Welcome to Wetherby RUFC.

We hope you and your child (or children) will enjoy yourselves here. This club has a strong community spirit and is run entirely by volunteers.

Here at Wetherby we have a range of junior rugby union teams, ranging from under 6s Micros right through to Seniors.

All teams are trained by dedicated skilled accredited coaches to play rugby union safely and skilfully. The primary emphasis is on having fun and enjoying the game.

  • It's excellent fun!
  • It improves fitness levels
  • It helps build team spirit and awareness of others
  • Meet new friends of a similar age from a wide area both on and off the pitch
  • Learn all your rugby skills under the guidance of teams of outstanding and enthusiastic coaches
  • Wetherby RUFC welcomes girls as well as boys to play in mixed teams (up to U12 level only) and girls teams from U13
  • We have bacon sandwiches, tea, coffee, chocolate muffins, sausages... the list goes on and on and we have a licensed bar in the clubhouse for the adults to warm up with a ‘shandy’ after a cold Sunday cheering the teams on.

You may have a few questions, either as a player or as a parent, then see if the question is answered belowor contact Ruth McHenery on 07770 236703 who is happy to help.

Joining

The first thing you need to do is to formally join the club. You will receive the following which will need completing:

WRUFC membership form / There are four types of form depending which category your player falls under.
Player U7-U18 (Male U13-U18)
Multi Player (there is a discount for subsequent players falling in the Category above)
Girls Team Player U13-U18 (no multi discount)
Micro U5 - U6 (no multi discount)
This sets out details of the current fees and asks you to complete details for the player joining the team as well as detailing the various pieces of permission you have to give.
The fees cover the on-going costs such as kit, training our coaches (about £200 per coach), renting the land we play on, paying for maintenance of the land, paying off our loan for the new club house, festivals and awards. It is a none profit organisation and all monies are ploughed back into the club.
Payment can be made in stages. If you feel there will be difficulty in paying then please see the secretary. When you first join you have a three week grace period to see if your playerenjoys the sport before having to pay anything.
Gift Aid / We are a registered charity and if you pay tax we can claim back money from the government for your subs which will again be ploughed back into the club.
Please can you tick the Gift Aid box on the form if you are able to.

Teams

We have teams from under 5 to under 16s. Basically, you would play for the team school year as of 1st of September of the year of joining. For example, if you are 11 years old before the 1st of September, you would play for the under 12s. The table below summarises ages and teams:

Age before 1st September / School Year / Your team
4 / Year R / Micro
5 / Year 1 / Micro
6 / Year 2 / Under 7s
7 / Year 3 / Under 8s
8 / Year 4 / Under 9s
9 / Year 5 / Under 10s
10 / Year 6 / Under 11s
11 / Year 7 / Under 12s
12 / Year 8 / Under 13s
13 / Year 9 / Under 14s
14 / Year 10 / Under 15s
15 / Year 11 / Under 16s
16 / Year 12 / Colts
17 / Year 13 / Colts

Training and Playing Games

U9 upwards tend to have a training session in the week. You will need to check with your coach or team manager for the day and time. The U7 and U8 tend to only train and play on the Sunday. Friendly games are played for most of the season. U7 - U10 have a few festivals that are entered. Most weeks your player will be needed to play in the game. It is important to let your coach and/or team manager know if you can’t attend.

There are no leagues until Colts but there are a few competitions; the U11 and U12 have a Midi Yorkshire Cup, U13 upwards will be entered into the Yorkshire cup. The only take up a few fixtures and are a knockout - most of the time the games are just friendlies.We have a general rule for friendly games that if you turn up you get to play - even if it isn’t for the whole game. We aim to develop each player to their potential while learning the joy and camaraderie of rugby.

For U7 upwards we play matches both at home and away. Most games are within 30 minutes or so drive from Wetherby, though some of the older age groups do play further afield. There are no formal travel arrangements and normally parents take their own children to away games, sometimes meeting at Grange Park first. As you become more accustomed with the club and meet other parents, we often share and it's normally possible to get a lift with other parents or one of the coaches if you arrange it beforehand.

