scottish rugby league and cup competition participation

Scottish RugbyLeague and Cup Competition

Participation Agreement

Season 2013/2014

2 3Scottish Rugby Participation Agreement - August 2013 | scottishrugby.org

1. Club Accident Insurance Scheme

Scottish Rugby will cover the full cost of the catastrophic injury cover provided under the Club Accident Insurance Scheme for all clubs participating in Scottish Rugby’s leagues, cup competitions or which otherwise are in membership of our Union.

The following premiums per team are applicable in respect of season 2013/2014:

Playing Level Insurance PremiumSenior team £603Restricted fixtures (max 5 games) £64Youth teams (under-18) £64Midi teams (under-16/under-15) £64Mini teams (primary school age) £64

For example, if a club runs a total of 15 teams (two senior men’s teams, women’s 1st XV, a men’s 3rd XV playing less than five fixtures, a full complement of boys’ and girls’ midi and mini teams) Scottish Rugby will pay an insurance premium of £2,577 in respect of that club. Clubs are encouraged to consider taking out the additional Temporary Disablement cover and to recommend that their players consider taking out personal cover appropriate to their individual circumstances.

Details of the level of cover will be issued to clubs on 16 August and will be made available on our website (follow the link: Clubs & Schools/Injury & Game Management/Club Accident Insurance Scheme). The process of ensuring that your teams are covered will be the same as in previous years – i.e. all clubs are required to return a completed Proposal Form by 15 September indicating the number of teams they require cover for. If you have any queries on the Scheme please contact Graham Ireland on 0131 346 5004.

2. League and Cup Competitions

Participation Funding Scottish Rugby has increased the club participation funding for season 2013/2014 as outlined below. For example, a club in the top three leagues in Scotland with two reserve teams, a women’s team and a under-18 team will be eligible for up to £4,200 this season.

RBS League Participation Payments To support the clubs in the running of their men’s and women’s senior team, Scottish Rugby will pay participation payments for RBS league participation at the following levels:

• RBS Premier League, National & Championship (male) teams will each receive £1,000.• RBS Regional League division 1s (male) teams will each receive £800.• All other RBS Regional Leagues (male) teams will receive £700.• RBS Premier League & National (women) teams will each receive £700.

RBS Cup Participation Payments• £600 will be paid by Scottish Rugby to all clubs who participate in the men’s RBS Scottish Cup, Bowl or shield competitions. • £100 will be paid by Scottish Rugby to all clubs who participate in the women’s RBS Scottish Cup

competitions.

RBS Reserve Participation Payments In recent seasons there has been a worrying decline in reserve team rugby. To improve this situation Scottish Rugby has implemented a simplified and more appropriate reserve team competition structure along with providing additional funding for clubs who have reserve teams that fully participate in structured competition as per below.

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• RBS National & Regional Reserve League teams will receive £600• RBS Regional Reserve Fixture teams will each receive £600

Under-18 League Participation Payments Club under-18 teams play a vital role in linking youth to adult rugby. With steady increases in participation from 12 to 16 year olds in recent seasons Scottish Rugby is supporting clubs to continue this growth through to under-18 levels with participation funding. All clubs who fully participate in an under-18 league will receive a payment of £600.

RBS League and Cup Competitions Conditions of Participation Scottish Rugby requires Premiership clubs to meet the following conditions before participation monies can be paid:

a. Match Programme The Scottish Rugby logo should be displayed in a prominent position.

A full-page advert will be supplied by RBS and each club should include this in every match programme. This advert is available from the downloads section of the club rugby pages at www.scottishrugby.org or by contacting Zoe Paige, Scottish Rugby Marketing Department on 0131 346 5032 or by e-mail at [email protected]

b. RBS Cup Competitions Participation payment will be paid to clubs at the end of the season.

c. National Competitions Rules and Regulations Clubs must abide by all competition rules and regulations, as administered by the Championship Committee and Regional Competitions Committees.

d. Scottish Rugby Code of Conduct Clubs must promote and abide by Scottish Rugby’s code of conduct. They can be found at www.scottishrugby.org about us/ downloads / discipline / code of conduct.

e. Provision of Match Footage To assist with the development of referees, clubs in Premier and National Leagues must provide The Head of Match Officials with DVD or footage of the game within 48 hours. This can be provided by DVD or uploading to the online facility (Dropbox). For further information please contact Mellisa Gracie ([email protected]); 0131 346 5049).

