CASH GRANTS FOR CLUBS

DORSET & WILTS RUGBY FOOTBALL UNION LTD CORE VALUES AWARDS SCHEME CASH GRANTS FOR CLUBS TEAMWORK RESPECT ENJOYMENT DISCIPLINE SPORTSMANSHIP

CORE VALUES SCULPTURE - TWICKENHAM STADIUM RUGBY FOOTBALL UNION'S CORE VALUES OF THE GAME TEAMWORK, RESPECT, ENJOYMENT, DISCIPLINE and SPORTSMANSHIP are Rugby s Core Values which make the game special for those who enjoy the environment and culture they create. They define the game and define England Rugby. TEAMWORK is essential to our sport. We welcome all new team members and include all because working as a team enriches our lives. We play selflessly, working for the team, not for ourselves alone, both on and off the field. We take pride in our team, rely on one another and understand that each player has a part to play. We speak out if our team or sport is threatened by inappropriate words or actions. Mutual RESPECT forms the basis of our sport. We hold in high esteem our sport, its values and traditions and earn the respect of others in the way we behave. We respect our match officials and accept their decisions. We respect opposition players and supporters. We value our coaches and those who run our Clubs and treat Clubhouses with consideration. ENJOYMENT is the reason we play and support rugby union. We encourage players to enjoy training and playing. We use our sport to adopt a healthy lifestyle and build life skills. We safeguard our young players and help them have fun. We enjoy being part of a team and part of the rugby family. Strong DISCIPLINE underpins our sport. We ensure that our sport is one of controlled physical endeavour and that we are honest and fair. We obey the laws of the game which ensure an inclusive and exciting global game. We support our disciplinary system, which protects our sport and upholds its values. We observe the sport's laws and regulations and report serious breaches. SPORTSMANSHIP is the foundation upon which rugby union is built. We uphold the rugby tradition of camaraderie with teammates and opposition. We observe fair play both on and off the pitch and are generous in victory and dignified in defeat. We play to win but not at all costs and recognise both endeavour and achievement. We ensure that the wellbeing and development of individual players is central to all rugby activity. TEAMWORK RESPECT ENJOYMENT DISCIPLINE SPORTSMANSHIP 1

DORSET & WILTS RFU - CORE VALUES AWARDS SCHEME INTRODUCTION The game of rugby union football was originally created by the talent and flair of adventurous schoolboys seeking to ease the natural tensions of growing up. It could never have been invented by an adult education committee and was so successful that it soon spread to other schools, universities and the population generally, especially in the North of England, where it helped to ease the natural tensions of the industrial revolution. The popularity of the game grew rapidly, gates increased and Clubs became wealthy. Some of the players in the North felt that they should be compensated for the shifts they were missing in the mines and mills while playing for their Clubs - bone fide broken time. This proposal was put before a general meeting of the Rugby Football Union in 1893. It was opposed on the grounds that it was against the true spirit of the game and likely to be the first step to full professionalism. As a result 23 Clubs broke away from the Union and became fully professional as the Rugby League which for over 100 years became a safety valve for those players who preferred cash values to human values. Since the introduction of the professional game in 1995 (defined by the RFU as being seamless) we have seen an expansion of competitive rugby through the introduction of regulations for leagues at all levels of the game. Youth and Mini Rugby now have various competition formats. Winning a game is often perceived to be more important than the pleasure and satisfaction derived from taking part. Clubs need to proactively address this perception. Rugby is far more than a game; Rugby is an experience. It is a sport where you have no enemies. Rugby players join with the opposing side for fun and fellowship after the match. We should honour the opposing team because without them we have no game. If Clubs are to continue to grow the game they need to have a plan and process in place to retain the CORE VALUES of the game. WHY? Because these CORE VALUES help define the social ethos of a Club and how people behave with each other on and off the field. They ensure that the spirit of the game will continue to flourish in these modern times, because these are the very qualities which forge the fellowship and sense of fair play that is so essential to the game's appeal and ongoing success. 2 DORSET & WILTS RFU - CORE VALUES AWARDS SCHEME CASH GRANTS FOR ALL CLUBS PRODUCING A CORE VALUES PLAN Dorset & Wilts RFU wishes to encourage all its member Clubs to grow the game and help retain its ethos by demonstrating that the game s Core Values are present throughout the Club - on and off the field. Cash grants of up to 500 are available for the production of a simple Core Values Plan (CVP) by each Club to help promote, communicate and embed the game's Core Values throughout its membership and structure. The aim is to ensure that each Club has a working document to demonstrate that the game s Core Values are supported by a process that implements them throughout the Club. Payment of the cash grant will be made in two tranches. Clubs should submit the first draft of their CVP by email to D & W RFU (jrpalmer@btinternet.com) as soon as possible. The first payment of 250 will be made immediately after it has been approved. Final payment of the grant will made towards the end of May 2015 provided Club representatives have attended their local Huddle meetings with the first draft of their CVP to, inter alia, discuss and review them. After these Huddles, where best practice will be shared, Clubs will be able to complete their CVP and receive their second payment. HELPLINE Clubs needing assistance to prepare the first of their draft CVP should contact the following members of the CVP Review Panel. John Constable, President D & W RFU Email: j.constable4swansrugby@btinternet.com, Tel: 01929 551468 Ron Jones, RFU Representative Email:ron.dwrfu@gmail.com, Tel: 07713 619535 John Palmer, Treasurer D & W RFU Email: jrpalmer@btinternet.com, Tel: 01305 262929 Willie Wildash, D & W RFU Email: wwildash@aol.com, Tel: 01305773286 RDOs Chris Burton, Email: chrisburton@rfu.com and Alan Low, Email: alanlow@rfu.com are also available to give help and advice. Clubs should submit the first draft of their CVP using the application template (ms word) BY EMAIL to: John Palmer, Hon. Treasurer, D & W RFU by the end of January 2015 3

