News

#ReturnToRugby: Rainey Old Boys RFC

18th September 2020
Ulster Rugby spoke to Rainey Old Boys RFC this week to see how they have prepared for, and implemented, a return to activity within the IRFU’s Return To Rugby guidelines. Gerry McCann, who has been involved with the club for over 40 years, is their COVID-19 Safety Officer. “I work in construction and used to do some freelance health and safety work on construction sites, as well as fire safety risk assessments. The club asked me to take on the role of COVID-19 Safety Officer as required by the IRFU. “My new role involves adapting the safety measures outlined in the IRFU’s Return To Rugby guidance to fit with our club. For example, Rainey has only one gate, so we are not able to implement a one-way system in and out of the grounds, which we have had to carefully manage and find an alternative solution to. “We are working with the council to make use of their 4G pitch at the nearby sports complex as well. We are using portable hand sanitising stations, and we bring these to training.” As part of the IRFU Return To Rugby procedures, clubs must also appoint Compliance Officers, in addition to the COVID-19 Safety Officer. “We have two Compliance Officers for each team at the club to make sure we are compliant at every level. Most of our Compliance Officers are part of each team’s coaching setup. I deliver their training – and it’s mostly about applying common sense.” Much of the work that Gerry and the club has been doing has been around the facilities, initially for players and coaches to come to training, and more recently, to allow a small number of spectators to attend games. “When training started, we closed the ground gates completely, and players had to arrive in their own cars, kitted out, and bring their own water bottles. They had to sanitise their hands pitch-side and, initially, the players were training in pods of up to 15, before moving into the squad sessions, and finally contact training. They are still in their team pods now. Our first match was last weekend, and players parked in a separate part of the car park, and didn’t mix with any supporters." “For spectators, we carried out a risk assessment and decided to allow up to 100 people to attend. Spectators were not allowed to park in the club car park and had to park outside. We closed off three sides of the pitches to stop spectators from walking around. Each of our fence posts is 2 metres wide, so we have signage to advise people they should keep to 2-metres social distancing. We fixed hand sanitising points across the fence, so people didn’t have far to go to use them. Immediately after the game, spectators left, and the clubhouse bar remained closed throughout.” Although the club has found the IRFU Return To Rugby roadmap to be very useful, the biggest challenge for both the club and Gerry has been trying to navigate through the guidelines for different jurisdictions, and applying the relevant measures to Rainey OB. “The guidance and documentation from the IRFU have been excellent and are updated regularly. With the difference between clubs in the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland, it can be difficult to know what is applicable to us, so we are very grateful to Ulster Rugby and the IRFU for their support - and we will continue to adapt to make sure we continue to comply with the latest health advice. "I'd also like to express my appreciation for all the coaches and players from minis to seniors, as well as the club's Committee, on their attitude and compliance to the guidance that has been developed for our return to rugby."