’s point of view. medium of a letter, that this might be the target of 5,000 last season Modernising GRFU’s communications has way forward. Do please let me know what you think [[email protected]] • 10,548 views on our Instagram posts had immeasurable benefits. There are more tweets, posts and hits than you can I hope you enjoy the read. • Post reach on Facebook of 16,400 shake a stick at, so it must be working. • Average of 41 more followers on Instagram each All the best month For that reason, even though I’m talking • 33 events posted on Facebook since September myself out of a job, the Communications • 305,000 Tweet impressions Team feels that, perhaps, in order to get the news out to you all in a timelier Tricia • 7 new volunteers recruited from Facebook job fashion, we need to go down the adverts electronic route. We’re very conscious • 71% increase in Twitter profile visits that a lot of what you read in this GRN Huge thanks to Bry, Matt, James and Katy for their will be very old news. Some of it will ideas, enthusiasm and time to help spread the word to have already been seen on SM anyway. our members clubs, schools and universities. You will, hopefully, already be familiar Look out for our campaigns and do please get involved with Andrea’s version of my old ‘County by liking, sharing, retweeting and commenting. Don’t Office Notices’. These take the form of forget to tag @GRFUrugby into your own posts; we ‘GRFU Bulletins’, which are emailed to love interacting with you all! COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR COUNTY CHAIRMAN Andrea Grant Adrian Siddorn T: 0800 2229567 E: [email protected] E: [email protected] COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE GRN EDITOR Tony Fielding Tricia Perris E: [email protected] E: [email protected] Website: grfu.org Facebook: @GRFUrugby Twitter: @GRFUrugby Instagram: @GRFUrugby Gloucestershire RFU, The Conifers, Filton Road, Hambrook, Bristol BS16 1QG 2 – Issue 1 – November 2019 Gloucestershire Rugby News GRFU Issue 1 2019-2020.indd 2 29/10/2019 18:31 GRFU Local Rugby Plan [LRP] – season 2019/20 - “You spoke, we listened!” You will remember that, earlier in the year, GRFU held five club forums (one in each Combination), when all member clubs were invited to share their thoughts on where they felt support should be given, or would be more beneficial, to the community game within Gloucestershire. v Continue to support development of Age Grade Rugby and Core Values • Campaigns to be promoted on GRFU social media platforms to reinforce core and game values • Understanding best practice within the AgeGrade game in Gloucestershire, developing GRFU Code of Conduct and promoting through the annual Age Grade conference. As well as utilising knowledge of our local RFU professional staff, insight and analysis data including the National Rugby Survey and CB experience, GRFU has set out 3 major priorities within the Local Rugby Plan, over and above the usual support work that is carried out, based on priorities listed by our clubs. – Recruit more club Volunteers v Develop more localised volunteer recognition schemes • Promote a volunteer reward programme to complement existing RFU schemes and increase awareness of recognising club volunteers v Encourage retiring players and more parents to take on club volunteer roles • Support clubs to have an active Club Volunteer Coordinator who, with the right training and tools, will recruit volunteers, targeting specifically retiring players and parents of young players • Run specific volunteer club workshops • Link with student placement programmes at local universities/ colleges More games played by women & girls – Recruit more women & girls to be able to play more meaningful rugby, – Better understanding for clubs of funding more locally opportunities • Clubs will be supported with initiatives such as: Inner Warrior Camps, training and v Create a one-stop source of funding opportunities and advice workshops, to support transition into clubs and Pitch Up and Play events on applications • Promoting the idea of #ShareTheShirt by linking teams together through different • Explore GRFU bulk purchasing (equipment/utilities/income festivals/tournaments insurance/maintenance) for member clubs • Establish female Match Official development programmes • Develop a relationship with The Rugby Sponsors Consortium • Provide opportunities for funding female teachers on relevant courses • Host funding workshops, in partnership with Voscur • Support the development of women and girls competition management structure, with the RFU Competitions team A copy of the LRP can be found on the home page of the • Implement outcome of Age Grade Competitions Review GRFU website. Gloucestershire Rugby News Issue 1 – November 2019 – 3 GRFU Issue 1 2019-2020.indd 3 29/10/2019 18:31 Guest Writer Rob Iles - Gloucestershire Live As Head of Sport at Gloucestershire Live, I have undoubtedly two of the best players in the world Sharikadze (Georgia) the pleasure of covering Gloucester Rugby games, in their positions. either having studied as well as often writing about the grassroots clubs Gloucester’s only player there or played for that give opportunities to so many to take up the in the England squad was their Saturday side to game. Willi Heinz – a call-up appear at the World The Rugby World Cup has taken centre stage nobody saw coming until Cup. recently, showcasing the most talented players a few months ago, but Bristol, of course, has strong from around the globe. It has also demonstrated he has proven himself links with the Pacific islands the amazing pool of talent that has come from well-equipped on the through their Director of Rugby Gloucestershire. international stage. Pat Lam, as well as four of their Gloucester and Bristol each had five current Willi Heinz players representing Samoa – players out in Japan but James Lay, Jordan Lay, Chris Vui there are far more with They could have and Alapati Leiua – with Siale links to the area. had a few more South Piutau in the Tongan squad. For England, we’ve seen Africans in Japan but, Sam Underhill blossom as it was, only Franco Ross Moriarty on the biggest stage of all. Mostert got the call A journey that started at after a very impressive Longlevens Rugby Club first season at before he came through Kingsholm. Despite Franco Mostert the Gloucester Sam Underhill Academy, as well Scotland’s as spending time on pool stage James Lay Merab Sharikadze loan at Cinderford. exit, Chris Harris performed well for them. He looks like someone Chris Harris who will fit in Jonny May well to Johan Jordan Lay Chris Vui Ackermann’s style of play this season after making Jonny May is another the move from Newcastle.