Local rugby clubs make the most of grassroots funding

GRASSROOTS rugby is back in business, and Christchurch and Lymington’s rugby clubs are ready to hit the ground running thanks to the NatWest RugbyForce Weekend 2020 and the RFU.

Last weekend saw Christchurch Rugby Club and Lymington Mariners carry out improvements and repairs to the facilities to ensure they were ready for the resumption of the sport at grassroots level.

The two local clubs are among 800 across the country who took part in the initiative.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) recently gave the green light for clubs to start limited and restricted-contact rugby training with inter-club non-contact fixtures able to be organised.

Plenty of hard work has gone into making the return to community rugby possible, with volunteers at the club certainly not shy in rolling up their sleeves to play their part.

Now in its 12th year, NatWest RugbyForce is a nationwide programme developed with the RFU which provides an opportunity for rugby clubs to welcome team members and volunteers back to help make valuable improvements to their clubs.

Former England player and NatWest RugbyForce ambassador James Haskell said: “Although this weekend is slightly different from previous NatWest RugbyForce Weekends, it’s actually more important than ever that this event takes place.

For more information about NatWest’s rugby activity, including NatWest RugbyForce Weekend 2020, follow @NatWest_Rugby and @EnglandRugby on Twitter.