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BRFC – Return to Training Update – June 2020

Blaydon RFC – Return to Training Guidance – 8th June 2020

The RFU has issued guidance on what we can and can’t do as we start to return to being able to train in a restricted form. There will be a slow progression back to normality dependent on government guidance. As a club we want to encourage our members to stay fit and maintain interaction with the club and their fellow players.

In order to do this we have undertaken a Risk Assessment (RA) and developed mitigating actions to look to ensure the safety for both players and coaches.

Club Responsibilities & Actions:

In line with RFU Guidance the club will:
• Brief all coaches on the RA and ask them to sign to say they will manage the session in line with the RA
• Social Distancing (Currently 2 metres) should be maintained at all times
• Training is allowed in groups of no more than 6, and if under 18 one of those 6 has to be a coach.
• Up to 4 groups of 6 are allowed on the pitch at any one time, maintaining separation from the other groups present, with the field clearly separated into sections.
• Washing of hands and/or use of hand sanitiser before, after and at regular intervals is essential. All coaches will have hand sanitiser to allow the session to take place.
• Sharing equipment or balls should be kept to a minimum and the equipment should be cleaned before / after each session, including cones.
• A first aider should be present at all sessions but the first aider should stay 2m away unless absolutely necessary. First aider should have PPE including gloves and face mask
• There should be a 15 minute gap between each session finishing and the next session starting to allow for safe access and the cleaning / removal of equipment.
• The use of toilets should be kept to a minimum but if necessary use of hand sanitiser should be used when entering and leaving the toilets / clubhouse.
• Entry and separate exits for the AGP will be clearly identified by signage.
• The club should be notified of all sessions, with a list of who attended

Player Responsibilities:

• Anyone who is looking to train should perform one of the following:
o complete a consent form and hand/submit to coaches
o send an email to Contact@blaydonrfc.co.uk Subject: Blaydon RFC – return to training guidance – 8th June 2020
o Click following link and ‘approve’ within (Online link currently not available yet)
Above advises you have read this club guidance and will comply. Under 18s need their parent/parents to sign the consent form.
• You will be issued a group to train in along with 5 other people – this will be decided by your coach and will relate to fitness/position played. Once you have been allocated a group you can not change it
• You should only train in this group scenario once every 24 hours
• Each player should wash their hands for a minimum of 20 secs. or use hand sanitiser before, after and at least once more during the session.
• You should arrive ready to train as there are no changing facilities
• All players and coaches should bring their own water bottle and should not share that bottle with anyone else.
• Unless asked, you should bring nothing else onto the pitch

Any breach of any of the above will result in a player or players being asked to leave the session and abstain from subsequent sessions until coaches and safeguarding officer are comfortable that there won’t be any re-occurrence.

An update on the Youth Section’s return to training will be posted soon. You can either email the club or print and sign a copy of the document, the online option is expected to be available after the weekend. If you need a copy of this form then please do not hesitate to contact the club. Regards BRFC

Justin Clarke named as new Head Coach of the BRFC Academy

Blaydon RFC all delighted to announce that Justin Clarke has been appointed as the new Academy Head Coach for the new season. Justin is a long-term member of Blaydon RFC and having retired from playing last season he is looking for a fresh challenge to utilise his vast experience and enthusiasm for the game.

The Academy will go from strength to strength this season with the addition of the vast majority of the County Cup winning U16 team, who were coached by Keith Robinson and Ian Kelly joining up with a strong group of players from Steve Davidson and Paul Winter’s group. I understand that the Academy pool of players will be in excess of 30 going forward, which is fantastic news for the long-term development of home-grown players, who are the future generation for BRFC.

For those of you who don’t know Justin, please find below a quick Q&A, which will provide you with some more information on a long standing, well respected and familiar face at the club.