Please note - Scottish Rugby retains the right to withhold or reclaim participation monies where breaches of the above conditions occur.

Competition Branding In return for the investment from Scottish Rugby we ask that clubs ensure that the following requests are also carried out:

• Games are announced as RBS league or cup games by announcers at club grounds.• When provided, Scottish Rugby and RBS advertising material is displayed prominently throughout the club

and actively promoted by club committees.• When provided from time to time, additional Scottish Rugby and RBS promotional materials are inserted in

match programmes.• When provided, on a one-off basis, Scottish Rugby and RBS pitch side banners are displayed in agreement

with the club at the club ground.


3. Registration of Players

To be successful in the development of our sport, it is crucial that we target our support and resource to the areas that will best meet your needs. In order to do so, Scottish Rugby requires accurate, up-to-date information on players to be recorded on the player registration system. Scottish Rugby guidelines regarding data protection and player registration will be circulated in due course.

It is now mandatory to register all players playing in all levels of RBS competitions. Players in all RBS league and cup competitions must be registered before being eligible to participate in the relevant competitions in accordance with the National Competitions Rules and Regulations. Player transfer between clubs and dual registration is the responsibility of the clubs, with the transfer deadline for this season being Sunday 24 November, 2013

Clubs will receive a payment of £300 from Scottish Rugby for registering:

• all players at all levels of rugby (mini to adult, male and female) during the 2013/2014 season online by the end of March 2014. This payment will be made in July 2014, after the number of players registered has been audited and signed off as accurate by the club.

• Club contact details for your club on the player registration system. Having this information on the player registration system will ensure effective communication with and between clubs. A list of key club contacts required is listed below:

• Captain• Child Protection Co-ordinator*• Club Coach Co-ordinator• Club Development Officer• Coach (Men)• Coach (Women)• Fixture Secretary (Men)• Fixture Secretary (Women)• International Ticket Officer• Mini Organiser• Midi Organiser• Player Registration Co-ordinator• President (Men)• President (Women)• Referee Secretary (Men)• Referee Secretary (Women)• Secretary (Men)• Secretary (Women)• Treasurer• Youth Organiser

*Child Protection Co-ordinator - Scottish Rugby is committed to ensuring the safety and welfare of young people participating in the sport of Rugby. To assist in the achievement of this goal it therefore requires that clubs where young players under the age of 18 years are actively involved, sign up to the SRU policy on Child Protection and Welfare and appoint a named child protection officer.

Further information and assistance on Child Protection/Welfare related matters can be obtained by contacting Richard McGhee on 0131 346 5029 or [email protected]

Incoming Players to Scotland Players who have been playing rugby in a different country must first make application for clearance to play in Scotland through their National Union. The National Union should contact Kathleen Munroe (Governance

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Administrator) directly, and in the first instance, at [email protected] or by fax on +44 (0)131 346 5090 or by phone on +44 0131 346 5102. Once a ‘clearance to play’ letter has been obtained by the player from the National Union from which they are departing, they should then registered online by their new Scottish club using the online registration system.

The relevant clearance application forms are available at www.scottishrugby.org

Teamsheets For all adult league and cup matches, a club must return a copy of their teamsheet to the Championship Secretary no later than 48 hours after the commencement of the match. The teamsheet should be emailed to the dedicated email address – [email protected].

Further information and assistance on registering players and club contact details can be obtained by contacting your regional administrator:

East Region Hamish Munro 0131 346 5182 [email protected] Caledonia Region Iain Bowles 07736 783755 [email protected] West Region: John Gillies 07764 178954 [email protected]

4. Travel Support Scheme 2013/2014

Long Journeys Where a club or school is required to fulfil a league, cup, National Youth Cup, Youth Regional League, Brewin Dolphin Scottish Schools’ Cup, or Brewin Dolphin Girls’ Cup match with a return journey in excess of 200 or 400 miles, Scottish Rugby will make a travel contribution in respect of each of these journeys (excluding visits to the Scottish Islands which are covered below).

