The original idea was to release this article before the start of the season, to be part of the big announcements we made. But we soon gave up on that idea because we think now is the ideal time for an article like this. We will try to show you all the ways you can get involved in rugby, because a lot depends on the level of involvement. What we have had the opportunity to see from experience is that a large number of people would get involved in rugby in different ways, but do not know how or do not have a clearly stated way and what all the possibilities are available to them. The goal of this article is to facilitate and make available information related to this topic.
We think that right now is the ideal time when you should decide to get involved in rugby? Why? Well, because this is the year of the World Cup, which is scheduled for this fall, and because in about 9-10 days, the most important rugby event in Serbia will be held. And we think that’s the ideal thing to start from, because you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy great rugby, great organization and a great atmosphere. We want you to transfer the atmosphere from such an event to your club. We think it is ideal because you will be able to participate in the creation and implementation of activities on the occasion of the World Cup, which starts on the 8th. September and lasts until the 28th of october . We believe that every club will want to maximize their activity during the World Cup in order to make the most of the media attention that rugby will have.
What are all the ways you can get involved?
You can be a volunteer, but if you want to get involved more, you can also be a paid person, as an official, or as a trainer. Although most of our coaches work on a voluntary basis. As a volunteer, you have hundreds of ways you can contribute to the rugby community. And don’t forget, every contribution is worth its weight in gold. Finally, you can get involved by playing rugby again, or returning to your favorite sport. You can be part of the marketing team at your club, where you will work to promote rugby. If you get the idea to get involved, be patient, don’t give up.
Playing rugby again
We know it’s a cliché to call people back to rugby to spend time outside and be physically active. It is an even bigger cliché to say that rugby is for everyone and that everyone has a place. All these aggressive methods of attracting people do not please rugby. Sport should be a pleasure, where you first of all enjoy the game itself, the competition and socializing during training, tournaments, matches as well as after sports events. The point is not that someone forces you to come to rugby, the point is that you want to and that the activity gives you pleasure. That’s why nobody likes when they see someone screaming and yelling on and around the field, such behavior is for football or for psychological surveillance.
Our view is that the ideal opportunity to return to rugby is right now. When you return to rugby, you will certainly not be playing at the highest level of the competition, but you will be looking for a lower level, which is definitely suitable for you if you decide to return. Unlike previous seasons, there are more teams in the B League of the Serbian Championship, and it is quite interesting and fun. You have as many as three teams from Belgrade, one from Novi Sad and Kruševac. It is played in a rugby 10s format. You can find out about the competition itself via the page on our website.
In Belgrade itself, there are a lot of people who used to train rugby and who would come back, and even play a tournament or game recreationally. Well, you have the opportunity to do that. Why not. Contact one of the clubs and sign up, good rugby and fun is guaranteed. In earlier seasons, there were not too many teams in the B group, and now the situation is quite different. RK Dorćol 1998, RK Rad 2, BRK Crvena Zvezda, RK Vojvodina and RK Kruševac are competing in the B League.
Also, if you want to return to rugby and you belong to the younger age groups, there are still various possibilities in front of you. Even more, if you perform well, you have an ideal opportunity to perform for the U20 and U18 selections of the Serbian national team, which will have some activities during the year.
Volunteers
We must especially mention that a volunteer is a person who wants to spend his time doing something without monetary compensation. That is why it is said that satisfaction is the engine that drives volunteers. As far as we’re concerned, that’s the way it should be. That is why you should be especially careful with people who want to volunteer, that they are not given hard physical jobs or terribly boring jobs. If you delegate such tasks to them, you won’t see them anymore. Various studies say that it is optimal for a volunteer to volunteer two to three hours per month. For him to have fun, to have a positive feeling and satisfaction that he spent time playing rugby. That should be the goal.
It is a practice in the rugby world that rugby volunteers are mostly parents and former players. Parents want to spend time and have joint activities with their children. Which is normal, because parents should be interested and see what their children are doing. And it is quite normal that they want to contribute to the organization itself. And they can really help in a variety of ways. The same applies to former players who want to be present and be part of the club and contribute in various ways. Of course, this rule also applies to active players, to get involved as much as possible in working with young people.
How to contribute through volunteering at the club?
We will be able to convey it best through a practical example of organizing a junior tournament, where you can include veterans, active players, parents and everyone who can and wants to help. We will try not to overdo it too much in terms of organization, but still make it fun and in the right environment.
The day before the game or tournament, it would be desirable to gather several volunteers who would mark the field and arrange the area around the field in an hour. It’s a job that should be done by 4-5 people very quickly. If left to one or two, the whole action would last two or three hours. And the point is not to waste too much time, but to organize as well as possible. It is rare that the younger categories of U14s and U12s play on a pitch that is marked with chalk or paint. Mostly the field is marked with cones. We think it’s pointless not to color the field if you’re already investing a lot of resources in the junior categories. The atmosphere will be much better. Everyone likes when the terrain is marked properly and in the correct way.
It is equally important how the area around the field looks like. You can’t leave the grass up to your knees, it’s quite frivolous and irresponsible. Imagine if one of the players gets bitten by a tick, what kind of message are we sending? On the other hand, there are teams that use the space around the field for warm-up, relaxation and rest. Cutting the grass is not an effort or a mental block, it is the most basic thing in the rugby world. We play on grass and outdoors, not in the swamp.
