Rugby- How to fight back!!

With the announcement that the RFU have terminated the 20/21 season for the community game we will now see an increase in financial pressure across the full spectrum of the rugby world.

With sponsors not likely to see their logos on pitch boards or kit, how do we connect with them and encourage ongoing support, whilst recognising that they are likely to come under their own financial constraints as the pandemic continues to roll on? How do we encourage members to pay their annual subscriptions and how do we stop a player drain as, especially youngsters, seek competitive sport?

Whilst I clearly don't have all the answers here are a few suggestions that might be worth considering.

Player Retention

Firstly, we need to look at interaction, most clubs junior sections will still be training and some contact training is allowed in line with regulations. Therefore use this time to focus on fundamental core skills in order to ensure there is no skill fade, especially at the tackle. On a more wider aspect why not split age groups into 3 years ie U13,14 and15 or U7,8 and 9s select mix aged squads and set up your own mini touch leagues. This alleviates, smaller numbered age groups struggling to raise teams, promotes teamwork across the age groups and fosters friendships beyond those of their own peers. It also allows the coaches that wouldn't normally work together to share ideas. This doesn't need to be instead of training but as an addition at the end (It also takes away some of the pressure on coaches to keep planning new exciting sessions)

Try asking your senior players, as part of the commitment to helping foster young talent, to give up an hour of their time once a month in order that there is a continued visibility. This is also a great tool for interacting with age group sponsors, allowing time for photos and good social media content. The players are currently not giving up Saturdays every week so there should be no reason for them to resist. Another idea which we are trialing (after talking to Richie Williams DoR at Cambridge RFC) is to hold a senior training session on a Sunday morning. Again its a great PR opportunity and it also allows young players and coaches to watch and see how you work, share ideas and hopefully see what good looks like.

Membership

This is often hard in good times and even more so now but the ongoing payments of members will be the life blood of the club. The Junior sections will still be training pretty much in full, so one would like to think that the relatively modest junior memberships would continue to be paid. For the seniors the cost implications are often greater, however in the main a lot of the costs that the fees cover remain and are still value added. For instance at my club Eastleigh, we still have training, often 2 nights a week but certainly once, (when not in lockdown) with the costs of pitch hire, floodlights and coaching etc. There is also full physio and S and C support available that has a cost implication. Granted we aren't paying for coach travel, referees, match day food etc. But neither are we receiving grants or bar take.

Even in Lockdown we are preparing Zoom training sessions with a focus on the patterns of play and game plan but also scenario based challenges that can get the grey matter working. It also creates a want to put it into practice on the training pitch when we return and doesn't allow distance to come between the squad.

As an additional incentive to try to encourage prompt payment we have said that if the members pay full membership this year, then they will receive a 50% discount next (hopefully offset by increases in club spend generally) or pay 50% this year and 100% next, tipping a nod to those feeling most hard hit this year but recognising that the club does have costs it must meet to continue providing its offering.

Sponsorship

Of course this is one of the hardest factors to motivate, as there is no match day experience for sponsors to benefit from. But in truth a lot of sponsors see little value for money from match day. Most community clubs don't have huge crowds, so visual brand representation and or tannoy announcements only get heard by a few hundred people maximum. Most company's sponsor for a number of reasons not related to a 1st XV.

So the community aspects remain, in fact they are enhanced by stopping the local club go to the wall, shown as a solid pillar of the community. The age group sponsorship, remains key and as mentioned before, increases in social media output would far outweigh, kit logos. Use senior players, young player of the day/week/month to provide steady content. Use 'car wash' days and the like to help show community interaction.

Other ideas can be signing sponsors up on multi year fixed deals, that help the club pull through now but then would offer a comparable discount in following seasons. Reaching out to sponsors and asking them how we might be able to help them is another simple task, we often overlook. For instance they could be having a launch that we could send some representation to, a club might have a principle charity they support that sponsors could get some Corporate Social Responsibilty publicity from, all precious material in a content driven world, where 'shopping local' has become a critical point for some.

In short rugby has never been under greater pressure, from club playing budgets in the upper echelons of the game, to the smallest community club, the challenge is palpable. But with some vision, no little effort, accepting that we all face similar challenges and endeavouring to think laterally, we can ensure that not only do our clubs survive but that they can bring bring a new closeness between age groups, sections and members. We can offer new and thought provoking content and support for our sponsors and can engage communities so that when we hit rugby restart people who may not have been bothered before now care.

Often it is out of the greatest challenges that we find new and exciting opportunities.