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Club Update

Club Update

Dan Garrard5 Oct 2020 - 16:37
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https://www.stowmarketrufc.com

A message from our Club Chairman Tom Anderson with a report/update what has been going on and the future plans for SRUFC

Dear Members,

I hope you and your families are all keeping safe and well during these challenging times. As you will know there have been a number of changes imposed by the government during the last couple of weeks, as well as some updates from the RFU. I wanted to take this opportunity to explain how the club will be handling these going forward and update you on what has been happening.

Rugby
RFU have announced that there will be no competitive contact rugby before January at the earliest, this could extend well past this point. As we currently stand we are still in phase D of the return to rugby road map. Rugby will not return until phase F. As and when we have updates on this we will let you know.

Senior Rugby
The Senior rugby sides have been training now for a number of weeks and we have seen an impressive turn out of players, old and new, which is hugely encouraging. A big thankyou to Colin Clarke & Amy Morris our rugby Covid officers and John Holton for all the work they have put in to make sure that training has followed the guidelines set by the RFU and for helping to keep everyone safe.

With the news that there will be no rugby until at least the new year it has been decided that evening training sessions will be reduced from two to one. Tuesday’s will remain a senior training night led by the coaches but there will not be training for seniors on a Thursday. Instead, each Saturday we will also be holding a touch rugby tournament for the senior sides from 1pm. This will be organised by the players. More information on this will be circulated at a later date.

Junior Rugby
All junior sides have now started training again, whether it be on a Sunday morning or a weekday evening. We are also planning to organise some junior club touch tournament games. There will be more details to follow on this. Once again a big thank you to Amy Morris for all her hard work in getting this set up. Junior teams have been allocated time slots and specific areas to train in, along with all necessary sanitising equipment to help keep everyone safe. Can we remind parents and spectators to observe social distancing where possible, keep to groups of 6 or under and remain outside of the pitch fences when observing your children.

Clubhouse
• When entering the clubhouse all people above the ages of 13 years old must be wearing a mask or face shield. These are only to be removed once seated. These must then be worn when exiting, going to the toilet or moving around the clubhouse. Please be aware that if you enter the clubhouse without a mask you may be asked to leave so please remember to bring one with you.

• Please use the main entrance when entering and follow the one way system throughout. When exiting this should be done via the door opposite the cricket pitch.

• If eating or drinking inside this is table service only, please sit in no more than groups of six.

• You will need to sign in when visiting the club. This can be done via the NHS track and trace app by scanning the QR code which is on all tables and also on windows or by providing your information to the bar staff when entering.

• Clubhouse/bar opening times –
o Monday CLOSED
o Tuesday 6pm – 9pm*
o Wednesday CLOSED
o Thursday 6pm – 9pm*
o Friday 6pm – 10pm* (last orders at 9.30pm and everyone to be out of the building by 10pm)
o Saturday 12pm – 6pm
o Sunday 9am – 3pm
*if clubhouse is quiet then the decision may be taken to close earlier
• Sunday’s – The clubhouse will be open for tea’s, coffee’s, soft drinks and bacon/sausages rolls from 9am.

Improvements to Facilities
Many of you will have seen that a group from the club have been hard at work during the summer with fencing completed around the four pitches. The decision was made in the best interest of all senior and junior players health to keep dogs off the pitches and prevent the huge amount of fouling we were experiencing. We have also stripped back the flood lit pitch due to its poor state and drainage. We have had work carried out on this and are expecting it to be playable in the early part of next year.

Annual Subscriptions
The above mentioned work that was carried out during the summer has been a large cost to the club, with little or no income being generated since the facility was closed in March. We have taken advantage of as many schemes and grants as possible during this time to reduce the clubs losses, however this has not stopped our funds being significantly less than they were at the start of Covid. We fully understand that the last 6/7 months have been difficult on everyone and that many of you will be feeling the pinch just like we are. At this point we would like to ask that those of you willing and able, look to pay your subs from now. This includes Seniors, Juniors and VPs. If you cannot afford to pay a full years’ worth and instead can only pay half we will happily accept and understand this. You can make payments via bank transfer or at the bar. Any funds that you can put into the club will help massively in securing our future and ensuring that we continue to operate at the level we have all come to expect.

Details for bank transfer –
Sort code – 30-98-23
Account no. – 01307447

Please use your name (or the name of your child if paying junior subs) and the word “subs” in the reference so we can keep a track of this.

Annual Subscription amounts –
Senior = £100 (or £10 per month standing order)
Colts = £70
Junior = £65 first child, £55 second child, £45 third child
VP = £50

AGM
The delayed AGM from the end of last season will be held on Saturday 12th December starting at 2pm.

Thank you for taking the time to read through this information. If you have any questions please feel free to let me know or approach another member of the committee. I look forward to seeing you all soon, stay safe and look after each other.

Thanks,
Tom Anderson
Stowmarket RUFC Chairman

Further reading