‘I just want to make sure we’re still here’: The battle to get grassroots rugby back up and running post-Covid
Grassroots rugby is absolutely determined to get back on its feet. Katie-Ann Gupwell reports on the pride, passion – and the challenges that were at play even before last night’s announcement
IT’S a Saturday afternoon and rugby players are starting to take to the pitch ready for their next fixture, with supporters gathering at the ground.
The routine of grassroots rugby is similar at various rugby clubs across Wales, but for more than a year the changing-rooms were bare and the stands remained empty.
Coronavirus put a stop to community rugby for quite a long time and the summer of 2021 marked the first time when rugby clubs were able to rise from the storm.
The pandemic has been a turbulent time for local clubs. Some were hit by Storm Dennis before it began, some may have feared they’d struggle to get players to return, and others may have wondered if the community game would ever be the same.
As we approach a new year many clubs have managed to get back on their feet and see the game make a comeback.
During lockdown, Saturdays were dismal with people having limited plans and, at times, no chance of watching a game of rugby.
Now if you head down to your local pitch you’ll see jerseys covered in mud, your club badge being worn with pride, and life at the sports field once more.
It’s a cold December morning at Ynysybwl RFC and supporters gather in anticipation to watch the team take on Rumney RFC. The crisp weather doesn’t put people off around here – people wrap up, mask up, and head straight for the stands.
For Ynysybwl RFC, who play in League 1 East Central, it’s been both a happy and challenging first few months back on the pitch. Seeing a buzz around the club again has been great for the village but it hasn’t been the easiest ride for any club after the game halted for well over a year.
Club chairman Hywel Price explained that pre-pandemic the club was starting to see the dynamics begin to change slightly.
Hywel said: “It was a strange situation last year. We had a great side but we had boys who were all in their last year of playing. Around 17 years ago they all joined in youth together – they had a very strong side – and all those boys were all coming back at the end of last year. But when Covid hit they all stopped playing. It’s been a real challenge.”
Another element that affected the club was when the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) announced that the age band for youth rugby would be under 18 in line with Welsh Government strategy.
Traditionally, players have been able to stay at youth level for three years, from the ages of 16 to 19. But only players who were under 18 from August 31, 2021, were able to participate in youth rugby. It formed part of the return-to-play strategy for the community game following the lengthy shut-down caused by the
Covid-19 pandemic but it has caused issues for some community clubs.
Hywel said: “A lot of the youngsters are not really ready to play senior rugby at 18.
“It’s a big jump up at 19 to go and play senior rugby so when you’re 18 it’s take a break or step up. A lot of players don’t want the jump and they’ll come back when they are 20 or 21 but some may stop playing.”
He said as more games have been played it’s easy to see that some clubs are fielding much younger teams generally.
Ynysybwl RFC travelled to play St Peter’s RFC earlier in the year and somebody said it was “like getting a bus to Ponty High” due to the amount of youngsters who were taking to the field.
He said a similar picture is painted across other Welsh clubs. Since the community game has returned many teams are made up of young men in their early twenties.
Hywel added: “The last few years the community game has got better. We have a good international side but the regions are not working.
“The mid-district would work. I think it would have been a good time to return back to the mid-district.”
This essentially means Hywel thinks it would have been good to return to the game by playing the teams in the club’s locality.
He said there are teams within five miles of Ynysybwl, such as Abercynon RFC, Cilfynydd RFC, and Rhydyfelin RFC, who they could have played against and would have seen a decent level of local rivalry as well as a lot less travelling.
He added: “Clubs have lost revenue for 18 months and still have to travel to play. Going back to this playing system would help.”
He said this way of playing would also help bring more people back to
the club as some of the clubhouses are within walking distance, while others are just a short drive away.
When Ynysybwl RFC play against Rhydyfelin RFC, for example, Hywel explained the takings would be a lot higher at the clubhouse than if they played a team from further afield, like Barry RFC.
Hywel said the reliance on a game taking place is “huge” to keep business afloat. When there is no rugby there are simply fewer bums on seats at the local clubhouse, as the stands get pretty full on a standard match day.
“We rely on the Saturday to keep us going,” he added. “The supporters will have a pint after the game. You’ll have a lot more people coming back to the club.”
Even though the return to the community game has been long and difficult in many ways for clubs across the country, Hywel said it has still been great to see it return.
Going forward, he said, he hopes the club’s success continues to build and hopes to see more young people gaining an interest in rugby in the coming years.
Luckily for Ynysybwl RFC this is an area they are currently thriving in, and hope to be a big part of their future, as since the pandemic the club has started a youth team for the first time in a number of years.
