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Cockermouth picked up two prizes in the Girl Power and More Volunteers categories for the staggering development of women’s and girls rugby at their club and the way they support, reward and train their volunteers.
The other awards went to Jersey (Youth Rugby), Bolton (School Links), Caldy (More Than A Game), University of Bristol (More Referees), Windsor (More Coaches), Eastern Counties RFU (Veterans), Aretians (Community), Chelmsford (Better Facilities), Letchworth GC (Modernisation), Bridlington (Fundraising Venture) and Mansfield (Enjoyment).
The achievements of the winners and 18 other clubs collecting runners-up accolades are showcased in a President’s XV handbook so that their best practice can be shared by the rest of the game.
The awards were made by a panel of judges consisting of RFU President Bob Rogers, Senior Vice President Bob Taylor, Junior Vice President Brian Williams, immediate past President LeRoy Angel, England’s most capped player Jason Leonard and Rugby World Editor Paul Morgan. "It was our hope that this new set of awards would catch the imagination of all clubs and the panel of judges had a highly enjoyable task to read the descriptions of 65 projects run by volunteers within England," said Rogers. "The results these clubs have achieved make me very proud of the people involved in the sport we all love. "It is my belief that their models of good practice will inspire other clubs to emulate and surpass their good work next year."
The standards reached by the winners were praised by John Owen, the chairman of the RFU's Community Rugby Standing Committee who was particularly delighted with the successes of Cockermouth in his home county of Cumbria. "As Chairman of Community Rugby it's wonderful to see these examples of the hard work our volunteers do to make sure the game thrives at every level," Owen said. "It is important that we recognise and reward excellence and the President's XV helps us to acknowledge that work on a national scale. "The thousands of volunteers involved the game bring a wealth of diverse talents to it and this scheme will showcase their expertise so that the whole game can benefit."
The 13 winners will pick up £500 and 18 runners-up will collect £100 each, amounting to a total of £8,300 to further invest in the grassroots game. Two of the President’s XV categories were not filled, however, with the panel judging that no-one had made a cast-iron case to carry off the Social Inclusion or Fundraising Event awards.
WINNERS AND RUNNERS-UP
1 Youth Rugby - Jersey. Runners-up - Castle Cary, Perranporth.
2 School Links - Bolton. Runners-up - Colchester, Witham.
3 More Than A Game - Caldy. Runners-up - Dorking.
4 Girl Power - Cockermouth. Runners-up - Darlington Mowden Park, Welwyn Warriors.
5 More Referees - University of Bristol. Runners-up - Handsworth.
6 More Coaches - Windsor. Runners-up - Northolt.
7 More Volunteers - Cockermouth.
8 Veterans - Eastern Counties RFU. Runners-up - Windsor.
9 Social Inclusion - Not awarded.
10 Community - Aretians. Runners-up - Aspatria, Knutsford.
11 Better Facilities - Chelmsford. Runners-up - Clee Hill, Peterborough.
12 Modernisation - Letchworth Garden City. Runners-up - Northolt, Windsor.
13 Fundraising Event - Not awarded.
14 Fundraising Venture - Bridlington.
15 Enjoyment - Mansfield. Runners-up - Market Harborough, Ryde.
Presentations to the winners take place at Windsor (June 10), Bristol University (June 14), Eastern Counties (Newmarket, June 22), Cockermouth (June 23), Bolton and Jersey (June 27), Bridlington (June 29), Aretians (July 3), Caldy (July 8), Letchworth (July 13) and Mansfield (TBC).
PRESIDENT'S XV CATEGORIES
Youth Rugby - A club that introduces mini rugby in an exciting and safe way
School Links - A club with an exceptional project that reaches out to local schools, supports teachers and brings young people into clubs
More Than A Game - The winners will have done the most to ensure 16-24 year olds keep playing rugby
Girl Power - Showing your feminine side with a project that has greatly increased the number of women and girls playing
More Referees - A club that creatively encourages its members to take up the whistle
More Coaches – For recruiting and developing coaches for all the players at the club to encourage
more enjoyable rugby
More Volunteers - Building a first rate 'off-pitch' team
Veterans - Increasing the number of players over 35 and encouraging competition, friendship and fun
Social Inclusion - For clubs that have reached out to communities who traditionally have little contact with the game
Community - Making a difference to the local community through innovative use of facilities and personnel
Better Facilities - Transforming playing and clubhouse facilities to greatly improve the rugby experience for all members
Modernisation - An award for a club that uses technology and its tools to benefit all its members
Fundraising Event - Capturing the imagination with a single event to raise funds
Fundraising Venture - A series of events that have delivered a major goal like new facilities or an overseas tour
Enjoyment - From dinners to family days to beach rugby, for the club having the most fun
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