Clubs backing knockout cup

Rugby

The Southern Counties East Football League will meet later this week to discuss the proposed spring cup competition.

Clubs in the Premier Division and Division 1 of the league have been asked whether they would be interested in taking part in a knockout tournament following the curtailment of their 2020/21 league campaign.

There were 28 clubs who have registered their interest in taking part but most will only want to play if supporters can be admitted. Discussions are currently taking place between the government and the Football Association with regards to fans watching sport at nonelite level.

A board meeting of the SCEFL is expected to take place on Thursday.

A league update said: “Following the recent survey sent out to all member clubs regarding a supplementary cup competition, we are pleased to say that 37 out of the 38 clubs responded and of those 28 are keen to take part.

“The next board meeting is to be held on Thursday, March 11, where we will discuss this, and the more detailed feedback we received from member clubs. “Holding this supplementary competition is obviously still subject to the continued improvements around Covid infection rates and further DCMS (Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport) and FA guidance on the return of spectators to our games.”

The SCEFL season was put on hold at the end of October, when Kent was suffering higher than average rates of Covid infections and placed in the top tier of restrictions. Non-elite football was then suspended and the leagues at steps three to six eventually had their league programme curtailed.

Any new competition played must get FA approval and be concluded by the end of May. Sheppey were the first club to publicly declare their interest in playing in the new competition.

Chairman Matt Smith confirmed: “For the record we were one of the clubs who said we would compete in a competition subject to crowds.”

Deal’s potential participation could depend on their progress in the FA Vase competition.

That is due to resume at the start of April with Deal playing their delayed third round tie at home to Hellenic League Binfield, possibly as early as April 3.

Grassroots rugby is set to return at the end of this month.

The RFU has published a new ‘Return to Community Rugby Roadmap’ which coincides with the government’s easing of lockdown restrictions. There’s a six stage process to go through which the

RFU - the game’s governing body - hope will end with full contact matches being played in June. There are hopes that by June 21 - if Covid levels continue to drop - that all legal limits on social contact can be removed. Clubs at grassroots levels have been devoid of any competitive action for a whole season. Plans for a regional competition were scrapped as the second wave of coronavirus led to the current national lockdown. There is now a chance that the sport can resume soon, with a phased return.

RFU development director Steve Grainger said: “This is fantastic news for the community game and we are pleased to be able to publish our plan for a phased return to full contact rugby.

“It’s wonderful to see light at the end of the tunnel and we are as delighted as clubs and players across the country that they will soon be able to resume training and, subject to each step on the government’s roadmap being achieved, progress towards an exciting season of rugby for 2021/22 from September.”

At present, the only training that can take place is alone or with one other person from another household. An exception to this are age grade players involved in school or college organised activity.

From March 29, the RFU will roll out ‘Ready4Rugby’ alongside 02 Touch and tag matches against other clubs. Contact training will exclude scrums and mauls and be limited to 20 minutes a session maximum. Ready4Rugby is a new noncontact game enabling two teams of up to 10 players to engage in training and match activity.

Matches with adapted laws (no scrums or mauls) will be permitted against other clubs from April 26.

When Step 3 on the government roadmap is reached (no earlier than

May 17) it is planned that community rugby will move to full contact training, including scrums and mauls. Two weeks later full contact matches can begin. Community rugby will move to the final stage of their roadmap on June 21.