When asked if it’s been nice to see so much life around the club, Hywel said: “It has. A lot of people, like Carl Bailyes, have been doing a lot of work with the under-16s and getting a younger squad together.
“It’s nice to see the kids playing. It’s good to be back playing rugby.”
At Bedwas RFC the last 20 months or so have been a real slog to get the club back on its feet. This is because back in February 2020 the club, which competes in the WRU Championship,
was one of many clubs severely hit by Storm Dennis.
The club’s function room, lounge, bars, cellar, changing-rooms, furniture, and outdoor facilities were all damaged.
Lots of the club’s property was also destroyed and thousands of pounds’ worth of damage was caused.
Cars were even swept onto the club’s pitch during the floods and had to be recovered by a crane.
It’s been a very tough year for the club, which has been working incredibly hard behind the scenes to get back on its feet.
Seeing the boys able to return to the pitch to play earlier this year was a glimmer of hope after what was previously a very difficult year for the club, but it’s determined to keep going.
Bedwas RFC secretary Will Rees, 30, said it had been “really positive” to get back to playing rugby, even though it took a long time to get back into the swing of things.
Will said: “The flooding from Storm Dennis was a big hit for us and then, because of Covid, we all spent a lot of time on the refurbishment.
“We have had a lot of bookings for events since restrictions eased and lots of supporters are coming back to watch the rugby.
“It’s not the same yet because of the way it’s been done by the WRU but we’re getting on with it. The only downside is we don’t have more rugby right now because we have half a season and a few cup games.”
Despite a very different start to the season this year Will said the players were determined to get “straight back into it”.
Even though there was a lengthy break when playing halted due to the pandemic Will doesn’t think the club lost any players as a result.
He said that throughout all the lockdowns players were really good at keeping in touch with one another and organised group exercise sessions together when restrictions allowed them to.
Of course, there are some people who may never return to the ground to watch a game. Will explained some loyal supporters, who have been behind the club for years, may still be hesitant about the virus and feel safer at home but the love for the community game still remains.
“People have been really keen to get back to rugby,” he continued. “There are some people who may not still be coming back, and there may be some people who may never come back, but for the seniors and the seconds teams the numbers have been positive.
“I think the sense of normality the return of rugby brought was something a lot of us didn’t think about at the time. Now I think about it it makes me realise. We had rugby on TV and behind closed doors and we were able to sit in the club a few metres apart. Rugby is such an important part of communities.
“It’s part of your routine, and I think we took it for granted. It’s just part of life around here.”
Things were also difficult for Abercwmboi RFC as the country entered lockdown. The club, which plays in League 2 East Central, had worries of its own even before the pandemic hit.
Club captain David Barry explained how the game halted at a time when the club was left without coaches.
Having been a part of the club for most of his life David, 30, admitted it was a worry to think what position the club would be in when the game was eventually able to return when the country was first put into lockdown.
When asked how he felt when we went into lockdown back in March 2020 he said: “I think it was a shock at the time. It was the right thing, but it was a worry for us.
“As we were going into Covid, and lockdown came, it was a definite worry as we didn’t have any coaches. Throughout lockdown we didn’t have any coaches.”
It came as a bit of good news to the club when former Pontypridd RFC captain Dafydd Lockyer announced his retirement from playing back in the summer. After 16 seasons with the club and 382 appearances the skipper decided the time had come to call it a day. What was Pontypridd RFC’s loss became Abercwmboi RFC’s gain as he returned to his home club to help coach alongside former Wales player Ian Evans.
His homecoming to the Cynon Valley was said to have aided the buildup of momentum and excitement and helped players want to return to the pitch again.
“We were quite lucky Dafydd Lockyer retired,” David explained. “We managed to get our numbers up.”
Speaking about how lockdown changed people’s attitude towards playing rugby, he added: “A few boys came back and some boys found other hobbies. For example, I started playing golf.
“A lot of people started to think of other things they could do in their spare time. Some of them will just not come back.
“We have had a lot of older boys coming back who may want to get fit.”
David said he thinks it was a bit of a “stroke of luck” with the timing. Having Lockyer on board managed to attract people back to the club and created a bit of a buzz.
He said: “I think a lot of the boys have realised how lucky we are to have the club that we have got.”
When asked if he thinks things will improve in the new year, he said: “I think so. I think as things get back to normal I think it will pick up.”
While local clubs continue to face challenges across Wales due to the pandemic and other contributing factors one clear thing remains – the passion for rugby is still strong.