-Name: Justin Demarkus Clarke
-Age: 44
-Position’s Played: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and let’s not forget 14 for the Blaydon Bricks on my gentle return to playing.
-Highest Level Played: National 1 with Blaydon and Durham County
-Clubs Played for: Blaydon RFC, Moortown RFC

-Role Model & Why

No single role model, I tend to like bits of what people do. Obama overcame the divisions of a nation to become the first black president of America, Jonny – The LEGEND – Wilkinson, combined talent and total dedication to become the best he could be, winning a World Cup and many other honours. More recently a local business owner faced with the challenge of Covid-19 yet finds the courage to feed the local community. There’s a lot to admire.

-Coaching Philosophy:

Train hard, play hard and have fun. Set the standard, raise the standard, push boundaries and believe anything is possible.

-What do you like about Blaydon?

Blaydon is my rugby home. I’ve learned a lot about life and rugby over the last 25 years. I’ve experienced the success of promotions, played at Twickenham and battled it out to avoid relegation. There have been so many people along the way providing support, guidance and encouragement. All with the best interests of the club at heart. Bit of a cliché but it sounds like a family to me.

-Why did you take this role?

Perfect timing. I’ve just retired from playing for the second time. It’s time to test myself as a coach and see if I can guide a young group of players the way I’ve been guided.

-Any other comments?

It is a true honour to be asked to coach Blaydon’s Academy. I have that feeling of nervous excitement I used to get before every game. I’m looking forward to getting to know the team, working with the coaches and to a successful season ahead both on and off the pitch.

All at BRFC would like to take this opportunity to wish Justin all the best in his new role and the Academy will be in good hands moving forward with Keith Robinson, Steve Davidson (Chester) and Paul Winter assisting with the coaching. This could actually be a golden era for the Academy as our current U16s/U15s squads have huge numbers and they are both strong groups backed by a talented group of coaches.

BLAYDON RFC CORONAVIRUS APPEAL UPDATE – MONDAY 27TH APRIL 2020


everyone for your fantastic support to date,
we’ve just hit our £15,000 target

LATEST:
Our target was set on expectation of up to a 3 month lockdown and we’re hoping that will still be the case, but there is a risk it could get extended for Pubs & Clubs as the phases for relaxation are developed. We’d appreciate if you’ve still to contribute, if you can, you continued with your donation. If any of the appeal funds aren’t require to cover operational costs, we’ll invest the money on improvements to the club.
With currently 130 donations paid into our JustGiving account or directly into our appeal bank account we are delighted to say we have today reached our £15,000 (100% of our target) in the short period since the appeal was launched on the 6th April, that’s amazing, thank you.

Where we are on other avenues of funding:

• We have received the £25,000 rates associated grant, this is currently being used to fund operational costs.
• Job Retention Scheme – all staff furloughed, 80% costs of wages submission made last week and payment expected with a 6 day turnaround.
• RFU Funding – Durham County RFU have made a contribution towards the costs of our summer pitch maintenance.
• Sport England emergency funding – submission made awaiting feedback.

Back to the appeal, some of your messages have been as valuable as the donation, in hearing how much the Rugby Club means to people and how big a part the Rugby Club plays, and has played, in people’s lives, here’s a selection:

• A club that’s provided opportunity for many…. let’s keep it going for many more!!!
• Our club, full of great people, massive part of my life, help if you can
• Have had many great times with the club. Well done all those working to secure the future of BRFC.
• Got to get behind a club that got behind our son. Great club full of fantastic people. Fingers crossed you reach your target as Saturdays wouldn’t be the same without you.
• Still have very fond memories of playing for the Club in the early 1960s. Good luck for the future
• From an original Brick in memory of happy times, many laughs and the odd bit of good rugby !
• Worth giving back something to a club that has always been most welcoming to all.

Please keep sharing details of the appeal please, fantastic so far, let’s keep it going.

