The Season That Won’t Be
When I received the news that the 2020-21 season will not go ahead I was bitterly disappointed, Old Alleynian’s had been on a good run in the previous season, and training sessions through September and October had reminded everyone at the club the value that rugby brings.
This disappointment was quickly trivialised in the context of the hardships that many people in our community and around the world are experiencing. Cancelling a rugby season is certainly a sensible thing to do to protect people from getting seriously ill and to help everyone get back to normality as soon as possible. The economic and personal challenges of this period put rugby in perspective; and rather than dwell on a season that won’t be the question I believe we should be asking is:
How can we make this time as constructive as possible?
For me this boils down to two things:
- Supporting Players
- Preparing the Club
Supporting Players
The impact of the virus is felt in many ways, affecting loved ones and livelihoods. At its core a community rugby club is just that a community and as far as possible we should strive to ensure that all players, (and club members) feel supported through whatever difficulties they are facing.
How can we support our players?
- Creating new ways for players to engage with the club working within the restrictions
- Encouraging players to stay active
- Encouraging players to share ideas about how to move the club forward
Through encouraging an ongoing dialogue with players we can continue to identify ways to help evolve the club to meet their needs. This period creates an opportunity to really listen to players and to involve them in strategic initiatives. At a more basic level the club can operate as a support network, some solace outside of the day to day.
Preparing the Club
The loss of a season creates a huge amount of time; time to think, time to re-evaluate, and time to create . Ordinarily in a busy season this is not a luxury that a coaching team has. This period creates an unprecedented opportunity to think strategically about the development of the club and to improve the experience of players volunteers and supporters for years to come.
What ways can we support the development of the club?
- Creating stronger connections with other areas of the club (Ladies, Mens, Juniors, Vets, Committees etc…)
- Creating more efficient processes to enable volunteers to be more impactful
- Identifying and launching strategic projects for the club, to improve facilities or expand offerings
- Identifying opportunities to partner with local organisations (Schools, Other Clubs, Physio Clinics, Gyms etc…)
Kicking off some new initiatives can be a great way to help foster a community ethos at a time when contact is limited.
By re-framing the loss of a season as an opportunity to support players and lay some ground work to improve the future, I hope to reflect on this time as being well spent for the betterment of tomorrow.
