Mid September, and under normal circumstances we’d be well into the league campaign by now. But obviously, these are not normal circumstances and we’re still waiting and hoping that there will be competitive rugby this year. Those hopes were boosted this week when the SRU unexpectedly announced that we’re now allowed to do limited one-on-one contact training and even more so when they released the proposed fixtures for all our teams for the coming season. All being well, and if we avoid any further lock-down measures being imposed, then we’ll have our first senior league fixtures on 31st October. Keep everything crossed, and put the date in your diaries.
Also on the playing side, the Minis and Midis training has now been running for several weeks. The turnout for all age groups has been fantastic and it’s great to see so many kids in the park enjoying themselves. But there’s always room for more, so if your kids are enjoying their rugby, please do encourage your friends to bring their children along as well. The Youth section is the future of the club and the healthier we can make it, the better the prospects for success in the long term.
On the subject of training, we really do owe a huge thanks to all our volunteer coaches who have dealt so calmly and competently with the coronavirus restrictions imposed on them and still managed to make it fun for the players. Thanks also to Gavin – the club’s Covid-19 Coordinator – and to Correen – Youth Convenor – for collating and distilling all the changing information that we have to work from and for making sure that we keep everyone safe throughout.
Moving on to other Coronavirus matters, this weeks shift in the Governments’ rules have further restricted the numbers of people that are allowed to gather together (apart from organised outdoor sports training and a few other exceptions). That will affect the way that we operate the bar, so the maximum number of people allowed in a single group will now be six from a maximum of two households. You’ll also need to wear a face covering when entering and moving around the building. If you are intending to visit the club bar this weekend, please be prepared for the new procedures.
Finally, a brief reminder that club membership subscriptions are now due and are available at an early-payment discounted rate of just £60 for a Full/Family membership (reduced from £70), with similar discounts for Patron and Junior membership. If you’ve not yet given us your details for this season, please head to www.penicuikrugby.org/membership-form/ to fill in the simple form and then arrange a Bank Transfer payment (details at the end of the form). If you have any problems with the form or with organising the payments, then please email membership@penicuikrugby.org or message one of the club’s social media accounts.
That’s all the news that we have just for now. We hope that – collectively – we can manage to keep the infection rates low enough to allow us to resume competitive rugby on schedule at the end of October. In the meantime, stay safe and if you have any questions about any aspect of the running of the club, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Andy Law
Club President
