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Recognition for Northumberland RFU development work
The Northumberland Rugby Union have been setting the standards in Community Rugby Development since they were the first Constituent Body to have the Rugby Development Partnership plan up and running.
Since then, they have been conducting their affairs in exemplary fashion, working closely with Newcastle Falcons and the RFU Rugby Development professionals under Matt Carter to deliver a tremendous service to the game in their patch.
While appreciation from clubs, schools, coaches and players has been generous and genuine, there was an added feather in the group’s collective cap recently which had the extra cachet of coming from an outside agency.
The “Governing Body of the Year Award” for the North East of England was presented to Northumberland as part of a series of accolades handed out annually by the BBC North East, Sunderland City Council, One North East and Sport England.
Judith Rasmussen, Regional Director of Sport England, said at the reception after the presentation, that the award had been given for the huge amount of work that is being carried out in Northumberland to develop the game at all levels both in playing, coaching, refereeing and volunteering.
Said Andy Thompson, Chairman of the Northumberland Rugby Development Partnership: “The Northumberland Rugby Union Community Committee responsible for the development of “Grassroot Rugby” is very much a team and this is one of the fundamental reasons for its success.
“All elements of the game are represented from other sub groups within the NRU county committees - Junior and Adult Participation, Coach development and recruitment, Referee development and recruitment, Volunteering, Newcastle Falcons, NRU Charitable Youth Trust, Women’s Rugby, Schools, County Committee Representatives, the RFU Regional Manager, RFU County Rugby Development Officer and NRU County Administrator.
“This is a complete team effort in which many people have played a part and I’m delighted for everyone involved.”
The NRU Community Committee wrote their first Development Plan three years ago after consultation with all aspects of the game in the county, the objective being to create a document that represented everything that was already going on in the “Community” game in Northumberland and to also crystal ball gaze into what they would like to do in the future.
All the activities in the plan became a project to enable evaluation and costing. Now in the third edition, there are over 70 projects and at the end of the season it will be possible to know the impact each has made to the development of the game.
It is this attention to detail, enthusiasm and innovative ideas of both the volunteers and professional staff that have been deservedly rewarded by this award
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