Anyone wanting to make a donation, there are two main methods:

1. Bank Transfer into the dedicated appeal fund account. Please email us at contact@blaydonrfc.co.uk and we will provide the sort code and account details for this dedicated Appeal Fund Account.
2. Using a specially set up JustGiving crowdfunding appeal fund, the link is https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/blaydonrugbyappeal

 

Stay safe everybody, our thoughts are with those from our rugby family who are critical workers and a special THANK YOU to Carers and the NHS workers.

 

Thank you from Blaydon RFC

Blaydon RFC Appeal Update – Friday 17th April

 

LATEST:

With currently 107 donations paid into our JustGiving account or directly into our appeal bank account we are delighted to say we have reached £12,000 (80% of our target) in the short period since the appeal was launched on the 6th April, that’s amazing, thank you.

Some of your messages have been as valuable as the donation, in hearing how much the Rugby Club means to people and how big a part the Rugby Club plays, and has played, in people’s lives, here’s a selection:

  •  Our club, full of great people, massive part of my life, help if you can
  •  Have had many great times with the club. Well done all those working to secure the future of BRFC
  •  Got to get behind a club that got behind our son. Great club full of fantastic people. Fingers crossed you reach your target as Saturdays wouldn’t be the same without you.
  •  Still have very fond memories of playing for the Club in the early 1960s. Good luck for the future
  •  From an original Brick in memory of happy times, many laughs and the odd bit of good rugby !
  •  Worth giving back something to a club that has always been most welcoming to all.

Please keep sharing details of the appeal please, fantastic so far, let’s keep it going.

 

Anyone wanting to make a donation, there are two main methods:
1. Bank Transfer into the dedicated appeal fund account. Please email us at contact@blaydonrfc.co.uk and we will provide the sort code and account details for this dedicated Appeal Fund Account.
2. Using a specially set up JustGiving crowdfunding appeal fund, the link is https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/blaydonrugbyappeal

Stay safe everybody, our thoughts are with those from our rugby family who are critical workers and a special THANK YOU to Carers and the NHS workers.

Thank you from Blaydon RFC

Blaydon RFC Fundraising Update

Good Evening All,
We wanted to keep you updated on how things are progressing with respect to Blaydon RFC during the Coronavirus ‘Lockdown’ and how the ‘Club’ not just the Executive are rallying to secure our future.
Help is coming from many places, let us share, the update will be in form of:

  •  Areas of Funding Available
  •  Current Status of Club

Areas of Funding:

The Blaydon Appeal, the response so far has been great, THANK YOU to everyone who has donated or distributed the appeal details, we are getting contributions from many sources, we currently have, with circa 80 donations equating to £8.5k, at around 57% of our £15,000 target. We are only a few days in, we need to keep this going and ensure everyone who can, gets the opportunity to contribute, to-date we have:
Many Current/Past Players/Members have donated
People who left the club many years ago
People who have enjoyed watching rugby at Blaydon RFC
Majority of the Players/Coaches who are owed expenses have waivered these, donating them into the appeal fund
An optional entrance fee has been placed on the weekly quiz to further contribute to the appeal
The response has been so positive with many contributing. We recognise there are many charities/organisations needing help at this time and contributing to Blaydon RFC is a choice people need to make given the wider context of what is happening at this time, if they feel they should support another worthy cause with any discretional spend they have available, we fully understand, we are very thankful to those who can contribute in what is a very strange time, we hope is never repeated. If you feel you can contribute, please donate any amount you can, it all adds up.
Government Help:
We have just been notified we are eligible for the £25,000 rates associated grant and we await payment of those funds which will be a great help.
Rates holiday in place to reduce operational costs
Job Retention Scheme – all staff furloughed and once portal is available to submit claim we will.
Sports Funding:
RFU Funding available for emergency grant funding – Submitted initial numbers, revised submission will be completed next week
Sport England have set up emergency funding – We are completing a submission
Club Refinancing – this was already in progress and expect it to complete soon, reducing mortgage/bank costs etc.
If anyone has any other views of where assistance could come from, don’t assume we’ve already found it or know about it, send us details and we’ll look at it.

