Little income from pre-match meals - perhaps 50-75 could attend a sit down but many more in a buffet style pie and beans (with social distancing queue!)

With a bit of thought crowds should be OK but there will be little banter and few away supporters (each in their own individual cars)

Its all possible, all we now need is the players. 

Having been squeezed into the middle tier of the North stand in the past, I would suggest that only every fourth row would be usable with a four seat gap between each other is the only way with 2 metre distancing. 1Metre distance would still take out two rows and 2 seats between them

I calculated the stand based on rows 1/3/5 and occupying a seat diago onally behind the occupied row in front.

Booking may become the norm with a priority from season tickets and clickers on the gate. 

TBH I have little interest in RFU/ Premiership - very much in their own cosy bubble. 

No, I don't know what seating configurations these were based on, or whether you have to book a toilet slot from 3.49pm to 3.53pm or the many other aspects of detail...

In a sense there's little point worrying about the detail of this, isn't there, since it's 2 months until there's any rugby likely to be played? eg presumably household people can sit together? I'd be very surprised if the 2m rule isn't ditched within the next month...

But a vast amount of the drop in GDP is in the wider entertainment sector - pubs, restaurants films, concerts and sport.

And as John Timpson pointed out the knock on - if you are not going out you do not need to dry cean your party clothes. Or indeed to buy a new outfit.

If you can work from home in your pyjamas - you do not need the new suit.

We are buying new networking equiqment and Netflix subscriptions.

And while we can do a lot on line - there is a pent up demand for the social contact.

So I think more people will want to go to sporting events in person rather than watch on TV.

But it will only be possible after we develop a vaccine and until we are hit by the next pandemic.

I appreciate that many on this forum resent the fact that so much money goes to PRL thus reducing other areas of spend. At the AGM yesterday Bill Sweeney suggested that there was now an opportunity to change the balance. Let’s hope that happens. 

It means the only pathway is through the professional academies which moves them even closer to ring fenced franchises. 

Do you really mean this?

Also let us not forget the coaches who work at this level. We have many great coaches who have a full time job and do not work in "full time" rugby who pass their k knowledge on through this pathway. 

If the RFU do not fund the pathway then CBs have to find a way to make this happen!

Todays TheRugbyPaper makes pretty desperate reading regarding the financial position of the game in England,the UK and the wider International game.Australia is on the verge of bankruptcy.

If the money isn't there - it's not only not there but there are very substantial debts - they they can't spend it on this or that. I suspect similar comments could apply to most other sports.

The only way to save the professional game in the long term is to keep the community game alive.

This may mean that the professional game has to die and be reborn.

I did say earlier - is this the time to think the unthinkable and invite the league clubs back to build one strong code.

The RFU sees investment in the community game being through AGPs, RDOs to support Clubs, grants for development and coaching, management and refereeing development. They don’t feel they should be giving money to Clubs to pay players, that should be the choice of the Clubs.

I don’t agree with everything they are doing and perhaps they do get it wrong occasionally but I do see a commitment to the community game, even if that means Level 7 and below which doesn’t interest many on this forum. They also see women’s rugby as a massive growth area so expect more support for that. If you haven’t got a women’s team now you soon will have!

If by community clubs you mean Nat 1 and Nat 2 Clubs who use the "community club" tag but still pay large match fees then I agree. If you think for one minute that Clubs at Level 5/6/7 or below get any money of the RFU to fund  players then you are plain wrong. Notwithstanding the "Payment of Players Declaration" that clubs now have to complete how much "money" do you think the RFU is giving to clubs?

AGP funding was CUT last year leaving several "community clubs" stuck between a rock and a hard place who had invested some money on surveys and reports. AGPs will not be funded in any major way in the future because they do not make enough revenue. More RDO's and CRCs are to lose their jobs over the next six months, Grants are being cut or completely withdrawn and quite sure the Referee fraternity are all making a wry-smile on your Referee Development comment.

As for Women's Rugby, yes RFU are dead keen if only to bring in the funding they can get from Government initiatives. If you think that 10, 100, 1000 Womens sides are going to appear in the next 5-10 years then I would a say more like halfway between the two first numbers if we are lucky. 

I know very well how little money is given to Clubs by the RFU, particularly at Level 6 and below. The RFU considers Level 3 the top of the Community game but doesn't want those Clubs to overreach on player payments. I was also making the point of what the RFU wants to do with the money it has. We always want them to spend more money on us but are rarely happy with what we get.

Your county might not need a RDO - but outside the Duchy most state school do not offer rugby.

So there is a role for a RDO in getting pupils their first experience of the game.

I am totally with you on travel - Cambridge is lucky as we are fairly central.

AGP is I believe the plan to roll out 3G pitches.

I'm fully aware of the money Clubs at Levels 3/4 receive from the RFU, being currently the Treasurer of a Level 4 Club! I didn't say that the RFU gave money to Clubs to pay for players. What I said was that the RFU don't feel they should be giving money to Clubs to pay players, several posters over the years have asked for this. I'm sorry that you don't see your RDO, we see ours and work with them. The one retained this summer has been very supportive. As well as travel money the RFU dos support our referees and ARs, that isn't all our money. 

