Parking
When you arrive, please park as close to the clubhouse as you can and within the car park markings.
Please park beyond the Colchester Rugby Club Parking A-Boards. When these are full, please park beyond and behind the club in the grass / webbed overspill area. Please then enter your reg. no. and length of stay in the small parking computer in the hallway just beyond the entrance porch. It may well say there are no tariffs (it is free) but always try just in case. CRFC do not control the parking, so any parking issues need to be taken up with Colchester Borough Council. We have limited car parking on site so we ask that everyone parks considerately, park as close to other cars as possible to ensure everyone can park on site – inconsiderate parking does nothing to help the club. If car park marshals are on duty please adhere to their instructions without fail.

Coaching
Minis and Youth are coached almost every Sunday of the season if they do not have a formal match. Youth sides (U13-U16) also train 1 weeknight during the week. The age group can confirm which night this is for them.

Start Times
Minis generally start at 9.30am, Youth at 11am – but this may change according to circumstances and availability of pitches – please see weekly updates on the club’s Pitchero web site.

Pitches
See image of pitch locations (but ask anyone and they will point you in the right direction.

Responsible Adult – Mini Section only
We ask that a responsible adult is pitch side during the complete session to take responsibility for your child. The coaches do not count, as we cannot give individual care to children.

Kit
You will know most of this anyway, but it is important that your youngsters are warm and hopefully as dry as conditions allow. Activities will continue whatever the weather (providing it remains safe).
· Rugby boots or appropriate footwear and Trainers (please note that if your son is being coached / playing a match on an all-weather pitch he / she must wear studded boots – trainers / bladed boots are not allowed)
· Rugby training kit, to include waterproof top and a hat
· Protective equipment if desired
· Gum shield / mouth guard – correctly fitted
· Change of clothing for wet-weather conditions
· Drinks bottle

Minis - You do not need to purchase Colchester rugby kit until you are 100% sure you will be with us for the season.
Youths – club shirts are supplied for matches; players are expected to play in club (or black) shorts & socks.

Club Membership
Everyone who plays for CRFC must be a member and have an RFU number. If your child is new to rugby, we suggest you wait and get 3 weeks of training under their belt before you commit to joining, but you will need to join before you can play a match. More on memberships below

Clubhouse
After coaching or matches, you are always welcomed in the club house for a drink and some food; food for the youngsters is free after a match fixture.

Club Shop
Our club shop is open at various times during the week and at weekends – it stocks all our CRFC kit as well as other rugby related merchandise, ideal for the last-minute gift or panic.

We look forward to your son / daughter (and indeed parents) having a great season.
If you have any queries or issues, do please speak to your team manager or: -

Ross Cowie – Chairman of Youth Rugby
Doug Boulton – Chairman of Mini Rugby
Maggie Whiteman – Safeguarding Officer

Please read the below very carefully to ensure you are administratively prepared for rugby at CRFC its long winded and we apologise for that, but every step is very important to you, your club, the volunteers that run your club and most importantly your player. If you don’t complete every part of the below then you could be stopped from playing, which no one in the club wants.

There are 3 things that absolutely must be done.

1. Join our website – this is vital for you to see news, fixtures, selections, results and be communicated to by the club.
2. Pay your membership products – without this the club cannot function so it’s vital this is paid on time and accurately.
3. Join the RFU, affiliate to CRFC and give us your RFU number.

Step 1 - Joining our website.

CRFC’s website and back-office functions are controlled by a system called Pitchero.

Many small & large retailers use systems like Shopify or WordPress for their online presence and e-commerce. Pitchero is that sort of system but especially designed for sports clubs, it does all the back-office functions for over 70,000 clubs worldwide, its proven and works very well for us.

It’s very simple to use and there is a Pitchero Club App which can be used on most smart phones to ensure you don’t miss anything.

Once you are logged in then you can use the website (or indeed the Pitchero Club app) to

• Check out the latest club news

• See details of training or fixtures applicable to you or your player

• Confirm your availability for training / confirm selection for fixtures

• Receive or send messages to your team admin/coaches – going forward and following RFU guidelines this method of comms will be the only option – facebook/whatsapp etc. are all being phased out for team management.

• Pay your seasonal membership fees

To join the system, you go to www.colchesterrugby.co.uk

In the top right-hand corner, it says LOGIN or JOIN

You have 3 choices now.

1. You are already on our Pitchero system – click log in

2. You are new to CRFC and not on our system - click join

3. You are not sure whether you are or not – click login in

Please follow the appropriate instructions below

Option 1
Please log in and check all the information for you (and if you are a parent, your player(s) information is/are correct – please ensure the medical bit is up to date but ensure everything is filled in.

Option 2
Fill in all the details for yourself first.
Accept the T&C as you wish to
Then apply for a “role”.

• Supporter – someone who just wants to be up to date on happenings at the club.
• Club Member – someone who pays a membership product and can use our facilities etc.
• Player – someone how plays
• Parent – someone who has responsibility for a mini, youth or colt player.
• Coach – someone who actively coaches within CRFC
• Team Admin – someone who has an admin role within a team.

