We finally have some good news, with the relaxing of restrictions Senior Rugby training can resume this week albeit with extra restrictions and Covid safety measures.
We look forward to seeing all our senior players back on the pitch tomorrow night at 7.45pm.
As of the moment no fixtures have been confirmed, however the IRFU stated last week that no competitive rugby will start before January ninth.
The Leinster branch are very keen to get rugby going again as outlined below but teams will need 2-3 weeks of contact training first.
How this all ties in with Level 3 restrictions should be revealed this week and we will hopefully have a more detailed update next week.
In an update published at the start of November, the Leinster branch emphasised that they are ready and willing to restart competitions in abbreviated forms as soon as the regulations allowed.
They specifically acknowledged the positive affect on mental health that sport has and in that light, want to maximise games for the rest of the season.
If the Leinster League resumes it will be in an abbreviated format, with the aim of all sides playing each other once, rather than home and away.
Unfortunately, in this format there will be no promotion/relegation. A Champion’s League style Cup competition is also being muted. Fingers crossed there is still lots of rugby to play and we will see our first senior games on our new 3G pitch not long after it opens!
Great news: Underage rugby continues
One of the few rays of light during the Level 5 restrictions was that training continued for all underage teams.
Thanks to the dedication to all our Officers, Coaches and Parents for keeping the show safely on the road.
Obviously with restrictions starting to relax training can continue. However, at the moment there is no news on when matches might restart. For the moment our players will keep working on their skills and fitness and look forward to taking the pitch again soon.
Minis (Boys/Girls)
U6-U12 Sundays 10.30am-12.00pm.
Boys
U13 Wednesday 7.00-8.30pm (born 2008)
U14 Thursday 7.00-8.30pm (born 2007)
U15 Mon 7.00-8.30pm and Thursday 7.00-8.30pm (born 2006)
U16 Tuesday 7.30-9.00pm (born 2005)
U17 Wednesday 7.30-9.00pm (born 2004)
U18 Wednesday 7.30-9.00pm (born 2003 & up to 01/07/2002)
Girls
U12&U14 Thursday 7.30-8.30pm
U16&U18 Wednesday 7.30-9.00pm
Contact 0862526741 for more information.
Longford Rugby Club is a 'Minimum20' club. Youth teams up to U15 promote minimum 20 minutes game time for all players on match day squads. Longford Minis rugby promotes equal game time at all times during games or blitz events.
New 3G Pitch Progress Update
Despite all the bad weather there is great progress been made on our new state of the art 3G pitch with all the foundation stone now installed.
Fingers crossed all is on target for opening early in the new year, which coincides with the time of the year when an all-weather pitch is most required.
Once opened cancellations due to water logged pitches will be a thing of the past. We will keep posting weekly updates on its progress.
The cost of project is c€600,000. Although we have received a sizeable grant from LCDC of Longford County Council through the Leader programme, we still need to raise the balance of the funds.
Thanks to everyone who has contributed so far. We still have some way to go, however. If you can contribute, please contact Derick Turner on 0862559624. An innovative scheme is available where any contributions can be spread via a lost cost monthly direct debit.
U13s Training with Ireland International
Our U13 players have been lucky to have the expert coaching of one of our former players Shane Mallon over the last few weeks.
Shane played rugby with Longford up to U15 level before departing for Cistercian College Roscrea.
We are very proud of what Shane has achieved in rugby to date where he has represented Leinster and Ireland at U18 level.
U13s Head Coach Aoghan Clarke is sure that Shanes coaching is a huge help to the U13s and shows that anything is possible with effort and determination.
We wish Shane the best with his career and we all will be keeping an eye on his future progress. You can see some of the highlights of Shanes recent rugby here
Your Club Your Country Draw
As with all clubs it has been a tough time especially with no fundraising possible. The IRFU run Your Club Your Country Draw offers you the chance to support Longford RFC and win some fantastic prizes, with all funds going directly to the club.
We will be posting a link online this week and are looking for a lot of support as ticket sales close next Sunday December 6th.
Stay tuned to the clubs website, Facebook and Twitter accounts for more information.
The prizes include: Summer Tour in Pacific Islands in June 2021, a €5,000 holiday voucher and a VIP trip to Rome with the IRFU Patrons Club.