When the day of the tournament arrives, designate two volunteers to grill the meat for the teams. It can be one of the parents or one of the veterans, or maybe one of the active players. You can grill quality meat for your members but also for visiting teams to whom you can sell those burgers and earn funds for the club.
It’s the same thing for refreshments. If you have access to electricity, you can bring a fridge and fill it with fresh drinks, which you can sell at popular prices. Right next to the fridge, you can also sell club equipment if you want and borrow one or two for it, what not. Create shade for the participants and audience if there is no natural shade. Try to get sunbaths.
Get one of the players to play the music, if you can get a PA that would be great. Get a notice board where you will write the results of the tournament and the schedule of the matches so that the audience can follow the competition as well as possible.
And so, if you have a dozen volunteers, you can create a fantastic environment without burdening anyone. If, for example, you want to come to the tournament, you have the opportunity to drink a refreshing drink, eat a burger and buy a t-shirt, or a calendar, or a magnet or a badge as a souvenir. Then you sit comfortably in the shade, you have the results and the schedule of the competition in front of you. There is music playing during the game break. Well of course you will every time you come to a rugby tournament.
And what does the club get from that? There’s actually a lot of it. The club functions like a family where everyone works for the same goal. First of all, the club gets a very good and interesting tournament, which is attractive to spectators because they have everything they need to enjoy good rugby. On the other hand, you will make some additional profit at the tournament itself, which you can invest in, for example, the purchase of an umbrella, or a table with benches, or speakers for the needs of a better sound system, or for the purchase of a new barbecue, or for the purchase of a trimmer for mowing the grass. But the most important thing is what kind of message you are sending, and that is the message that there is a good atmosphere and ambience at your tournaments. When a parent hears that there is such a thing, of course they will enroll their child in rugby. Who would not?
The point is that volunteering always adds value. Sometimes we can feel and see the value, and sometimes we can’t. But what is priceless is to create the best possible environment for the children who play in your club, where they will enjoy themselves and where both they and the audience will have a good time.
Let’s face it, we’re not building rockets to colonize Mars. We create a good atmosphere at tournaments so that everyone can enjoy the sport we love and practice. Rugby should be enjoyment and fun, not drudgery and torture.
Coaches
If someone is willing to dedicate a bit more time to rugby and wants to try his hand at coaching, it could be the best thing ever. In our practice, this is the most common form of hiring a coach in a club. If a coach for younger categories is required, it can be active or former players, as well as parents. It can basically be anyone who wants to and loves rugby. But he must be prepared to commit considerable time on a weekly basis.
How to manage the situation so that such an example does not occur? Pretty simple. If you see that your volunteer coach is extremely talented, dedicated and of high quality, and if your club has opportunities, try to offer him a job. Why not? Even a small fee can bring considerable benefits to the team.
How can you become a coach? What are the first steps? If you have decided that you want to try your hand at coaching, the first step is to contact a local club. There you will receive initial guidelines and all necessary notifications. After that, the club or you will apply independently for coaching courses or trainings led by educators at the Rugby Union of Serbia. From the educator, you will receive all the necessary information regarding courses, professional training, coaching resources, professional practices and experiences.
Officials
Let’s get it straight. Officials at the matches are paid by the host clubs or by the Rugby Union of Serbia, and this is all defined by the regulations that you can view on the Union’s website. They have an official duty at the match itself and accordingly receive the corresponding compensation. Here we mean referees, doctors and match commisionnaires. And each has its own guild or association, which takes care of the development, education and professional training of its members. Each association has a president who, in addition to the aforementioned duties, is also responsible for delegating officials for matches.
If you were wondering how it all looks in practice, we can tell you that it is quite simple. The competition commissioner sends the announcement of the matches to the presidents of the association. The presidents return the email with the delegates for the matches. Then the Commissioner officially informs all the participants in the competition about the delegated officials for all the matches and tournaments that take place that weekend.
We must mention that officials are persons who have passed various courses, tests and trainings, and in the case of doctors, they are experts with a university degree. If you want to be an Official, you need to be quite involved in rugby and know all the rules and practices in order to do your job in the best possible way. A job that is not easy at all.
How to become an official in rugby?
Very simple. Become a member of the association of judges, delegates and doctors. How to become a member? Contact the Rugby Union of Serbia to send you the contacts of the organizations you want to be a member of. Or follow the website and social networks of the Association where you can follow public invitations for trainings and seminars.
Become a rugby promoter and content creator
A very interesting way how you can participate in the promotional activities of rugby. And you can do it in several ways. If you are interested in photography, you can photograph rugby events. A great way to develop your talent and follow your favorite sport, plus keep it fun and interesting. On the other hand, your work will certainly be shared on social networks, so you will greatly contribute to rugby and promotion. Sports photography has always been a powerful and fantastic marketing weapon.
If you want, you can also record, stream and create video content. If you are talented, why not make video content. You can stream tournaments and matches, make short reports or short fun videos. You have tons of options for how you can use videos to promote rugby.
You can help the club run social networks. But keep in mind that it is very hard work. But it can be extremely fun if you are creative and love to write. Check with your club and let them know you want to write about rugby. You can write match announcements, you can write a short report from matches or tournaments. Currently, the situation is such that hardly any club has constantly active social networks where they publish information about their activities. After all, no club has updated information on their social pages where and when the trainings are.
If you want to get a little more serious about writing and creating content, we will be happy to publish your work on our site, and if you do well and if you want to regularly publish articles and follow rugby, you will have space for that on our site. Experience is not important, age is not important, all that matters is that you love and have the desire to write about rugby.
