Please find below the fifth edition of our Coronavirus (Covid-19) update.
Today we have provided a further update on the application process for our Emergency Loan Scheme, as well as more information regarding international ticket allocations.
We will continue to provide regular updates through this communication to support the rugby community.
RFU headlines
Emergency Loan Scheme
The online application process for the first round of loans is now open until 30 April 2020. The scheme has been launched to support voting clubs impacted by Covid-19 in the immediate and short term (next few months) to ease cashflow and meet outstanding costs. Loans of between £2,000 and £10,000 are available to provide eligible clubs at league level 3 and below with financial support towards essential operational expenditure. These loans will be interest-free, repayable over a period of up to three years, with an initial repayment holiday of six months.
Information is available on the England Rugby website regarding the support that may be available through the Sport England Community Emergency Fund and/or the various financial schemes announced by the government:
Sport England Community Emergency Fund: click here Government support: click here
Rugby community doing great things
We’ve continued to receive inspirational stories from the rugby community across the country. It is good to hear about the great work that is taking place to support local communities and to raise funds for charitable causes.
International ticket allocations to community rugby clubs
In the March edition, all clubs were reminded that international ticket allocations to community rugby clubs for the Guinness Six Nations 2021, and until the 2023 series, will be based primarily on the cumulative total of a club’s 15-a-side matches for the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons, registered on the GMS Team Management module, as a proportion of the national total of matches. Consequently, clubs were reminded to load 15-a-side fixtures and results onto their GMS Team Management module for their U14 to adult teams for the 2019/20 season by Friday 22 May 2020.
The Covid-19 limitations curtailing the season will not have an effect to any measurable degree on the individual allocations to clubs. While every club will have fewer matches than expected, this reduces the overall national total against which every club’s total is compared to determine the number of International ticket allocated. So, all community clubs are strongly encouraged to ensure the results of matches for 2019/20 up to the season end on Monday 16 March 2020, particularly those fixtures that clubs have to load manually, are entered into their GMS Team Management Module. As previously advertised, this must be done before Friday 22 May 2020. There will not be an opportunity after this date to add additional fixtures or the outcome to count towards International ticket allocations.
For more information regarding the methodology of uploading fixtures please click below. If you have a technical issue with GMS, please contact the GMS service desk via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The England Rugby Tuesday Training webinars focus on coach and referee development topics giving participants the opportunity to continue developing themselves during the rugby lock down.
Last week's instalment, which is focused on coaching through skill zones and featured special guest Tamara Taylor, the former Red Roses lock, is available to watch here.
The topic for this week's webinar is refereeing the tackle, and will see Premiership referees Tom Foley and Craig Maxwell Keys share their expertise. You can watch tonight's webinar by registering here.
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