Here is some information about the matches you'll be playing and what to expect on the day.
We will be running the festival in accordance with the guidelines provided by the RFU in Regulation 15 and its associated Codes of Practice from here: http://www.englandrugby.com/governance/regulations/
Just so you don't have to wade through all these documents, here is a summary of the parts relevant to our festival:
1. Playing time
The maximum playing time for each age group is as follows (from Regulation 15.14.1)
| Age group | Max. playing time |
|---|---|
| U7 & U8 | 50 mins |
| U9 & U10 | 60 mins |
| U11 | 70 mins |
2. Team size
The maximum size of the team on the pitch is as follows (from the age group appendices)
| Age group | Max. team size |
|---|---|
| U7 | 4-a-side |
| U8 | 6-a-side |
| U9 | 7-a-side |
| U10 | 8-a-side |
| U11 | 9-a-side |
3. Squad size
We will provide commemorative shirt patches for this number of players plus 2 for each team (i.e. 6 patches for each U7 team entered) except for the U11s who will receive 12 patches per team entered.
Other than this we will not make hard and fast rules about how many players you bring, nor whether they swap between your teams.
Please ensure no player exceeds the maximum playing time as set out above.
4. Mixed ability
From the RFU Codes of Practice:
The RFU believes in the playing of mixed ability teams, especially at primary school ages. Players should be grouped by their confidence, competence in the contact elements of the game, and emotional capability.
We will not be separating the festival into streams, either by ability or experience. We will instruct referees to stop one-sided matches if the score difference exceeds six tries (Regulation 15.14.3), so be wary of entering an A team lest they end up with less playing time.
5. Scoring
No score for any match will be recorded by the festival organisers. The players know perfectly well who's won any given game :-)
6. Format (U7-U10)
The exact format will be finalised when we have all the entries confirmed. Here is a guide to how we'll do it.
Each age group will be divided into groups of 5 or 6 teams depending on how many teams enter. Every group will play a round robin: each team will play all the others in the group.
The duration of each match will be the number of games divided by the maximum playing time (e.g. U7 teams in a 6-team group will play 5 matches of 10 minutes). We'll play the games straight through without a half time to ensure the festival keeps to schedule.
You'll be given an exact schedule for your group on arrival. Please ensure your team is pitch side in plenty of time for the scheduled start of the match.
The U11 competition may involved smaller groups and longer matches with a half time. You'll be given full details on the day.
We hope you'll enjoy your day at the Blackheath Festival.