SPECIAL FEATURE: Rugby clubs coping with Covid-19 - Northampton Men's Own

While other sports managed to return to action before again being put on hold for the current second lockdown, aside from organised training sessions, rugby has been in hibernation since early March due to the amount of close physical contact there is in the game.

It is nine months since teams were able to play any competitive fixtures, and clubs have thankfully been able to keep things ticking over thanks to grants from the Government and Sport England, as well as some RFU funding.

But it has still been a very difficult and concerning time, and there is still no date set in stone for when teams can start playing again.

So how has the pandemic, the subsequent lockdowns and lack of competitive rugby affected the area’s clubs?

Prior to Thursday's news of the Government will be providing a substantial and welcome bailout to the sport, sports editor JEREMY CASEY contacted clubs to find out how they have been coping, what they are doing to keep things ticking over, and their hopes for the next few months and the long-term future...

We continue the series with NORTHAMPTON MEN'S OWN

NORTHAMPTON Men’s Own have been thinking outside the box to keep their club prospering during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Like county neighbours Casuals, the Ashton-based club are closing in on their 100th birthday, and will also bring up their century in 2022.

But unlike town-based clubs Casuals, ONs and Old Scouts, Own have had to work that little bit harder to keep things ticking over at their home, which is based in the village of Ashton, near Stoke Bruerne. So how has it been over the two lockdowns and inbetween for Men’s Own?

“After the first lockdown was called we organised a board meeting, because the bar at the club is 75 per cent of our income, and if the bar is not open it was a case of ‘how do we survive?’,” said secretary Glenn Nightingale.

“So we put our heads together, reduced our overheads and one of our guys took the membership on and tried to persuade everybody to pay monthly by direct debit.

“We halved our overheads and the membership secretary pushed things, and also we are renovating the place because in 2022 we are 100 years old.

“As part of that, we set up a 1922 club for past players to pay £5 a month to support us, keep in touch, still be a member, part of the family, and that money also helped with the survival of the club.”

Effectively, Men’s Own was mothballed during the first lockdown, before the senior and junior sections returned to training in July.

Hopes were high as the club followed RFU guidelines in a bid to return to playing, but that was all jettisoned with lockdown two - and meant it was time for Nightingale and his fellow board members to get their thinking caps on again.

“We found lockdown one to be quite a positive experience, people were more than happy to keep paying their membership to ensure the survival of the club,” he said.

“We got back to rugby in July, we were training, we were getting good numbers and we could have a beer afterwards, but this new lockdown and the cancellation of the structured season until 2021 is an issue.

“We are hoping the RFU come up with an alternative so we can play again, whether it be playing with not so much contact, so it is more of free-flowing game, but we’ll have to see on that.

“But the thing is, at grassroots rugby level we have to look after ourselves.”

And he added: “Financially we are fine, the community spirit has been great.

“So it has been good, but post-Christmas that is when we might start losing people to the game, not just the club. Come February it will be nearly a year without a game, and we have only played one home match in 2020.

“So we have put into operation a plan, assuming we are out of lockdown on December 2. We have got a diary with around a dozen events planned over the next six months or so.

“We want to get back socially, to get the members back at the club even if it’s only for a chat and a pint, because they are part of our family.

“We always struggle for numbers in January and February, and if the numbers do drop then we will look at something else.

“We will drop training to one night a week and hire a pool table to start a pool league where people to pay to compete, so have to turn up. And if you get a dozen people to play, then another dozen might turn up to watch and you have a clubhouse full.

“We have to adapt to survive whether it’s pool, darts, skittles or whatever to just get people through the door.

“It’s always been an issue for us, we are out on the fringes, we are not one of the big clubs, and not many people walk to our ground, so we are looking at other social events and putting mini-buses and taxis on as part of the fee.

“We are also thinking of a cinema night, socially distanced, we have a great committee and are thinking outside of the box, to not just survive, but to survive as a close-knit club.

“Some people could look at things in a negative way, but at Men’s Own we are being very positive, we are being pro-active, thinking about what else we can do.

“The new year is always a struggle, to try and keep the lads enthusiastic in February, but we will keep thinking of things to do.”