Why the delay?
It comes down to the weather. England has seen a prolonged dry spell this summer, and much of the country is now in drought. That's left many pitches — including ours — too hard and unforgiving for safe full-contact rugby. Playing competitive matches on rock-hard grounds significantly increases the risk of injury, and the RFU has decided player welfare has to come first.

What this means for us?
• No competitive league matches will take place before 21 September.
• Training continues as normal — most notably, the majority of youth activities will still start on 6th September but but we'll be checking pitch conditions before every session.
• Contact training can only take place on the crash mats at Bushy Park and Udney Park
• Any fixtures originally scheduled for the affected weeks will be rearranged by the relevant competition organisers.

Our club's decision
Whilst the RFU guidance allows friendlies to go ahead where conditions permit, our board has decided that due to the state of our pitches, we will not be hosting any home fixtures, including friendlies, until at least 21 September. We'd rather err on the side of caution than risk player injuries.

As we expect all clubs in our area to be in a similar condition, we also request that any teams wishing to organise an away fixture before the 21st September, approve this with a member of the TRFC board to ensure the necessary safety criteria are met. This applies to all sections of the club.

What we're asking of you
• Players: keep training and stay ready — this is a short delay, not a cancelled season. There is plenty to focus on in terms of improving your fitness, developing your handling skills and working with your teams to prepare for the full start of the season.
• Parents: please bear with us; safety on hard grounds is our top priority.
• Coaches: assess your pitch before every session. Please follow the latest guidance and adapt your sessions accordingly. Any contact activity must be done on the crash mats.

What's next
The RFU and the club will keep monitoring weather and pitch conditions and will issue further guidance if anything changes. We'll pass on any updates as soon as we have them.
Thanks for your patience and support — we're all looking forward to getting the season properly underway.
Full RFU statement: https://www.englandrugby.com/follow/news-and-media/statement-start-competitive-community-rugby-season