Club Update July 2020
Coventry Bears Club Update
Alan Robinson
1st July 2020
Last week, I attended an online meeting with all Championship and League One clubs along with the RFL staff to discuss the latest position of the sport during the COVID-19 outbreak.
All important matters were covered with extensive and impressive feedback from the RFL working groups who covered everything from bio safety requirements to the latest government advice and stages we have to go through for a contact sport such as rugby league to return to training and playing. We wanted to now bring you an update on the situation as at 1st July 2020.
Returning to Train and Play
I feel a lot of people misunderstand how complicated this actually is. It is not just a matter of stating that training is to recommence - there are many stages to go through before environments are safe and teams are able to train properly for a full contact sport. Every club and indeed every sport is different and many clubs including ourselves rely on public facilities (currently Warwick Independent School) so we can train to the required standards. Even if venues were fully open, all have their own rules and indeed every club has rules that will need to be followed and medical provisions which need to be put in place to make environments 'bio-safe'. I am firmly of the belief that the RFL is doing a fantastic job on this and is in fact leading the way for contact sport returning for us all. For now, as before, we just need to continue to be patient - restrictions from the government are key to moving forward but making things safe are far from easy!
We are also currently dealing with many other logistical issues such as players coming off furlough to train as well as players travelling some considerable distances once training sessions begin. All players and staff within our part time environment have family and a home life to consider as well as their own careers. We also have medical staff still on the front-line in hospitals such as our team Doctor and Physio team. Putting undue pressure on these staff must be an important consideration for us and the wider competition. We are still dealing with a very dangerous disease across our nation and until vaccines are available and proven, there will always be risk to be managed and this must be done with player and public safety at the heart of our decisions.
To be clear, the steps involved in order for Coventry Bears to play again this season start with at least 4 weeks of players returning to train, then playing games behind closed doors possibly at a neutral venue, then potentially socially distanced crowds at games. All of this has testing requirements and both financial and logistical hurdles to be worked through.
The RFL board meet this week, taking into consideration feedback given to them in a survey from all clubs in both League One and Championship and so may have some further information to announce in due course.
Community Development & Junior Rugby League
Unfortunately due to facilities availability, player & staff safety and how we structure our training we have decided to not run any junior rugby league training this summer. We make this decision with a heavy heart but due to the main aspect of our junior rugby league involving juniors wanting to play and train with contact, we felt we just wouldn’t be able to offer a viable and exciting experience for our juniors. As many already know, our junior season normally starts in April/May and finishes around the beginning of the school summer holidays. This window has now virtually passed and so we will not be offering this in 2020. The good news is that we hope to have some offer over the summer holidays which some of our juniors might be able to engage with. Details will be on social media and the Bears website when announced. We will also be back next year and have really some exciting plans in the pipeline which will delight everyone as we grow the sport formally for juniors in the Midlands. Keep your eyes peeled for more formal announcements!
Sustainability
As I mentioned in our last update our primary mission for the club is to stay a sustainable business while promoting and growing the game locally. In regards to League One and the professional game it is widely known that the RFL has secured government funding to support the sport at this difficult time. The other big consideration going on in the sport is that a new TV deal is due to be signed for 2022 which could determine the long term future of League One. We want to make everyone aware that we will not be applying for any state aid or loans to sustain our club, but again ask our loyal supporters, sponsors and partners to have patience that we will return in force be it later this year, if restrictions allow, or indeed next season. Only time will tell and all we can do is take things slowly and make decisions on a day to day basis with sustainability for the future of the Bears at the heart.
Final Thoughts
On a final note, as ever we are working hard planning for not just 2020, but beyond, -planning how we can strengthen our playing squad and our business model. As always, we welcome the support, suggestions and ideas from our fans and partners, so please do get in touch!
We will also be announcing which game Coventry will host during the RLWC 2021 on July 21st and how you can buy tickets to this game and all other Rugby League World Cup games. Exciting times lie ahead, but for now please stay safe and well and thank you once again for your continued patience and support.
Alan Robinson