Payments from Scottish Rugby are as follows:

• Adult competitions – return journey of 200 or more miles - £175• Adult competitions – return journey of 400 or more miles - £350• Youth & school competitions – return journey of 200 or more miles - £175• Youth & school competitions – return journey of 400 or more miles - £350

Travel to Scottish Islands Where a club or school is required to fulfil a league, cup, National Youth Cup, Youth Regional League, Brewin Dolphin Scottish Schools’ Cup, or Brewin Dolphin Girls’ Cup match with a return journey to one of the Scottish Islands, Scottish Rugby will make a travel contribution in respect of each of these journeys.

Clubs and schools travelling to Stornoway, Orkney and Shetland to participate in a league or cup fixture are entitled to claim support for travel and accommodation expenses incurred, up to a maximum of:

• Adult competitions – £2,500• Youth and school competitions – £1,000 (Shetland £2,500)

Clubs and schools travelling to Arran, Bute, Cowal and Mull to participate in a league or cup fixture are entitled to claim support for travel and accommodation expenses incurred, up to a maximum of:

• Adult competitions – £350 • Youth and school competitions – £175

Travel from Scottish Islands Where a club or school is required to fulfil a league, cup, National Youth Cup, Youth Regional League, Brewin Dolphin Scottish Schools’ Cup, or Brewin Dolphin Girls’ Cup match with a journey to the mainland, there will be payment in


line with the above. Island clubs and schools should contact Hamish Munro, Competitions Administrator, for the details on how to apply for support.

Payment in respect of senior male Premier, National or Regional League fixtures will be made by BACS to your club by the end of October 2013. Payment in respect of all other fixtures will be made at the end of the competition or season. Mileage payments are calculated based on information from the AA route planner.

5. ‘Are You Ready to Play Rugby?’

The Are You Ready to Play Rugby? campaign was launched by Scottish Rugby at the start of 2009 to ensure that a consistent approach to player safety is adopted across Scotland by all coaches, teachers, referees and volunteers. Full details on all of the policies introduced to reduce the risk of serious injury are available in the Are You Ready to Play Rugby? section of the Scottish Rugby website, including details on age banding, age grade law variations and injury management. The policies that affect participation in league and cup rugby the most are as follows:

Under-18 Players in Adult Rugby (male & female) Policy (revised May 2013) With effect from the commencement of the 2013 – 2014 season, players are only permitted to participate in adult rugby if they are at least 18 years old at the date of the game concerned, unless the exception below applies.

Exception In exceptional cases, a player’s physical development, skill level and experience may be such that the player may be allowed to participate in adult rugby at an age younger than 18.

Players younger than 18 are only permitted to participate in adult rugby if each of the following conditions has been satisfied before participation:

1. Where a player is 17 years old – i.e. no players under 17 years of age can play senior rugby; AND

2. Where the player and coach have completed the online IRB Rugby Ready course (see www.irbrugbyready.com) and the coach is qualified to a minimum standard of UKCC level 2 and has attended an SRU ‘RugbyReady Practical Course’ in the immediately preceding 18 months; AND

3. Where the coach undertakes the following physical and skill assessments on the player in accordance with SRU’s Assessment Guidance, and the player successfully completes:

• a squat and press-up assessment

• a tackle assessment; AND

4. Where the coach gathers and presents information on the player’s experience, injury history and indicates the level of rugby to be played; AND

5a. Male - For a prop or hooker aged 17 to be able to play adult rugby in the front row of the scrum the player would have to:

i. Provide information on the player’s front row experience, ability and front row specific coaching received

ii. Players who have satisfied a regional panel on the strength of the above information would then be invited to attend Murrayfield for an assessment of their neck strength;

5b. Female – Players within the front 5 of the scrum cannot play adult rugby. AND

6. Written approval is given on behalf of SRU.

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Under-16 Players in Under-18 Rugby (male)

• Male players under the age of 16 years old are not permitted to play in under-18 school or club rugby. • This policy must be followed unless the exception below is applicable.• The player’s physical maturity, skill level and experience are of a comparable standard to that of the game/

competition that they will play in• The player completes the online IRB Rugby Ready course• The club/school follows procedures detailed in the under-16 Players in under-18 Rugby policy. This consists

of an application form to be submitted to Scottish Rugby, followed by a physical maturity assessment at a Scottish Rugby assessment centre

• Scottish Rugby’s written approval must be received before any player under 16 years old participates in under-18 rugby

• Front row players (props and hooker) will not be eligible.

