Honda Rugby Grounds Connected
With more than 3000 club rugby pitches across England and over 1300 volunteers signed up to Rugby Grounds Connected, Honda has become principal partner for an inspiring three-year programme which will, among other features, reward those keeping pitches playable nationwide.
Volunteers will be rewarded and recognised, with some invited to help Twickenham Head Groundsperson Jim Buttar on international match days. There will also be a new, year-round webinar and, hopefully, next spring and summer face-to-face events across the country, with keynote speakers, machinery and demonstrations.
"The volunteers who tend pitches across England are fundamental to getting games played and their work and dedication in all weathers is something Honda really wants to celebrate and support," said Stephen Morris, Head of Power Equipment - Honda UK.
Around 200 grounds volunteers have already benefitted from training and education courses. Rugby Grounds Connected was originally led by former Head Groundsman at Twickenham, the inimitable Keith Kent.
Said Ted Mitchell, RFU National Facility Development Manager: “Getting a visit from Keith for grounds volunteers was the equivalent of players getting one from Eddie Jones. And, increasingly with Jim before Keith retired, he would go to a club and they were in awe of him. We will be building on that with the Honda partnership providing inspiration, guidance and advice.
Funding from GMA for rugby specific advisors
“Crucially as well, the government funded Football Foundation which has to deliver multi-sport outcomes, is funding a three-year pitch improvement programme via grant funding to the Grounds Management Association, previously the Institute of Groundsmanship. Their team of full-time pitch advisors now includes four rugby union pitch advisors who will visit clubs and help them to improve their pitches.
“Four people being funded, including a key account manager, over three years, is a significant investment the Football Foundation is making and we are working hand in glove with them, having been involved in the recruitment. Advisors are now going out and visiting clubs, building on what we've done before with Keith and volunteers, providing advice and guidance on how to improve their pitches.
“Yes, it's about pitch quality, improving the quality of your pitch. But the big thing for us in rugby development is if you improve the quality of the pitch, you improve the capacity of a pitch. So the amount of usage, you can get on a grass pitch.
40,000+ more matches or training sessions a year
“Effectively, if you maintain your pitch much better, you are likely to get another match a week. There's science behind that, and if someone's got a poor maintenance programme and moves it to good, or good to excellent, you're going to get another match a week. If you take that across 1000 clubs, each club having four pitches, you get to a very, very big number, you get to 40,000 or 50,000 more matches or training sessions a year.
“A spin off of the pitch advisory service is that, again funded through the Football Foundation, we are creating a revolutionary app, which we'll be ready to test in the new year with a view to launching in April. That will basically be an app where anyone with a smartphone, a tape measure, and a spade or trowel can upload data and get advice from these reports.
“We don't want to lose the touch and feel of people actually going into clubs but in terms of volume, we can do pitch assessments in the first instance, without actually having to go to a pitch, which is pretty cool. Keith is a really inspirational figure and since 2015 we have developed from setting up the email address, and the first email landing from someone in Merseyside saying can I have some help with my pitch. Within two years we had 1000 grounds volunteers registered. With lockdown, it wasn't quite as active as it had been. So that brought to where we are right now, in a really exciting time.
“We have rebranded to the more inclusive Rugby Grounds Connected, changing our Twitter handle email address, changing all the branding, changing everything but keeping RGC, which is really known within the sector and within the industry, which we're keen to do, while getting rid of the gender specific title.
“The Honda partnership is a huge step forward and, combined with the Grounds Management Association partnership, will have a tremendously positive impact after the recent challenging time for sport.
“Whether we are helping people who, as of three months ago, had never maintained a pitch in their lives, or to people who do have expertise, Honda Rugby Grounds Connected will bring sound advice and inspiration for rugby club grounds volunteers from Cornwall to Cumbria.”
“The volunteers who tend pitches across England are fundamental to getting games played and their work and dedication in all weathers is something Honda really want to celebrate and support.”
