Tuesday 04 August 2020
Dear members,
A responsible return to activity has been carefully planned by our Director of Rugby and, following detailed assessment and discussion, has been sanctioned by the club committee.
This evening our senior section will commence their pre-season training programme. Sessions will run on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings, observing the rules within the RFU's Return to Rugby Road Map, currently at Stage B, allowing groups of up to six people to train together, with social distancing and other restrictions.
In line with government requirements, a register of all participants will be kept by the coach for the purposes of track and trace should a participant report an infection.
To train, everyone must book their training sessions in advance using the Heja App. No exceptions.
Players must bring their own labelled water bottles and are asked to bring their own hand sanitiser.
Coaches will retain possession of equipment (cones and balls) and are responsible for its sanitisation after each session.
There will be access to toilets but there will be no changing facilities or showers available.
Nobody should come to the club if they have tested positive, have symptoms, or may have been in contact with anyone who has Covid 19, in the last 14 days.
In addition to the scheduled training, the club gym is now open for playing members (other than Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings, when it will be used for team training).
No more than six people may use the gym at any one time. Strict hand hygiene, disinfection of equipment and signing of a register on arrival and departure will be enforced. Full details will be displayed before entry.
Please be aware of the risks to you and others before using the facilities. The club has done everything reasonably possible to protect its members but a significant responsibility lies with each gym user. The committee will be monitoring the activity and will treat any breach of rules as a disciplinary issue.
The club takes safety seriously and we hope, with co-operation, this can be the first step towards a staged return to rugby activities for all members at Eccles RFC.
Further announcements will be made in due course about a recommencement of Minis and Juniors Rugby but for the time being please enjoy your summer and stay safe. The clubhouse remains closed. Please continue to follow Eccles RFC on social media for updates.
UPDATE: Saturday 08 August 2020
The RFU announced this morning a progression to 'Stage C' on their Return To Rugby Roadmap, which allows club-based Touch Rugby training with groups of up to 20 players. However, as posted to club social media, local COVID19 restrictions in Greater Manchester are still in place and have been extended. So at Eccles, our activites remain at groups of 6 people, avoiding contact and observing social distancing until further notice.
