Jeff’s right, we must support grassroots
JEFF Probyn is absolutely right in stating that the future of rugby in England depends on more resources being made available by the RFU to support grassroots rugby than the disastrous Professional Game Agreement has allowed over the last seven years.
Central club support and rugby development staff have been cut to the bone leaving clubs increasingly to generate their own resources, both financial and volunteers to fight the battle against falling participation numbers in men’s senior rugby.
RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney and his team need to find a much fairer distribution of central resources in their negotiations with Premiership Rugby over what is to replace after next June the PGA and I am optimistic that they will.
This is by no means, however the whole story. Many clubs have – as Jeff concedes – misdirected their own efforts towards furthering their first XV’s league efforts at the expense of social and junior rugby. There does seem to be a growing recognition of the folly of such an approach, but reversing such mistakes is not easy or quick.
What Jeff ’s article fails to recognise, though, is that social players by and large do not now want to play “week on week”. This not only limits the number of times a lower side can field a full fifteen, but greatly increases the workload of captains and club management in doing so on an intermittent basis to suit their players’ varying wishes. Add to this the problem of games bealways ing cancelled by opposition teams unable to get a side together and life becomes very hard - but not impossible with the will and a lot of hard work at the clubs.
Restoring centrally-funded rugby development/co-ordination officers would undoubtedly help clubs in the key area of raising their profiles in the local community, email: especially with schools, both secondary and primary and with local businesses. Ultimately, though, in my view, the future health of the game depends much more on the clubs’ own efforts. This is a colossal challenge, because the workloads of key volunteer officials at clubs of any size are huge and more active contributors are
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The fair allocation of RFU funding is, of course vital, but it is ultimately the continuing efforts of the volunteer base of the game that will determine its future or lack thereof.
All involved in the negotiations over the new PGA, but especially the PRL clubs need to recognise the great risk that, if they cannot put in place a much fairer distribution of central funds, they will demotivate and potentially demoralise this volunteer cohort on which all of their futures ultimately will depend.
John Allanson