In my first blog, I wrote about how it felt fantastic about the return of rugby after Covid stopped the world of sport, how rugby was back and better than ever and more importantly how my rugby family was back together. Well fast forward three months and what a state men’s rugby is in due to the pandemic.
While writing this I know of at least three clubs in area that have pulled their senior team out of the leagues due to lack of numbers. Its not just the adult game that is struggling, it’s also the age grade teams. Speaking to a number of senior players, covid has helped them see life without rugby a lot earlier then normal. They are spending more time with the family, taking them out for day trips and regaining their Saturday back, which apart from close season they haven’t had in over ten years, as rugby was life to them. Another major factor is that they are waking up on a Sunday with no pain after being battered in the Saturday games and they are able to walk normal, with no bruises.
Now this is the reasons I found for adults abandoning the game of rugby but for kids, this is a total different story. They have had long periods of time with little or no physical activities. Due to lack of fitness, I have recently been to a number of primary schools and watched the fun activities that we have organised become boring or difficult as they can’t run and if they do they can only run for a small amount of time. Children during lockdown have become more dependent on their game consoles, phones and tablets rather than being activity and I know people can say this was happening anyway, which I do agree with, but covid has speeded this up.
At the bottom of all of this, covid has changed everyone’s routines massively. People have fallen out of a routine and become more comfortable being in the house with family than socialising down their local sports clubs or have had to adapt their life’s to meet all the covid regulations resulting in working from home or changing shift patterns to suit their jobs needs or for some losing their jobs all together causing financial issues.
However the after effects of lockdown is affecting more than just rugby. Last month, having worked with a local cub’s group, who wanted a rugby taste tester of rugby, their leader said they too have seen a fall in numbers of children that attended their cub group. Which is a massive shame for the experiences children are missing out on.
Now let me put some good news into this blog, it’s not all doom and gloom, there is one section of the rugby world that has still continued to grow and that is the girls and women’s sections. They are growing from strengthen to strengthen and I believe that the women’s game has a good chance of over taking the men’s game in the near future.
So how do we fight back, how do we attract players to come back into rugby world? Do we focus more on participation numbers rather than competitions? Should clubs look at bringing in numbers by providing other types of rugby. Walking rugby and touch rugby is a great way to bring in players that either have never played before, are retired or have suffered injury. They are great forms of rugby that aren’t taken too serious and can help nudge players into trying contact or fall in love with rugby again.
Another way could be dual membership – can teams work together to create a team between two clubs? In some areas of the country, a number of teams are struggling to put a team out but could these teams either come together and create a new club or share players to make sure they can get a game and enjoy the sport. As we all know if you’re playing your happy, if you’re not then players walk away and give up.
Looking at getting children into the game, should we start with our Primary schools. While working with the RFU, they were only ever interested in secondary school. If we aren’t aiming at attracting primary school children then they will find another sport, normally football and by the time they get into secondary school, we have lost the chance to bring them into rugby. Now is this a RFU or rugby club issue, who should be trying to attract these players – to answer that questions it’s both, their responsible to attract this age group into the game.
However, is it our own responsibility? It’s not one person’s job in the club or the club to find players its everyone’s, if your team’s numbers are falling and you need to get more players then go out and find them, invite a mate down to a training session. The more people try to attract players, the more successfully they will be than just one person trying. You can’t just think the club will do it for you.
Yes, there are always going to be people that come up with different idea that might work. But this needs to be addressed as soon as possible before rugby number fall to the point of no return and your local club is no longer part of the local community.
