These past few months have been quite extraordinary and like nothing we have ever encountered before. As we begin to emerge from the pandemic and things slowly begin to return to a new normal, we can start to look at an exciting return to Mini rugby.
We have missed you all and hope that you are as excited as us to get back to playing the game we all love so much.

There are however, unsurprisingly some new rules and changes we must adhere to ensure everyone remains safe and stays well.

We are working with the Scottish Government guidelines and those set out for us by the Scottish Rugby Union. To meet these guidelines and to ensure we maintain accepted level of social distancing we will have to adapt the way we train. Please bear with us while we navigate these new processes.

  • PLAYERS SHOULD NOT ATTEND TRAINING IF THEY OR ANY MEMBER OF THEIR HOUSEHOLD IS UNWELL OR HAVE SYMPTOMS OF COVID 19.
  • Parents of minis should confirm their child’s intention to attend training via their lead coach or team WhatsApp group in advance of training. If you are not sure who your child’s Lead Coach is, please contact Correen by email at youthconvenor@penicuikrugby.org
  • No more than 1 parent per child should attend the training session and social distancing must be applied on the sidelines in accordance with the Scottish Government guidelines (adults should stay 2 metres apart). We would ask that adults respect this and remain at least 5 metres away from the training area. We need to preserve PRFC’s reputation and demonstrate we are adhering to the guidelines whilst in a public area.
  • Gum shields must not be worn. They are not required for non-contact rugby and present a hazard by increasing the risk of droplet spread.
  • Players should bring their own individual water bottle to training.
  • The club house is closed – where possible all players should use the bathroom prior to training.
  • Players should arrive promptly to training, ready for action; there are currently NO changing facilities.
  • Pitches will be set out and clearly marked for players. A map will be provided to ensure players can easily identify which area of the park they should go to. Coaches will have hand sanitizer available for use prior to training commencing.
  • Any/all club kit used will be sanitised at the end of the session ready for the next.
  • After the session, parents should collect their player from their training pitch in an orderly fashion and leave the park as quickly and safely as possible.
    Sadly at present, we won’t be able to gather post training to have our team meeting and present the coveted ‘Star of the Week’ trophy.

E-learning Module

In preparation for our return, all coaches have completed the Scottish Rugby Union e-learning Covid-19 module. This course has been designed to provide players, parents and coaches and club volunteers with all the necessary information to safely return to rugby as the country moves out of Covid-19 lockdown. Anyone can access this module via the Scottish Rugby website by using the link half way down the page on the Return to Rugby page.

We strongly recommend that all parents should take advantage of this module, it may help you to understand the procedures in place and give you an insight into some of the decisions we have made and the kinds of things we have taken into consideration.

We as a Club welcome constructive criticism as to how we might improve on our efforts, please feel free to contribute.

Correen
Youth Convenor