CLAYTON, North Carolina – It’s been over a year since the Clayton Rugby Football Club participated in any competitive play. Aside from some pick up touch rugby this past fall, any sort of organized training has also been non-existent since the sport was put on hold last spring due to COVID19. It’s long overdue, but recent trends in COVID cases paint a promising picture for returning to play. Armed with this info, the club has decided to resume Men’s training before the end of March and has opened registration for their spring in-house youth flag rugby program.
The Men’s sides are returning to non-contact training with recommended COVID protocols in place. The club has organized some social competition for May, which is normally the month break between the end of XVs season and the start of 7s season in June. Having not played any rugby, to date, during the 2020/2021 season it was an easy decision to sneak in some rugby before 7s season starts. The club recently announced plans to run the CottonTown 7s this summer as all signs are pointing towards a full summer of rugby.
As with other programs, the club’s in-house youth flag rugby program fell victim to COVID last spring. The club has opened registration for the program, which starts at the end of April and runs through the end of May. The 6-week program is a great introduction to the sport of rugby. The program is for girls and boys ages 5-12 (K-5th grade).
“It’s been a long and frustrating road,” said Club President Ted Hardy. “We’re more confident than ever before that the light is at the end of the tunnel. Our board will continue to monitor the situation closely to ensure a safe return to play for all of our members. We’re excited to finally see a positive direction forward and look forward to getting our Men and Youth players back on the pitch in the next month.”
The Men’s Bootleggers return to non-contact training on March 25th and plan to transition into light contact in April as they prepare to return to full contact rugby in May. The Youth Wombats return on April 21st for their spring program. Plans are in motion for an expanded fall youth program. More details on fall youth play will be available mid-summer.
To learn more about the Clayton Rugby Football Club or if you are interested in joining, please contact us at [email protected]. The Clayton RFC welcomes players with or without prior experience.