No wonder you don’t see your RDO as it doesn’t sound like he’s needed

Have to disagree with that based on local experience in last 5 yrs

In Berks 5 yrs ago Newbury, Reading, Bracknell & Windsor had a teams each

Bracknell became Crowthorne (well the players defected) but have since reformed at Bracknell as well, Reading Abbey formed a team and made it up to Champ level and now have a 2nd team, Newbury have a 2nd team, Rams formed a team, Reading and Windsor still going. So in last 5 yrs Berks alone has gone from 4 teams at 4 clubs to 9 at 7. Over the same time girls rugby has gone from a single BaaBaas team at u15 & 18 to 6 u13 teams, 4 u15 and 2 ish u18 teams, county trials at U15 was 22 5 yrs ago which was all the girls in berks at that age group inc those playing up from u13 on a dispensation, this year there were 74 at U15 with no dispensation (was ended when the sex split dropped from u12 to u11) and many other not trialling.

Still opportunity for other clubs like Maidenhead to form ladies teams (they run touch currently)

Depends on the circumstances of each club though doesn't it (where they are and what they can offer)? AIUI (well it was correct on Monday so they might have heard now) Moseley have got enough women players now that they're waiting to hear imminently from the RFU on whether they can enter a second team into the leagues.

Now, they *could* be told to go off and start/join another team, but apparently they want to play for Moseley...

Dad, I have to agree with Piff Paff.

My wife is still playing Senior rugby after 31 seasons at both University and our club, she founded our Womens XV 25 seasons ago and we have been fortunate to play uninterupted during that time.

My daughter now plays seniors after coming through the continuum from the age of five to found the girls teams at the club so she could play. We now have U15s, U18s and 25+ Senior Women.

I told the misses that the RFUs goal was to get a Womens team in all the clubs in the Union (1500+).

After 30 minutes she stopped laughing at me.

Goals are generally meant to be SMART Specific measurable Achievalbe Relevant and Time bounded.

We are not going to get a women's team in every club this season (if ever).

Surely it is better to have a goal for this season - perhaps a minimum number of teams in every CB - ad I freely admit I have not checked where we are on, so all players have a viable league without too much travel. And then expand from there.

The big thing is that 5 years ago 12 year old girls were travelling from Newbury to Aylesford in Kent or Welwyn for a Sunday afternoon friendly game but now can play Reading, Bracknell, Abbey or Rams within the county - that will work through the ages and in a few years the adult rugby will follow

Sorry that just does not compute.

Either you turn up with the South West divisional squad or they put 50 points on you.

I remember watching them get very grumpy trying to play the regs to turn a semifinal match into a 10's game to win but coming up against a manager with a copy of the regs on him. They were given 15 mins to decide whether to concede and a play a friendly or play short handed. Some "injured" girls recovered, the game was played and they were beaten (on neutral ground at grasshoppers if I remember rightly) think it was first girls season I was involved in so 5 yrs ago

And I think my daughters team have beaten them a few times, def more times than OA's who are stronger currently 

Apparently accordingto the Times (beind a paywall) the County Cricket grounds have realised they are pubs with outdoor seating. The fact that there might be a cricket match on the green is just an added bonus.

I do not believe this helps rugby.

You can play Cricket from a distance of one metre.

Indeed you can require the batsman - and the keeper if standing up - to wear a helmet with persex over the grille.

Clearly Raider, my calculations are the same as the RFU/HM Gov one. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/53997289" rel="nofollow - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/53997289

I am now confused.

We are being usrged to go back to school, university and work.

But we are not meant to socialise.

So god knows when we will be permitted to play rugby.

Cambridge had a good training session for minis, juniors and seniors followed by a scoialy distanced bbq on Saturday. Regretably I arrived late - but not before the food or beer ran out.

So I only saw the videos from training.

Not sure when we will be able to do that agian now, let alone arange a match.

Stay safe and well.

I went to watch a football match on Saturday - ground capacity 3000 - permitted attendance was originally 600 but I believe reduced to 400. I'd be surprised if there wasn't more than 400 there.

If I can no longer go down the pub with more than 6 mates am not sure I can go in the club bar with them post match either, so this has to have an impact on crowds coming back to games surely?  If it doesn’t then the whole groups of 6 thing will just be ignored / abused.

I went to a 'non league' friendly - although the latter attitude was in short supply yesterday. 

Similar steps in place - 'ticket only', temp check on arrival, check in by app, admittance times limited, one way system, takeaway bar service, blocked off areas (pinch points), restricted seating arrangements, card only, no programme, delayed exits etc. It seemed to work well for both club and supporters and everyone seems to follow the rules. 

It would work for rugby - for 95% of clubs, but I still feel the major issue is for the players and contagion by contact, rather than the fans. Unless that issue is resolved, contact community rugby could still be a long way off. 

I was discussing this at the game with my long suffering better half.  We couldn't understand why local cricketers had to go to a game fully dressed, yet the footballers could use the changing rooms as if nothing has happened.  We agreed that there was no logic in the decision.