Broadland-GY RUgby Club have won a national award for player recruitment from the RFU.

The award highlights the work the club has done in increasing overall club membership through activities such as creating a sevens team, expanding the youth and mini section, holding beach and tag rugby events as well as developing a wide variety of kit and merchandise for all club members. As well as increasing opportunities for playing adult rugby.

The President’s XV Awards were conceived to highlight examples of best-practice among grass-roots clubs and to showcase both ingenuity and industry in equal measure.

The list of winners and their citations underline how the army of volunteers that sustain the game at grass-roots level is packed with people of great resource and even greater energy and dedication.

“The quality and variety of the entries never ceases to amaze me,” said RFU President Paul Murphy.

“Picking a winner from so many excellent submissions is a very difficult and challenging task for the panel.

“Finding the 15 deserving winners and the 30 runners-up from such a list was not easy.

“One intended spin-off from each year’s awards was to showcase some of the best work and most productive ideas that are bringing rich rewards to some of our clubs and I would commend every club to have a careful look at the bright ideas and the successful projects which are driving our great game forward.”

The Panel of Judges comprised: Paul Murphy (RFU President), Bob Reeves (RFU Senior Vice President), Jon Dance (RFU Junior Vice President), Willie Wildash (RFU Immediate Past President), Jason Leonard OBE, Gill Burns MBE (former RFUW President), Joe Stanniford (RFU National Youth Council), Owain Jones (Rugby World) and Carole Thelwall-Jones (RFU Volunteer Engagement Manager).

Results

Player Safety & Welfare: Winner - Eastern Counties RFU; Runners Up – Maidstone, Kent, Eccleshall, Staffordshire

This is Rugby: Winner – Wortley, Yorkshire; Runners Up – Leek, Staffordshire, Kesteven, Notts, Lincs & Derby

Player Recruitment: Winner – Broadland - Great Yarmouth, Eastern Counties; Runners Up – Wymondham, Eastern Counties, Penrith, Cumbria

Player Retention: Winner – Sheffield, Yorkshire; Runners Up - Canterbury Christ Church University, Kew Occasionals, Surrey

Girl Power: Winner – Drybrook, Gloucestershire; Runners Up – Jersey, Hampshire, Wellesbourne, Warwickshire

Valuing Volunteers: Winner - Rushden & Highham, East Midlands; Runners Up - Crewe and Nantwich, Cheshire, Kent RFU

vRugby (Young Volunteers): Winner - Tunbridge Wells, Kent; Runners Up - Yeovil College, Somerset

Quality Coaching: Winner – Sheffield, Yorkshire; Runners Up - Bury St Edmunds, Eastern Counties, Westcombe Park, Kent

Better Referees: Winner – Chelmsford, Essex; Runners Up - Eastern Counties Referees’ Federation.

Better Facilities: Winner – Farnham, Surrey; Runners Up – Guildford, Surrey, Maidenhead, Berkshire

Community Engagement: Winner - Nottingham Moderns, Notts, Lincs & Derby; Runners Up - Birmingham Exiles, North Midlands, Leigh, Lancashire

School Rugby: Winner – Westoe, Durham; Runners Up – Chineham, Hampshire, Felixtowe, Eastern Counties

College Rugby: Winner - The College of West of Anglia; Runners Up - Birmingham Metropolitan College, Easton College

University Rugby: Winner - Nottingham University; Runners Up - University of Huddersfield, Nottingham Trent University

Fundraising: Winner – Alnwick, Northumberland; Runners Up – Farnham, Surrey, Southport, Lancashire