Facilities and Rugby
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SPORTS FENCING SPECIALISTS
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We’re also now seeing the emergence of hybrid pitches
which are the ones that are natural turf pitches reinforced
with some element of artificial grass or route zones. At
Twickenham we have a hybrid system and they are starting
to crop up more and more in the community game. They
provide 10-15 hours a week which is a significant increase
from natural surfaces. We see those three areas combining
together to provide a complete answer to the aim of
increasing the capacity of pitches.
The second area is to improve the rugby experience of
players. People want to play on good quality surfaces and if
you can reduce the likelihood of games and training being
cancelled then that is a major positive as well.”
Rugby Groundsmen Connected (RGC)
“One of the biggest changes is in pitches. Going back to
2015 pitch problems were an issue which we tried to solve
by providing grant funding to install drainage as a one-off
hit and there has been a cultural change now to supporting
club’s to improve their ongoing pitch maintenance. That is
having a much bigger, long term impact and actually offers a
lot better value for money in the long run.
That links in with the Rugby Groundsmen Connected
(RGC) programme which has been a big success for us and
is something that we are very proud of. It effectively is a two-
way communication network between the RFU and rugby
groundsmen offering advice and guidance directly. We have
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over 1200 members now who are benefitting from what we
are offering and we’ve really seen a positive impact on the
quality of pitches. Through RGC we’re able to offer advice on
special deals on machinery or the right seed or fertiliser as
well as how best to look after their pitches.”
Advice
“Our first piece of advice when looking to attract funding
for facility development is almost to forget your facility itself
and instead focus on the difference that it is going to make
to you as a rugby club because that is actually what people
want to fund. People don’t really want to fund grass or a
concrete building or some steel, what they want to fund is
people playing rugby, having a better experience and the
community being engaged with physical activity.
I think sometimes the danger is that people get so
bogged down with the facilities that they’re building in terms
of the changing rooms they’re building, the toilets they’re
adding etc. that whilst that is important make sure not to
lose sight of the fact that you want those new facilities
because you want to attract new target markets and retain
your current players to help grow your club, become more
sustainable and ultimately be much more self-sustainable.
That’s the bit that gets everyone engaged whether that’s the
RFU or another funder; it’s the people. That’s what they will
buy into, the fact that more people will be enjoying rugby in
a positive environment. Clubs when they’re communicating