DORSET & WILTS RFU - CORE VALUES AWARDS SCHEME CORE VALUES PLAN (CVP) There is no right or wrong way to produce a CVP. It must directly refer to the five Core Values. It should be regarded as a living document and kept as simple and short as possible. To be effective the CVP should become a regular agenda item at committee meetings. To ensure its success, the CVP must be open and transparent and communicated throughout the Club's membership using normal channels i.e., Handbooks, Notice Boards, Websites, Email, Facebook, Twitter, etc. 1) The CVP will directly address the following three questions: a. How does the Club currently demonstrate the RFU's five Core Values? b. Is every Club member aware of the RFU's Core Values and, if so, how has this been achieved? c. What further actions need to be taken to demonstrate them to everyone? 2) The CVP should cover the following points when answering the above questions. a. How should the Club welcome a new member or player? b. What information should the Club provide to help a new member or player? c. How should the Club greet and welcome everyone on a match day? Its own players All visiting teams (not just first XVs) and their supporters Match Officials Club members Spectators d. How should the Club welcome and thank the opposition and the Match Official(s) after the game? 4 DORSET & WILTS RFU - CORE VALUES AWARDS SCHEME e. In particular, how will the Club and its members demonstrate the Core Value "Respect" to the opposition? f. How should the Club provide a welcoming atmosphere after a match and ensure that its officials and players socialise with the opposition and supporters after a match? g. Should ALL Club teams have an after match ritual and support the Core Value "Enjoyment" after the game? h. How should the Club ensure that ALL its coaches demonstrate the importance of the Core Values "Teamwork", "Enjoyment", and Sportsmanship during training and playing to ALL players in ALL teams irrespective of age? i. How should the Core Value "Sportsmanship" be communicated to ALL Club members? How should the Club obtain support for this particular Core Value from ALL coaches and parents? How should the Club ensure that a "winning at all costs" culture does not begin to develop? j. What social activities/functions should the Club regularly organise for all sections of its membership to support the Core Value "Enjoyment?" k. How should the Club communicate the Core Values to its members? Should it use email, text and exploit social media e.g., Facebook, Twitter? l. How should the Club deal with members, and others, who display any sort of behaviour contrary to the Core Values "Discipline" and "Sportsmanship"? (This includes behaviour on and off the pitch, in public and comments made on any social media.) m. Should the Club have an open and transparent disciplinary process in place to support the Core Values of the game? How will it be communicated/published? n. What benefits will accrue to the Club after the CVP has been actioned? o. How will the CVP be reviewed by the Club? To summarise, the CVP should identify clear objectives and actions together with a timescale, the person(s) responsible and finally state how its success will be measured. 5

DRAFT CORE VALUES PLAN (CVP) - APPLICATION TEMPLATE DRAFT CORE VALUES PLAN (CVP) - APPLICATION TEMPLATE NAME OF CLUB.. COMPLETED BY...DATE... d. How should the Club welcome and thank the opposition and the Match Official(s) after the game? CLUB ROLE.. Please refer the full document and return BY EMAIL to jrpalmer@btinternet.com (Expand answers as necessary) 3) The CVP will firstly address the following three questions: a. How does the Club currently demonstrate the RFU's five Core Values? b. Is every Club member aware of the RFU's Core Values and, if so, how have they been demonstrated? c. What further actions need to be taken to demonstrate them to everyone? 4) The CVP should cover the following points when answering the above questions. a. How should the Club welcome a new member or player? b. What information should the Club provide to help a new member or player? e. In particular, how will the Club and its members demonstrate the Core Value "Respect" to the opposition? f. How should the Club provide a welcoming atmosphere after a match and ensure that its officials and players socialise with the opposition and supporters after a match? g. Should ALL Club teams have an "after match ritual" and support the Core Value "Enjoyment" after the game? h. How should the Club ensure that ALL its coaches demonstrate the importance of the Core Values "Teamwork", "Enjoyment", and Sportsmanship during training and playing to ALL players in ALL teams irrespective of age? i. How should the Core Value "Sportsmanship" be communicated to ALL Club members? How should the Club obtain support for this particular Core Value from ALL coaches and parents? How should the Club ensure that a "winning at all costs" culture does not begin to develop? c. How should the Club greet and welcome everyone on a match day? Please include: players, visiting teams and their supporters, Match Officials, Club members, spectators. j. What social activities/functions should the Club regularly organise for all sections of its membership to support the Core Value "Enjoyment?" 6 7

DORSET & WILTS RFU - "PLAY NICE" CAMPAIGN DRAFT CORE VALUES PLAN (CVP) - APPLICATION TEMPLATE k. How should the Club communicate the Core Values to its members? Should it use email, text or exploit social media e.g., Facebook, Twitter? l. How should the Club deal with members, and others, who display any sort of behaviour contrary to the Core Values "Discipline" and "Sportsmanship"? (This includes behaviour on and off the pitch, in public and comments made on any social media.) m. Should the Club have an open and transparent disciplinary process in place to support the Core Values of the game? How will it be communicated/published? n. What benefits will accrue to the Club after the CVP has been actioned? o. How will the CVP be reviewed by the Club? FINALLY PROVIDE A SIMPLE SUMMARY Objectives. Actions and persons responsible and timescale. How success will be measured. 8

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