Presidents XV Award Winners Announced |
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| June 7, 2007 Clubs from Cockermouth in Cumbria to Jersey in the Channel Islands have been rewarded for their commitment to excellence by the RFU President’s XV awards. The project was launched this season by RFU President Bob Rogers, who invited every club in the country to apply for a share of the £10,000 prize money pool and showcase their contribution to promoting the grassroots game. Thirteen winners have been chosen from clubs using the most innovative ideas to meet the RFU’s Community Rugby themes of More People, Better Places, Access for All and Enjoyment. |
 Bob Rogers & Rob Andrew at the award launch |
| Cockermouth picked up two prizes in the
Girl Power and More Volunteers categories for the staggering development
of women’s and girls rugby at their club and the way they support,
reward and train their volunteers.
The other awards went to Jersey (Youth Rugby), Bolton (School Links), Caldy (More Than A Game), University of Bristol (More Referees), Windsor (More Coaches), Eastern Counties RFU (Veterans), Aretians (Community), Chelmsford (Better Facilities), Letchworth GC (Modernisation), Bridlington (Fundraising Venture) and (Enjoyment).. The achievements of the winners and 18 other clubs collecting runners-up accolades are showcased in a President’s XV handbook so that their best practice can be shared by the rest of the game. The awards were made by a panel of judges consisting of RFU President Bob Rogers, Senior Vice President Bob Taylor, Junior Vice President Brian Williams, immediate past President LeRoy Angel, England’s most capped player Jason Leonard and Rugby World Editor Paul Morgan. "It was our hope that this new set of awards would catch the imagination of all clubs and the panel of judges had a highly enjoyable task to read the descriptions of 65 projects run by volunteers within England," said Rogers. "The results these clubs have achieved make me very proud of the people involved in the sport we all love. "It is my belief that their models of good practice will inspire other clubs to emulate and surpass their good work next year." The standards reached by the winners were praised by John Owen, the chairman of the RFU's Community Rugby Standing Committee who was particularly delighted with the successes of Cockermouth in his home county of Cumbria. "As Chairman of Community Rugby it's wonderful to see these examples of the hard work our volunteers do to make sure the game thrives at every level," Owen said. "It is important that we recognise and reward excellence and the President's XV helps us to acknowledge that work on a national scale. "The thousands of volunteers involved the game bring a wealth of diverse talents to it and this scheme will showcase their expertise so that the whole game can benefit." The 13 winners will pick up £500 and 18 runners-up will collect £100 each, amounting to a total of £8,300 to further invest in the grassroots game. Two of the President’s XV categories were not filled, however, with the panel judging that no-one had made a cast-iron case to carry off the Social Inclusion or Fundraising Event awards. WINNERS AND RUNNERS-UP 1 Youth Rugby - Jersey. Runners-up - Castle
Cary, Perranporth. Presentations to the winners take place at Windsor (June 10), Bristol University (June 14), Eastern Counties (Newmarket, June 22), Cockermouth (June 23), Bolton and Jersey (June 27), Bridlington (June 29), Aretians (July 3), Caldy (July 8), Letchworth (July 13) and Mansfield (TBC). PRESIDENT'S XV CATEGORIES |
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