Age grade registration competition winners announced
This year, clubs who registered the same or an increased number of age grade players from last season were entered into a draw to win a range of prizes. The winners were allocated at random, and the prizes included a training session with an England legend and various kit packages.
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Age grade registration is an online annual process for club players from U6s to U18s where a player’s parent or guardian registers their child on a yearly basis on the RFU’s Game Management System (GMS).
The winning clubs were Billingham RFC who, with a 15% increase in players registered, won a training session with an England legend. Other winners included Hartlepool Rovers Football Club who, with a 4% increase, won a £2,000 Umbro kit voucher, and Trojans, Rugby St Andrews RFC, and Markey Rasen & Louth RUFC who each won a £1,000 kit package.
A safe and welcoming place for all
James Turner, Director of Junior Rugby, Hartlepool Rovers FC, believes their family-focussed approach has helped drive their age grade registrations.
He said: “For us, it’s really about families. We strive to offer well-structured sessions on the pitch and work to make the clubhouse a safe and welcoming place for all. We have combined our coaching sessions with family-centred social activities to develop a real Rovers community ethos. The Friday night family events are a huge hit!
“We are a rugby family and people now want to spend their time at the club and enjoy each other’s company. They bring along their friends, which drives growth.
“To support the registration, we run family events and support parents to complete the process if necessary.”
The £2,000 Umbro Kit voucher will be used to continue to drive the growth of youth rugby at Hartlepool Rovers.
Turner said: “We are situated in a socio-economically deprived region and the cost-of-living crisis has further compounded things for some of our families. Rovers are committed to offering rugby to all and we intend to allocate this really generous award toward the purchase of boots and training wear for our families that need it most.”
Physical helpdesk
Trojans Rugby Club, who received a £1,000 kit package, have helped to drive their increase in age grade registrations by having a helpdesk at the clubhouse on busy weekends.
“Having a physical helpdesk with someone on a laptop in the clubhouse throughout September has really helped parents and enabled team managers to point parents in that direction with any queries or questions.”
RFU Regulation requires players to be registered online each season within 45 days of the start of the season or from first joining the club. To register your child, visit GMS or speak to someone at your club.
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