Minimum Standards for Coaching, Teaching and Refereeing It is the minimum requirement for all coaches, teachers and referees for season 2013/14 to have attended a Practical Rugby Ready course at the start of the season, in addition to having completed the online IRB Rugby Ready course once. Some other tier 1 rugby unions have already implemented similar courses which have resulted in huge decreases in the instances of serious spinal injuries.

These courses will be delivered in schools and clubs throughout Scotland by rugby development and coach education staff from 1st August 2013. Registration details of over 160 local courses are listed on the Are You Ready to Play Rugby? pages of Scottish Rugby’s website. Scottish Rugby will monitor schools and clubs for their ‘Rugby Ready’ status.

Failure to comply - Failure to comply with any Are You Ready to Play Rugby policy may result in disciplinary action being taken against the club in accordance with SRU’s Disciplinary Procedures.

6. Reporting of Serious Injuries

It is vital that a Serious Injury Report is completed if any PLAYER has a rugby injury or related illness:

a. Attends hospital and/or is required to attend a follow up appointment b. Is admitted to hospital and/or stays overnight c. In the event of a fatality

This information will allow Scottish Rugby to record, monitor and evaluate injury trends and make any informed changes to reduce the risk of further injury. All injury reports for Season 2013-2014 must be completed online. To locate the correct page on the Scottish Rugby website, please follow the link below:

www.scottishrugby.org/clubs-schools/injury-game-management/serious-injury-report

When the online form is completed correctly an email is automatically sent to our insurance company, AON, as well as administrative staff at Scottish Rugby.

Failure to complete the Serious Injury Report can lead to the loss of insurance support, as these reports flag up any potential claims.


7. Scottish Rugby’s Awards – Club Awards Dinner (Friday 30th May 2014)

To recognise and reward the success of clubs and individuals in the Scottish game, Scottish Rugby will again host the Club Awards Dinner. This event is an evening of celebration for clubs and individuals who have performed admirably throughout the season. The following awards are presented:

RBS Club of the Season At the end of each month nominations are sought from all clubs and Scottish Rugby Council representatives for the Club of the Month award

The selection panel will assess each nomination based on the following criteria:

• Men’s 1st XV playing record• Other teams’ performances • Club discipline record • Club activity in growing and developing the game • The selection panel will then make a recommendation for sign-off by the president of Scottish Rugby

The winning Club of the Month will receive:

• £1,000 • A table of 10 at the end of season RBS Club Awards Dinner, plus £500 for travel expenses to this event• Local PR and on-line activation promoting the wining club• At the end of the season the Club of the Month winners will form the shortlist for the Scottish Rugby Club of

the Year award, to be announced at the dinner.

If you would like to nominate a club in your division please contact your elected representative before the end of each month.

RBS Volunteer of the Season • At the end of each month nominations are sought from all clubs and Scottish Rugby Council representatives

for the Volunteer of the Month award• The selection panel will assess each nomination.• The selection panel will then make a recommendation for sign-off by the president of Scottish Rugby• The winning Volunteer will receive:

• A plaque/ trophy• A table of 10 at the RBS Club Awards Dinner to recognise other volunteers within the club.• up to £500 for travel and expenses to the event• local PR and on-line promotion • There will be a ‘Volunteer of the Year’ awarded at the RBS Club Awards Dinner. The overall winner will

receive a further £1,000 for their club.


RBS Try of the Season • At the end of each month nominations are sought from all clubs and Scottish Rugby Council representatives

for the Try of the Month award• The selection panel will assess each nomination • The selection panel will then make a recommendation for sign-off by the president of Scottish Rugby• The winning Try of the Month and the person who submitted the footage will each receive two tickets to an

international game at Murrayfield (as selected by the panel).• At the end of the season the Try of the Month winners will form the shortlist for the Scottish Rugby Try of the

year award, to be announced at the dinner.

