Summary:
• Put the welfare of players first.
• Make a decision based on as much information as possible.
• Communicate with parents and other coaches in good time.

Rugby is a game that is played in all sorts of weather conditions all over the world. However, certain severe weather such as heavy rain, strong winds, hail, snow, or lightning may mean that training or matches need to be delayed, modified, or cancelled.

Severe Weather forecast:
If severe weather is forecast for Sunday training or a fixture, members of the Youth Organising Committee (YOC) including the Safeguarding Officer will liaise with the Head Groundsman on Saturday and alert Head Coaches and Team Managers that training or matches may need to be delayed, modified, or in some cases cancelled.

In the rare circumstances that training and fixtures for all Age Grades are to be cancelled, the YOC will notify Head Coaches and Managers no later than 8pm on the evening before. For example, in the case of heavy snow making the pitches unplayable.

If the YOC directs that training or play is at the discretion of Head Coaches, there are several things coaches should consider before proceeding. Head coaches and managers must put the welfare of all players before all other considerations. It is never too late to call off a training session or fixture (although ideally this is done before 8am on Sunday) and it is far better to cut a session short if weather conditions deteriorate than to risk the welfare of players.

Things Head Coaches must consider include:
• Ensuring that if training proceeds there are sufficient coaches for the number of players attending. With severe weather people often pull out of arrangements at the last minute. The minimum coach to player ratios required are 1:6.

• Ensuring that you have a full medical kit (including emergency blankets) and a trained first aider present for the training session or match. Most rugby injuries (broken bones etc) are not considered life threatening by the ambulance service, no matter the age of the player or weather conditions. The standard response time of the ambulance service is 40 minutes to attend a non life-threatening call out, an awfully long time for a child to lie on wet, cold ground exposed to the elements.

• Young players are not as resilient in cold, wet weather as adults, and can suffer symptoms of hypothermia even in relatively mild conditions if they are not wearing the correct clothing or are inactive for too long. You must remind parents about providing many thin layers of clothing, waterproof tops etc. If players expect to get wet, they should bring a change of dry clothes for afterwards. Please also be aware of substitutes or players not involved in games or exercises and what role they will play during the session.

• Make sure you have contact details for all parents in case you need to cut a training session short. Parents should make private arrangements for another adult to supervise their child if they leave them alone at training and they should let the team manager or head coach know who this person is. The club discourages players 12 years and under from being left without a parent on the side-line.

• Thinking about toilet facilities, access to fresh water and hot drinks. Training and matches played away from the club can be at locations where these are not readily available, which can cause distress to younger players.

• The ground you play on must have no standing water (this may have developed during the session). Playing on waterlogged ground can have devastating effects including head injury, a collapsed scrum or pile up of players.

• The ground must be clear of debris or litter that might have blown onto the pitch because of high winds.

Summary:
• Put the welfare of players first.
• Make a decision based on as much information as possible.
• Communicate with parents and other coaches in good time.