Membership
WELCOME TO THE NEW SEASON 2019/20.
We have been busy over the summer months getting everything prepared and as you can imagine there is a lot to do.
Firstly, £130 for 32 sessions of rugby, for those aged U6-U14 equates to just over £4 a session, this is very good value! For those who have commited to continue at U15 and above and who train twice a week this is just over £2 a session!
As a club we cannot rely solely on the generosity of our amazing sponsors and between them and the subscriptions that we collect there is an awful amount to purchase and pay for.
With 14 squads and approximately 600-650 children we need a lot of equipment.
Each season we use approximately 400 balls (that is approximately one per every two children, or 20/25 per squad) and whilst our fantastic coaches do there best to try and keep track of them all, children will be children and they get lost. They also simply wear out!
We need 600+ bibs and replace approximately 100/200 per season due to wear and tear & them being lost.
We need match shirts for each age group, somewhere in the region of 300/350 in total. At £20+ a shirt this is a big investment and of course due to the nature of the game they get ripped and damaged and of course some do go astray.
We need tackle pads, tackle bags and cones, enough to cater for 14 squads and 600+ children.
We need kit for the 100/120 volunteer coaches and managers who turn out in all weather to ensure great continuity in the coaching of our children.
Every coach needs to be DBS checked and we try to ensure that all coaches are First-Aid trained, competently trained in Child Safeguarding and trained to the relevant level as a Rugby Coach for the age group they are volunteering for.
We do not look to make a profit at the M&Js but only to balance the books at the end of the season whilst still being able to invest in kit, equipment, coaches and of course the children themselves.
Quality competition and fixtures are vitally important (especially at Junior level and above) and the U12s - Colts have historically played in the County leagues, previously Hampshire but now Sussex as travel links are better and they release their fixtures calendar toward the end of the previous season enabling us to plan all of our travel for the following season before the end of May and with each age group playing between 6-12 fixtures a season it is a lot to organize and pay for.
So in total this equates to approximately 1,200 flights (and connections at the other end) so around £150,000! We also encourage all the other squads from U7s upwards to travel to away fixtures when and where possible so this add extra cost. In order to reduce the burden on families we subsidies these travel costs when and where possible.
When we have a visiting squads, which we try and encourage as much as possible as it means that parents and families can get to watch their children play, we need to look after and feed them.
Overall we spend around £200,000 on travel alone!
The U15s, U16s & Colts don't train on a Sunday, mainly due to pitch space, so they train in the evenings during the week. When the clocks change in October they need light and with only Pitch 2 under fixed floodlights, we needed to invest in new portable lights, this we did during the 2017 / 18 season at a cost of £22,000.
As many will testify it can be a very bleak experience being a 'Rugby Parent' especially on those cold, wet winter mornings. We are therefore investing in a quantity of 'shelters' for spectators to hunker under and visiting teams use for their reserves and to store their kit.
All of this comes at a cost and if we simply just 'cover our costs' every year we will never be able to invest in replacement or new equipment and the obvious losers will be those we are ultimately looking to invest in, our children.
If you would like to discuss any of this further or feel you may be able to help as a sponsor/donor then please do not hesitate to speak to myself or any member of the committe.
If you would like your child to join the M&Js but feel that the cost is prohibitive please speak to us as we would like everyone to have the opportunity and have an 'Inclusion Fund' to ensure that we can.
Roger Nightingale
CHAIRMAN
MINIS & JUNIORS
The Minis & Juniors welcomes new players every September and throughout the season dependent upon age, availability of places and experience.
The next intake will be in September 2019.
The first training session of the 2019/20 season will be on Sunday 1st September.
All those interested in registering with us for the 2019/20 season are recommended to contact the Minis & Juniors Vice-Chairman and Membership Secretary - Kevin Gollop - who will be delighted to provide further information and assistance with the registration process. Also see the link to our current Handbook at the bottom of this page.
Alternatively, click on the relevant link to be directed to our online registration forms and payment portal.
REGISTRATION LINKS
I wish to register my child as a Minis & Juniors Player (U6 - U16, Girls RU & Mixed Touch)
I wish to register my child or children as Minis & Juniors Players
(note, you can now use this form if you have already registered one of your children using the Individual Player form)
I wish to register my child as a Colt Player (U17 & U!8)
Kevin can be contacted at jrfcamemberships@hotmail.co.uk or on 07797 723101.
Please note that in order to join the Minis & Juniors in their youngest squad, the U6s, all players must have attained their 5th birthday by the 31st August and thus be in school year 1.
BE PREPARED
New players are reminded that gumshields are compulsory in all age groups.
Everything you need is available at our own shop, situated in our containers between pitches 2, 4 & 5 (Sunday mornings - during the season only)
From JSSK (Jersey Schools & Sports Kit) situated at Les Quennevais Parade, St Brelade.
Or online at http://www.jssk.co.uk/jersey-reds-minis-juniors
For all enquiries please contact Paula at paula@jssk.co.uk
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Please take note that all new players are required to register with the Club Membership Secretary BEFORE they commence training.
Where possible please provide home and mobile telephone numbers and email addresses which you can access in the evening and at weekends, this will greatly assist our Squad Managers.
The subscriptions for the 2019/20 season are as follows:
| Single Child | £130 |
| Second Child | £ 90 |
| Third Child | £ 45 |
| Colts - U17 and U18 Boys and Girls only | £130 |
Pro-rata rates apply after 1st January. Please contact Kevin Gollop for details.
WANT TO GET INVOLVED?
Calling all volunteers - if you feel that you would like to become more involved than being a touchline supporter, either within your child's particular squad or on a wider basis within the Minis & Juniors, for example, coaching or even at Committee level, please contact the Minis & Juniors Chairman - Neil Pinel - as with the growth of the section, we are always on the lookout for additional pairs of hands. We continue to seek volunteers generally to assist on specific occasions, such as the Siam Cup and for French speakers to both assist our visiting teams from France and to accompany squads to France. If you think that you might be able to lend a hand, please have a chat with our Volunteers Co-ordinator, David Dodge on 07797 726856 or you will find him around pitch 6 on a Sunday morning.
And of course we are always looking for adduitional / new sponsors, both individuals and corporates, so if you are interested we shall be delighted to have a discussion and to explain the many opportunities.
The Minis & Juniors Shop is located in the green container between pitches 2 and 4, look for the feather flags.
Remember, we are here to help.