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RBS Player of the Season (all divisions male and female)• All clubs must complete and return teamsheets after each match. Club officials select a player of the match

from their own team each week and record on teamsheets before submitting to Murrayfield.• Over the course of the season the nominations are collated for each division, with the players receiving the

most nominations in each division, with a clean disciplinary record, selected in the shortlist for discussion by the Club Awards judging panel.

• The player and club will be notified of their success at the end of the season, prior to the awards dinner.

Other Awards

• Coach of the Season• Youth Coach of the Season• Spirit of Rugby Award• Referee of the Year

8. Scottish Rugby Club Facilities Fund

Funding Scheme Scottish Rugby is making funds available for any club with a maintenance or improvement project. Examples of suitable projects include (but are not limited to):

• Floodlighting • New rugby posts • Drainage or irrigation • Ceiling, wall or floor upgrades or repairs • Clubhouse improvements, e.g. kitchens or showers

Application Process Clubs must submit an application form, with any associated paperwork. A full application form, with guidelines, is available to download from the clubs and schools section at www.scottishrugby.org.

Funding Criteria A summary of the key award criteria can be found below (the full list is detailed in the application guidelines):

• Funding is available to maintain and improve club facilities • One application may be made per club in any 12 month period • A maximum of £2,000 can be applied for per application • The sum applied for should represent no more than 50% of the total project cost

9. Referee Expenses Scottish Rugby will continue to pay the expenses of referees allocated to club matches by the Scottish Rugby referee department or by one of the Scottish Rugby referee societies. For further information please contact Mellisa Gracie ([email protected]); 0131 346 5049).


Appendix 1

Schedule of Payments

Clubs should sign and return the attached Participation Agreement acceptance form (Appendix 2) to the Scottish Rugby competitions department before Friday 30th August 2013. Payment to clubs will be made from Scottish Rugby by BACS transfer as indicated below.

Payment type Amount Action required from club Payment date

Insurance premiums(paid direct by Scottish Rugby)

£603 per adult team£64 per age-group team (U18/mini/midi)£64 per adult restricted fixtures team

Insurance Proposal Form to be submitted by 15 September 2013

N/A

Men’s League Participation

£1,000 Premier, National & Championship£800 Regional 1s£700 All other Regional Leagues

Sample match programme to be submitted before the end of September 2013

End October 2013

Women’s League Participation

£700 Women’ s Premier & National Leagues End June 2014

Men’s Reserve Leagues £600 National Reserve Leagues, Regional Reserve Leagues and Regional Reserve Fixtures

End June 2014

U-18 League Participation

£600 Under 18 League Clubs End June 2014

Travel Support Scheme Mileage based payment Participation in at least one round of the cup competition

League travel – None Cup travel – NoneTravel to Islands – application formTravel from Islands – contact Hamish Munro

As per Section 4

Men’s Cup participation £600 Participation in at least one round of the cup competition End of June 2014

Women’s Cup Participation

£100 Participation in at least one round of the cup competition End of June 2014

Player registration and club contacts

£300 Register all players by the end of March 2014 and sign off as accurateRegistration of club president and secretary

July 2014

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Appendix 2

Competitions Co-ordinatorScottish RugbyMurrayfieldEdinburghEH12 5PJ

Date as postmarked

Dear Sir/Madam

SCOTTISH RUGBY PARTICIPATION AGREEMENT FOR SEASON 2013/2014

I can confirm that our club has read and hereby accepts Scottish Rugby’s league and cup competitions Participation Agreement for season 2013/2014, and fully understands that participation monies are paid out on the basis that our club abide by the National Competition Rules and Regulations as administered by the Championship Committee and on the understanding that clubs promote and abide by Scottish Rugby’s code of conduct.

Club Name ______________________________________

President’s Name _________________________________

President’s Signature ______________________________ Date ___________________

Yours sincerely

HONORARY SECRETARY

scottish rugby league and cup competition participation

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