U13 - U18 Girls isn’t developed enough to play fixtures, but cluster games are arranged. A club will host a festival and several other clubs will come down. The girls all join up and play against each other. There is usually coaching also involved in the festivals. The festivals tend to be held in Sunday afternoon. They are good fun for your girls to be involved in and you should support them as much as possible.

Rugby is a great sport to play and to watch. Parents are encouraged to become involved and to help with the club's activities - the rugby club is run entirely by volunteers. That might involve for example helping park cars in the morning marshalling at any games or festivals organised by the club and of course transporting children to and from games. If your child wants to play rugby you must be prepared to invest some of your time, if only just to come along and cheer the teams on a Sunday morning.

Kit

If you are coming along for the first time, you will need:

  • some shorts and/or track suit bottoms
  • one or two t-shirts or rugby shirts
  • a windproof/showerproof top
  • a drink
  • trainers or rugby/football boots. Please do not wear boots with blades or nylon studs as they can cause injuries to both the wearer and other players.
  • a desire to get muddy and have some fun !!!!!

If you decide you want to continue, the following kit is essential:

  • a mouth guard - you won't be allowed to play without one at U9 and above
  • white rugby shorts - cotton are better as they are more hard wearing and less likely to rip
  • rugby boots with metal studs
  • a pair of Wetherby red and white hooped socks - available from the kit store at the beginning of the season
  • a playing shirt will be provided when playing games but must be returned either at the end of the season or if you decide you no longer want to play

The following kit is recommended:

  • warm clothing such as tracksuit bottoms, woolly hat, gloves, windproof/showerproof jacket
  • a named drinks bottle and plenty of water to drink
  • a dry change of clothes and boot bag for after the match unless you don't mind having a muddy car! Boots are not allowed in the clubhouse nor are very dirty clothes.

The following kit is optional. Some wear it some don't:

  • some players wear head-guards especially players in the scrum
  • body amour
  • thigh pads
  • gloves with grips for wet weather play

Don’t forget for yourself to dress up warmly!!

Code of Conduct

The rugby club has a code of conduct that everyone is asked to adhere to. You will be emailed a copy of the code of conduct at the beginning of the season or when you first join and the signature on the application form will confirm that you and your player have read and discussed the code and agree to adhere to the code at all times.

The code sets out the standards of behaviour expected from everyone on the pitch side, in the changing rooms and when attending away games. Ultimately a player/parent/coach can be excluded from the club if they continue to behave badly even after being warned by the club.

If you require an additional copy of the code of conduct please let the secretary know.

How the Club is run

Wetherby RUFC is part of Grange Park and we share the ground with Kirk Deighton Football and Wetherby Cricket Club. Grange Park has a committee of volunteers who look after the housekeeping of the ground and Wetherby RUFC pay rent to Grange Park to do so.

Wetherby RUFC is also run by a committee; we have a Senior side into which the Junior side feed. The Junior club is a subcommittee of the Senior side, however the Juniors do have their own chair, secretary, treasurer , safeguarding officer, fixtures secretary as well as coaches, team managers, team welfare officers and first aiders.

Communication to and from the Club

Email is the preferred communication mechanism so we issue as much as possible this way. You may well receive an email each week with details of what is happening on Sunday. If our games are away the team coach will inform you of the time which we are going to meet and provide information on directions to the club we are visiting.

We will include as many email addresses as you like so feel free to give us work as well as personal emails. . If you have any changes to email addresses or additional addresses that you would like to be included, please let the secretary and your team manager know.

If you need any information about the club or need to let someone know you are not available for a match then you need to speak to your team manager or coach or ask the Junior secretary.

Social side

We are very sociable and usually after training or a match everyone goes to the bar afterwards for a warm up with a pint beer or a cup of tea. It is good practice to bring your player back into the bar afterwards for something to eat as this is the continuation of the team bonding that occurs on the field and develops friendships further. Soon you will find your player will start to know many people outside of their school and their social circle will increase.

Once a year at the end of the season we have an End of Season Ball (adults only) this is a big affair and the tickets sell out quickly. We have an end of season Awards Day for everyone with a BBQ; sometimes teams organise their own social events for their players as part of team building.

Hopefully this has been helpful to you but if you want any further information we have a website

or just ask you coach or contact our secretary Ruth on 07770 236703.