Upcoming webinars and support available for your club!
Upcoming Webinars
Understanding Martyn’s Law Webinar
19th May, 6-7pm
Martyn’s Law won’t come into force until at least spring 2027, with a phased rollout to give organisations plenty of time to understand what’s needed and prepare. The RFU will share clear, sector-specific guidance for clubs later this year. If you want to find out more at this stage, The RFU’s insurance broker, Howden, are hosting a webinar with Clyde & Co and Praxis42 to explore the issues clubs face and provide guidance to support clubs of all shapes and sizes.
Register here: Understanding the impact of Martyn’s Law(opens in a new tab)
Age Grade Registration
3 June, 7-8pm
Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/e88Xy52MQA6Jbf2kyBcyNQ
Adult Player Registration
16 June, 7-8pm
Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/204VoMmlQAmnWe27LtMi4A(opens in a new tab)
Understand how to use the Electronic Match Card
25 August, 7-8pm
Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Eg8cJD5aToW6YvduQ986sQ(opens in a new tab)
One of our commercial partners, Pozitive Energy, offers EV charging solutions, at no cost to community clubs. Contact them via phone or email: 020 3514 6851 or rugbyclub@pe.solutions(opens in a new tab)(opens in a new tab)(opens in a new tab) or visit: https://pe.solutions/(opens in a new tab)
Legal Document Service
All RFU clubs are provided with an online legal documents service, which is free of charge, and includes such things as:
- Employment agreements
- Consultancy agreement
- Website privacy policy
- Health and safety checklist
If your club would like access to this service, then please visit the Legal Support page(opens in a new tab) on the England Rugby website for more details
Volunteers
Visit the volunteer section(opens in a new tab) of the website for tools and resources on recruiting, supporting and celebrating volunteers.
Use the volunteer map, (opens in a new tab)role description (opens in a new tab)guidance and event templates (opens in a new tab)to recruit effectively. Welcome volunteers, using the induction checklist (opens in a new tab), and plan ahead with the succession planning (opens in a new tab)guidance.
Saying thank you makes volunteers feel valued. Discover more ways to recognise volunteers in the volunteer recognition section (opens in a new tab).
GMS Support Trainers
Our small network of GMS support trainers are available to provide training, support and guidance to clubs and Constituent Bodies on key topics within the Game Management System (GMS).
They have in-depth knowledge of the GMS platform which is our primary platform to support the administration of rugby union.
To express interest in receiving a support session click here.
The Club Management Health Check
The Club Management Health Check is an online self-assessment tool designed to help rugby clubs review their Business Operations and Club Management areas, and can be found on the England Rugby website. (opens in a new tab)
Completing the tool will be a collaborative effort from across the club using the knowledge from club volunteers and staff (where appropriate) who are responsible for the relevant area, which are:
Club Management
- Policies & Procedures
- People
- Structure, Standards & Conduct
- Communications
Business Operations
- Strategy & Vision
- People & Premises
- Communications & Marketing
- Finance & Commercial
After completing the Health Check, clubs receive a customised action plan, with links to a large range of helpful resources, which can be saved and downloaded to share with relevant club committee members.
Howden Risk Assessment Tool
As part of a club’s Regulation 9 responsibilities, they must complete an annual first aid risk assessment. It should be reviewed/updated each season between the beginning of July and the end of September.
To support clubs and rugby activity organisers with this responsibility, the RFU have worked with Howden, the RFU insurance broker, to produce a risk assessment tool for clubs to use.
The Howden Risk Assessment Tool(opens in a new tab) is now integrated into the RFU Game Management System (GMS). To access, please go to the GMS login page (opens in a new tab)and login using your individual GMS details.
Please note: Individuals need GMS Level 3 or above to access the risk assessment tool via their club’s organisational profile.
The following video provides a step-by-step guide on how to access the risk assessment tool via GMS.
GMS-Howden Risk Assessment Tool Explainer
Further off field club support
The RFU provides various ‘off field club support’ services – many of which are free.
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Guidance on legal or tax matters for clubs is provided via the Legal & Tax Helpline: 0333 010033. Plus, there are a wide range of online legal documents available free of charge, on the Irwin Mitchell Legal Documents Portal(opens in a new tab).
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For entertainment licensing, including premises licenses, club premises certificates and gambling, we operate the free specialist Alcohol (& Gambling) licensing Helpline 0115 934 9177 in partnership with Poppleston Allen Licensing Solicitors. For VAT support contact Russell Moore, a former partner at a leading sports advisory accountants. The first 30 minutes of advice is free to clubs with any additional services provided at greatly reduced rates. Either call Russell on 07710 329317 or email russellmoore@sportsvat.co.uk(opens in a new tab).
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Did you know the RFU automatically provides member clubs with insurance for various third-party claims? The cover includes: Public Liability Insurance, Professional Indemnity Insurance, Employers Liability, Directors and Officers Liability – find out more at the Howden website(opens in a new tab) (official insurance broker for RFU Clubs).
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Our free to use grant search facility(opens in a new tab) allows you to search through the thousands of grants and loans that could help your club. The information that you search is updated daily by a team of researchers and is fully comprehensive. The search tool is completely free to use and there is no limit as to how many times you can use it.
As well as the excellent resources you can find on the England Rugby website(opens in a new tab), if your club requires further guidance on one of these topics then please contact: davestubley@rfu.com(opens in a new tab)
The Rugby Club Business Network (RCBN) has been created to help and support individuals at clubs, no matter what level of club or the role of the individual. The challenges of running community rugby clubs are many and varied, and successfully navigating these challenges is central to ensuring rugby takes place on our pitches.
Through a range on methods, such as virtual discussion-based workshops, face to face meetings, a WhatsApp community group, or a simple email the RCBN will allow you to develop contacts, share ideas and knowledge across a range of ‘off field’ topics. You can find out more here – Rugby Club Business Network