Once you have done this and you wish to add a child please click Apply for roles
And click Parent then you can add a child and apply for them to be a player in a team.

Option 3
If you have been a member in the last 5 years, the chances are, you are on our system already, then click forgotten your password, if you are on our system then you will get an email on how to reset your password. Once you have received the details and logged in, please follow the instructions for option 1

Answers to some FAQ

• I’m an adult and not at school – why does it ask this?

The membership form is generic – please just fill out as much as you can that is relevant to you!

• Do I need to fill out all the information for my son/daughter?

YES, this is very important. Team admins rely on a lot of this information for match days.

• Where do I get my RFU number?

This is very important as without one you are not permitted to play in fixtures, this will be covered in step 3

• Do I have to have the Pitchero Club app?

No of course not, everything can be done on a pc by logging onto the www.colchesterrugby.co.uk website but the Pitchero club app is a great tool to do lots of things on the move.

So that’s it you are on our systems – WELL DONE

Step 2 – Paying your membership

Firstly, you need to decide what kind of membership you need.

If you are a senior player, then you need one of our senior player memberships – there are several types of membership depending on your circumstances.

If you are a mini, youth or colt player then you need the appropriate membership product.

In addition, we offer a supporter memberships for non-playing members who wish to actively support the club

All our membership products are available to view on our website.

The system sends out membership payment requests for all members in August – or just after you join the system if in the middle of a season. We offer monthly payments for all our products to make life a little bit easier.

Please be aware that we do not refund memberships if you decide to leave the club before the season end, the entire membership is due regardless of the duration of your time with the club. Likewise, we do not offer a discounted rate if you join partway through the season.

Some FAQs

• I am not sure which membership product is right for me?

We have several types of membership please ensure you select the right one for you and your player(s) – if you are not sure ask your team manager.

• Do I have to pay today?

No, our season starts on the 1st Sept 2024 and you get 3 weeks to take out your membership – but don’t leave it to the last minute, because we’d like everyone to take part in fixtures and if you’ve not paid then you cannot play or train.

• I have several players in different sections, how do I pay for each?

Within each mini or youth membership product is an option for an additional youth or mini so if you have 1 youth and 1 mini – select the youth payment for the first player and then the additional mini/youth for the second player and so on.

• Wow, it’s a lot of money in one payment!

Yes, and we acknowledge that hence we have introduced an option to pay your membership in 6, monthly instalments

• I no longer wish to be part of CRFC but I’d like to be kept up to date with news

No problems just drop us a message on Pitchero or email us membership@colchesterrugby.co.uk and we can remove you from the database, you can still keep up to date via our website.

Hopefully the above answers all the questions you might have – but if you still need assistance then please email membership@colchesterrugby.co.uk and we’ll do our utmost to assist you.

Step 3 – Join the RFU and affiliate.

Everyone who pays rugby in England must be registered with the RFU and obtain an RFU number – without an RFU number you are not permitted to play for CRFC, so this is vitally important.

This whole operation is controlled by the RFU and CRFC have no input into this, so any questions have to be directed to the RFU – below are the basics of the process

If you are new to rugby, then the process is simple – go to https://gms.rfu.com/GMS/Home/Start click the Create new account button and follow the instructions. This will then give you, your player RFU number. This can then be put into the RFU number box on your pitchero account.

You then need to affiliate.

Adult players – go to your GMS profile and select Colchester under your teams – then click the button marked Affiliate as Player. CRFC will then approve this.

Age Grade Affiliation

Age Grade Player Affiliation is a fully online annual process for club players between U6 to U18. RFU Regulation requires players to be affiliated online each season within 45 days of the start of the season or from first joining the club.

This simple process involves a players’ parent / guardian affiliating their child on an annual basis on the RFUs Game Management System (GMS) and being approved by the Club Registrar.

EXISTING PLAYERS
For an existing player, the parent updates a child’s details with any new medical information, emergency contact details and consents, linked directly from their own Personal Profile page.

NEW PLAYERS
For brand new players, there is a simple Profile creation and affiliation system on the same platform in GMS.

The online, parent-led process ensures that parents and players are in control of their unique individual record through their lifetime in rugby, ensuring data security and compliance with applicable data protection law. It provides more consistent, accurate and up-to-date information for clubs and the RFU to help players and parents enjoy their Age Grade Rugby and transition into the adult game.
This process is now mobile optimised and enables parents to log onto GMS using their mobile devices to complete the process.

GMS HELP PORTAL – EVERYTHING YOU NEED...
The GMS Help Portal is your one-stop shop for everything related to Age Grade Affiliation. The Portal was upgraded significantly in summer 2020 and continues to develop. It provides an excellent suite of step-by-step guides, articles, solutions and announcements for all the elements of Age Grade Affiliation and Membership Payments in GMS. Should you need more support, you can also Submit a Help Request on the Portal, which goes to the GMS helpdesk.

We are here to help, and we understand all the above can be dauting.

Many thanks for taking the time to read and complete all the above, it really does make a difference to your club.