Current Status of Club:

Our income streams have all but gone:

  •  Rugby season has been ended, functions cancelled and Bars are locked up as instructed by the government
  •  Carboot is cancelled

Outgoings; We are reducing our operating costs where we can, from circa £18,000 pcm to £8,000:

  •  Staff costs predominately negated by Job Retention Scheme – although not certain when any of the money may be paid out, so we are having to fund with Blaydon Appeal & Rates associated grant at this time.
  • We’ve got rates holiday for duration of lockdown
  •  VAT holiday
  •  Our utilities will reduce with building not getting used, heating reduced to a minimum
  •  Sky have offered reduction, waiting for confirmation of reduction value, BT offering 2 months rebate
  • We have no rugby expenses
  • We’ve stop spending on maintenance and grounds activity

For completeness our costs are not just the operating costs we’ve reduced above, we have a number of deferred payments coming due, an approach we always use managing cash through the year, as our income is boosted by the Carboot during the Spring / Summer

 

Some people are exercising on the grounds, any of this needs to comply with government guidelines:

  •  No more than 2 people in a group, unless from same household
  •  No footballs, rugby balls, tackle pads, etc, as all those involved contact and sharing (balls etc.)
  •  Maximum period 1 hour

As RFU have canned training and there is no AGP bookings, they is no PLI cover etc.

 

Thank you again to those who’ve already helped and to those who are still to help.

Please where you can, stay home, stay safe.

Bruce on behalf of the Executive at Blaydon RFC

Last week saw the sad passing of former player Tom Brooks.

 

Tom joined the club in 1998 following success with Westoe, Newcastle Falcons Academy and England Schools. An uncompromising back row forward

Tom was a member of the squad who won promotion to the national leagues in 2001.

He stayed with Blaydon until 2003 and has since given a great deal to the rugby community through his coaching and mentoring role at South Shields RFC, Harton School and the Durham DPP programme.

Tom was 43 and leaves behind wife Jacqueline and his five children, Sonny, Luca, Emily, Sam and Joshua.

Whilst we are sadly unable to attend Tom’s funeral, we are able to support the funeral and Tom’s family by donating at www.gofundme.com

Lee Hogarth

Weʼre raising £15,000 to support Blaydon Rugby Football Club during the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown.

Many of us are celebrating privately in our own homes the recent confirmation by the RFU that Blaydon RFC has been promoted from the Northern Premier League to National 2 North, effectively from the 5th level of national rugby to the 4th level.

Such celebrations however must wait as the Club faces a far more significant immediate challenge – survival.

The disaster of Covid 19 has bought dire consequences to all manner of organisations and there is a real danger that our Club will not survive unless we all work together to raise the funds that are needed to see us through this period of inactivity.

Like all businesses Blaydon survives by ensuring its annual income at least equals its expenditure. Our main sources of income are through the weekly car boot sales, outside hire functions such as circuses and events, the bar and associated functions. All of these sources have ceased for the foreseeable future and yet our overheads, although reduced, continue. We have a considerable number of monthly outgoings and borrowings to continue to pay . We have operated for many years now with overdraft facilities but no cash reserves. If this continues we will take years to recover if at all in the immediate short term.

We’re refinancing the club, Possible funds/loans that have been publicised as available by the RFU and Durham County Rugby Union, and are being applied for, and we have taken steps to minimise our expenditure including furloughing our staff to protect their employment.
Blaydon Rugby Club is close to many of us. Hundreds of past players have benefitted from camaraderie and playing experience over the years, and today we continue to provide facilities for our very successful boys and girls youth teams, adult playing and social membership. It would be disastrous if this were unable to continue.

It is for this reason, in these exceptional times, that we are appealing to all of you, as we establish an Appeal Fund to get us through the next few months. Whilst other Clubs have launched similar appeals we have thought long and hard before doing this as we are aware that these are difficult times for so many of you and there are many organisations appealing for money at this time.

