- RFU roadshow takes RFU executives to East Midlands
- Busy programme for three-day visit
Four of the Rugby Football Union’s executive decision-makers face a busy programme of events on a three-day visit to East Midlands later this month.
Francis Baron, the RFU Chief Executive, Martyn Thomas, chairman of the RFU’s Management Board, Andrew Scoular, RFU Director of Community Rugby, and Rob Udwin, Chairman of the RFU’s Community Rugby Committee, will meet players and volunteers involved in grassroots rugby in the East Midlands RFU which covers Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire & Peterborough during the three-day visit from January 22 to 24.
They will begin their visit, one of regular RFU roadshows around the country, with a question-and-answer session in the clubhouse at Bedford Athletic’s Putnoe Wood ground on January 22.
The RFU party will visit the East Midlands RU offices at Wellingborough School on the morning of January 23 which will be followed by a schools rugby tournament. They will also meet Alex Hadley and Sam Rouse, the two Rugby Development Officers for East Midlands.
In the afternoon the RFU party will be taken to watch a match in each of the four sub counties that comprise East Midlands.
Francis Baron will go to Kettering, Martyn Thomas to Peterborough Lions, Rob Udwin to Brackley and Andrew Scoular to Sharnbrook & Colworth.
They will return to the Marriott Hotel in Northampton for a dinner with the East Midlands RU executive on the Saturday evening and conclude their visit with visits to Mini and Junior matches at the St Neots and Luton clubs on the morning of January 24.
"These fact-finding visits have been a huge success in the past and we regard them as an essential part of our work," said Baron.
"It’s important that we can interact with people involved in rugby at every level and in every possible role to address the issues facing the game.
"We aim to meet as many people as possible over the three days and to see what’s going on at the adult, school and youth team levels.
"The question and answer session at Bedford Athletic is an integral part of this. Nothing will be off limits, from the mechanics of the grassroots game to the future of the elite game.
"We look forward to receiving everyone’s feedback either during the formal part of the evening or informally over a drink."
The visit to East Midlands forms part of a programme of trips that the RFU executive members have been involved in throughout the country with Constituent Bodies - the counties, armed services and student bodies that comprise the RFU - taking turns to host them.