It goes without saying that I’m very glad to be welcoming you back to a new term at Nottingham Moderns – if your kids have missed their rugby as much as mine have, it will be a relief to get them back out on the pitch and running around.

Of course, that relief is tempered by a certain amount of trepidation, as we are still in the middle of a period of uncertainty. We have spent a good deal of time over the summer period planning for our return and have carefully considered our approach. Whilst things at the club will look somewhat different for a while, we hope that the temporary changes we make will keep everyone as safe as possible, whilst allowing the kids to return to playing and enjoying their rugby.

Your team managers will explain the impact on your particular team(s), but in brief, the changes we have made include:
• Splitting mini and junior rugby over three sessions – Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings (9am to 10.30am and 11.30am to 1pm). This allows us to minimise people on site at any one time, giving adequate space for social distancing and suitable transition time to allow one group to leave before the next group arrives. It also provides us appropriate breaks to sanitise equipment and surfaces between groups.
• Temporarily suspending or altering some of the services we provide as a club. These will include the kitchen provision, bar and shop – again, your team manager will be able to provide you with more details.
• Temporarily suspending changing facilities. Players will need to come to training ready to play, and not use the changing facilities after their session has ended. This is to minimise close contact, and to allow us to use these facilities as toilets instead. These will be operated on a one in, one out basis, and we ask for your help in assisting your children if they are likely to struggle with this arrangement.
• Restricted or cancelled training sessions if bad weather is forecast, as we are unable to allow parents to shelter in the clubhouse whilst maintaining adequate social distance.

I am conscious that these changes may feel strange to start with and may make things a little more tricky for your families – particularly those of you whose sessions will be temporarily moved from Sunday morning. I’d like to reassure you that we will review things on a regular basis and make improvements as and when we are able to do so. Please bear with us as we work together through this – and do feel free to let us know if you have concerns that we might be able to address.

I’d also like to ask for your help at this time – because of the new setup, your team managers and coaches will be taking on extra duties that they were not necessarily expecting, in order to keep everything running smoothly and safely. As you know, we are an entirely volunteer-run club – each of us has a role to play in keeping the club going for our children. Your team manager may ask for extra help during this period, in both on- and off-field tasks. Please do lend a hand if you possibly can – you may find you enjoy it more than you expect!

As always, my sincere thanks for your continued support. The strength of our club is a reflection of every club member – player, parent, volunteer and supporter – and we are privileged to have such thriving, enthusiastic, positive Junior section. Our resilience and determination will carry us through this period and I look forward to standing on the banks very soon and watching our young people playing and having fun.

Yours sincerely

Stuart Grantham
Junior Chair