However this is YOUR club and perhaps think of the enjoyment you have had over the years or more recently in being associated with Blaydon RFC

We’re hoping to achieve an initial target of £15,000 and realise it depends on your personal circumstances to how much you could donate. A donation of any size would help at this time and this can be done by:

• Via a Just Giving page https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/blaydonrugbyappeal

• Online payment, mail us at contact@blaydonrfc.co.uk and we’ll provide bank details.

Any one who can help, by providing a donation of £500 or over will be granted life membership to Blaydon RFC or a season ticket to attend 1st team League matches for the next 5 seasons

If we are successful with applications to government or RFU funding, any money donated to the club not used to cover the day to day operation of the club at this time, will be put towards club and grounds improvements.

Please circulate this message to as many friends and potential sponsors who may be able to help as possible. A regular update on funds received will be provided on our web site and through social media

Come on – you CAN do it

On behalf of Blaydon RFC,
Bill Locke – President
Bruce Costello – Chairman of Executive

 

It is with sadness Blaydon RFC announce the death of one of former player; David Robson

David joined Blaydon in 1967 and played junior and senior rugby until moving to Portsmouth in 1973, David kept in touch with rugby at Blaydon RFC, for many years through his brother Alan Robson who continued to play at Blaydon RFC.

 

David took ill while on holiday in Spain, he was subsequently diagnosed with the Coronavirus and died in hospital after being transferred back to the UK.

 

Our thoughts are with his family at this time.

Blaydon RFC – North Premier 2019/20 Champions

 

Blaydon Rugby Club are pleased to confirm receipt of the Rugby Football Union’s decision to promote the club to National Two North for the 2020-21 season.

Blaydon were 4 points clear at the top of North Premier competing with Sandal, Harrogate, Macclesfield and Billingham for promotion, when the RFU took the decision to cancel the remainder of the season due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

The RFU committed to undertake a review to ensure fair and balanced outcomes for the game, and that review has concluded.

Proposals from the RFU governance committee to conclude the season for those leagues at both professional and community level were ratified by the RFU Council. It was agreed that final standings for the Greene King IPA Championship and men’s and women’s community game would be calculated on a best playing record formula, maintaining promotion and relegation for those leagues.

RFU President, Peter Wheeler, said: “We believe that the decisions made provide fair and balanced outcomes for the game and maintain the integrity of the competitions. We have listened to recommendations from the heart of the game and the approach has been ratified by the RFU Council.

“This has been a difficult decision to make in the most unprecedented of circumstances. There is no single solution that will suit every club, but the approach taken is one that we believe best reflects the nature of league rugby in England.

“With 80% of the season complete for the community game, we believe our approach is fair and the right one for our leagues. We have clubs that are clear league leaders and worthy of promotion, but also other clubs who have said they would benefit from relegation, to play more meaningful rugby.”

Blaydon Head Coach, Keith Laughlin said, “This is a huge achievement for the club and one which has taken a lot of hard work and buy in from players, coaching staff and club staff over the season.”

“It could not have been easy for the RFU to come up with a process for predicting the outcomes for all the leagues, there will obviously be disappointment amongst the leagues but we feel the outcome is a fair one.”

“I would like to make special mention to all the players at the club, there were a lot of changes and new ways of working at the start of the season and the buy in and commitment shown really paid off in the latter parts of the season. Our style of play achieved us 16 try bonus points this year. This was pivotal considering our predicted points total was less than a point greater than Harrogate, who will join us next season.”

“It has been a tough few seasons for this group of players where they have learnt a lot, built resilience and now have something positive to build on. This is a surreal ending to the season and we fully appreciate the bigger picture regarding COVID-19. I hope everyone is staying safe and staying healthy at this tough time. With that in mind, celebrations are overshadowed with thoughts for everyone who has been affected by the whole situation.”
#OTB

 

 

Carboot suspended until further notice