With another paper-based survey launched by Murrayfield (the third since the start of the year) about grassroots rugby, we thought we'd find out what you guys (the players and volunteers) think about where our game is.We've had paper based questions about player payments, placement of Super6 Club teams, where the regional/national split should be and whether Clubs want to be playing national/regional rugby, but as far as we can tell, it's been over 24 months (the launch of Agenda 3), since regional Club folk sat down to discuss these issues face to face (slightly different for National Clubs as they meet more regularly in their forum meetings).
So to get things kicked off, tell us what you think are the main issues facing you as a player / volunteer in the game of rugby, what are the big worries in your Clubs, and what changes do you think would help improve things.
We'll collate all the comments we receive and sketch out an overview of the rugby landscape.
There's various aspects of grassroots rugby that needs to be looked at, none more so than the youth age groups - especially at Under 16 & 18.
ReplyDeleteAcross West Region (Scottish Rugbys biggest region), there looks to be maybe a dozen schools playing Under 18 rugby regularly in the Conferences, whilst fulfilment rates at Under 16 has been awful in the Barbarian Conference (only 42%).
In the Galant Club Conferences it looks like we have 6 Clubs fulfilling most of their U18 games, whilst we also have Hamilton, Ayr & West in the Shogun Conference and another handful playing in the T4 Conference, that's maybe 16 Under 18 Club teams across the whole of West Region.
Like the Schools, the fulfilment rate for Clubs at Under 16 is worse - Galant is running at 55% of scheduled games played. There's probably fewer competitive Under 16 games being played across Club & Schools than there are Under 18.
If we are to improve the long-term health of our game, then we need to have more kids playing rugby and making the step up to senior rugby.
The reality is there is a big drop off between U16 & U18, and then again between U18 and senior rugby. If 16 Under 18 teams represents the peak numbers before the step up to senior rugby, what does this say about how many Club sides we will have long-term.
Fixture scheduling & expectations on season length. 10/12 team leagues with cup competitions requiring 30 or so Saturdays to complete doesnt work. Try conference & play off systems maybe. With clubs scheduling fixtures to suit.? Don't even attempt to play competitive regional level rugby on international dates unless both clubs specifically opt in, rather than current requirement to seek dispensation.Keep playing requirements high, it still needs to be rugby union that we play, but offer a social/development solution for clubs who can't regularly field competitive squads that can play to IRB rules.
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