Malton and Norton RUFC

Happy New Year to all!

Good riddance to 2020! Here's to a positive outlook for 2021!

Thank you to everyone involved in our club for your support and membership. As a sports club we are very fortunate that so far we have weathered the storm and remain in a strong position. We are grateful to those who have successfully applied for grants and administered the Crowdfunder initiative. These monies have without doubt secured our club beyond the Covid-19 pandemic.

We move into 2021 financially secure but need to be minded to replenish reserves. We need to maintain the fantastic levels of coaching and community engagement. We are achieving through the RFU CBRE All Schools Programme that Johnsey is administering and delivering, and also through the efforts of all of our coaches, team managers and various committees. In the long term we expect to see continued steady growth across all age grades both male and female.

The ongoing discussions in our wider rugby family regarding historic head injuries is an interesting debate to follow and will no doubt further increase the need for concussion awareness. It is vital that everyone, our coaching team and parents, spends a little time keeping up to date with the RFU’s Headcase Concussion Awareness Training.

As we move further into 2021 I am very hopeful that our players will be permitted to play competitive rugby and until this point there is arguably a great opportunity to improve skills and fitness to a very high level in readiness for the return to competition.

Please keep an eye out for specific instructions from your team managers with regard to the New Year dates for training. Under the wider national guidance, organised sport for U18’s is to continue until further notice and this is mirrored by the RFU. If you have any concerns regarding safety at our club please raise this with your team manager who can contact the M & J Committee.

Whilst I would like to maintain an optimistic outlook I must address the short-term precautions the Mini and Junior Committee have agreed upon.

We have decided to limit exposure by separating the Mini and Juniors in to primary and secondary school groups. So, the U12’s will be aligned with the Juniors until further notice. Also, the Colts will not mix with Senior players during training for a few weeks. It has been a key target for improvement combining Senior and Colts training and we want to resume this as soon as reasonably possible.

In view of the Government's instructions for returning to school, we have maintained the RFU Stage E status for the Mini’s (U11 and below) and voluntarily restricted Junior Girls and Boys to RFU Stage D status to acknowledge the Government's plans to stagger the return to school and organise Covid testing etc. The intention is to minimise the risk of our activities mixing up infections between 20+ school groups.

Please do not risk attending the rugby club if you or your player/s have the slightest chance of infection or possible symptoms of the virus. Please be minded that putting a whole team into isolation has very wide-ranging complications both financial and practical for all of the families affected!!

Please contact me or any other member of the various committee’s if you feel you can join the team of volunteers who contribute toward our club now or in the future! All help and positive input is very welcome!

Thank you again for your continued support!

Wishing you, the players and your wider families a very Happy New Year!

Best wishes

Ben

Ben Stone (Mini and Junior Chairman)