Club Update May
Club Update 28th May 2020
by Alan Robinson
Firstly I’d like to say I hope you are all safe and well in these challenging times. At the moment family and our health is paramount and despite not having rugby league in our lives, we have hopefully all had the opportunity to reflect and focus on what is most important to us all.
As we mentioned a few months ago, Coventry Bears are in a fortunate position in that the Bears business is a very lean organisation. We have no ongoing costs or debts and are in a good position to survive this crisis. It is still difficult in that we must keep our players and staff engaged and focused in preparation for the potential to restart but there will be a lot of businesses in a more precarious position at this time and for this I am grateful and glad we run such a tight ship!
We put a lot of work in to securing new season ticket holders, sponsors and business partners for the 2020 season and they have all been very understanding to date. Hopefully we will be able to restart our season in some form and everyone will get value for their financial commitment. If this is not the case, then we are more than willing to work with everyone to resolve or roll over any commitments to next year.
At the moment the sport of rugby league has been following government guidelines and we have been involved in regular online club meetings. The priority for every sport not just rugby league, as well as the protection of public health, is one of being able to sustain the integrity of the game as a whole and that is something that has been the focus of most of the discussion.
The main point for clubs at the moment to consider is the ability to be able to play “behind closed doors” this offers a unique and new set of challenges not only financially but on medical and safety grounds, not to mention the ability to be able to offer media coverage so supporters and sponsors can still get some value. This is something many clubs are currently looking at with the governing body but there is no easy answer to making this work for all divisions from Super League to League One. The current thinking around this solution is it working for the most elite level of the game first and foremost which would mean the focus being on Super League initially. This makes sense as the sustainability of the SL also ensures security of other club funding such as the Sky Sports partnership, which all clubs receive centrally, while also ensuring the integrity and the sustainability of the game is protected.
Unfortunately, at the minute, it’s a day by day approach and we are all very keen to get back playing, but at the end of the day the health and well-being of the public and the following of government guidelines is paramount to any movement forward.
In addition to the professional club, the current situation also has meant that all social forms of rugby are also on hold. This means for the time being, Coventry Bears Juniors and the adults Try Tag Rugby is also paused. We will keep all participants up to date with any developments in due course and we are all very hopeful that these can take place at some time soon.
Please stay safe and follow government guidelines, rest assured that the Bears will be back and we will all share in the success of playing, watching and supporting the game one day soon.
Thank you for your support.
Alan Robinson
Director of Rugby
Coventry Bears Rugby League Club