Adult Game
- A process where players can affiliate annually to a club or clubs of their choice.
- Players can create and manage their own online account and link this account to clubs they play for.
- Affiliation in the senior game looks to build on the progress achieved in the age grade game, where the process has been in operation for three years and works well.
- For senior players, affiliation is on a voluntary basis and separate to registration.
- Senior players must still be registered to play in RFU leagues at 1st XV level in the men's game and for all players in the women's game, as per RFU regulations. This registration process remains the same and is completed by club registrars through the GMS player registration module.
- Once affiliated, club administrators can still use the membership management and player registration functionalities within GMS.
- Senior affiliation is being trialed in four pilot CBs, aimed at testing player and club administrator user journeys, understanding benefits for players, clubs, CBs and the RFU, testing use of electronic match cards at different levels of competition and enhancing direct communication with players.
Age Grade Game - U18s
- Parents/guardians create their own GMS adult record first, using their own email address, then add their children to 'family and friends'. The age grade player's record is therefore linked to the parent/guardian's record (and email address). Any correspondence for the attention of the child will automatically be sent to the parent/guardian. See the portal guide for how to set up/create a GMS account.
- Issues can arise due to legacy data where a parent or club admin has previously created a separate account for the child and assigned the parent's email address to that account, as this had led to duplicated emails in the system. In this situation the GMS Helpdesk or a club registrar may need to assist. By linking age grade players to the parent's GMS account, these issues are avoided.
- Parents can manage their child's online account and data all year round. At the start of each season they can renew the child’s affiliation by logging in, checking their child’s details and consents are up to date, and then clicking Save to affiliate them and make them an active player for the season.
- Should a parent/guardian not already have an email address to create their GMS account, a couple of options to set up email are listed below.
What are the benefits for Clubs & CBs?
- Accurate data will give CBs and Clubs a live view of all active players in their clubs/region and be able to compare season-on-season to identify trends, where to focus efforts or flag concerns if more support is required.
- Encouraging players/parents to take control of their playing record and contact details increases accuracy and reduces the burden on a small group of volunteers who would otherwise input numerous players' details every season.
- Affiliation can be renewed each year at the click of a button by the player, therefore removing the seasonal onus on volunteers. (When a new player submits their affiliation it needs to be accepted by a club administrator, otherwise it will show as affiliation pending. However, players who were registered last season will automatically be accepted.)
- Age grade affiliation includes key safeguarding data for clubs including contact details, medical needs, consents for photos and medical care and emergency contacts. Clubs have managed the affiliation process successfully in the age grade game for a long time and have proved it works.
- We appreciate the request to tidy up data has created additional admin this season, but in the long-term we are confident it will decrease the workload for club volunteers, make it easier to manage squads in Team Management and Electronic Match Card (EMC) selection and quicker for clubs to communicate with their players.
Benefits for Players
- Players can have a record of their lifetime in English rugby, where the individual is in control of their data and can add organisations/clubs to their personal profile to reflect their involvement in rugby.
- Players only need to log in once to set up their account and can renew affiliation each year in less than a minute.
- It will provide a more enjoyable user experience as players can access their own match stats (tries, points scored etc.) collected from Electronic Match Cards to compare against players across the league.
- Examples of match stats here
- It will make it easier to access training advice and injury prevention resources and support via England Rugby.
- Over time, players will be able to shape the content they receive and the way they engage with the sport.
- As players can affiliate to more than one club, it’s easier to continue playing rugby if they move for education or work. This is becoming more important as the nature of how and where players play becomes more transient; from school, to university/college, to careers.
- In the current system, there is no way to piece this playing record together. Affiliation provides consistency across the playing career of an individual.
Overarching aims of Player Affiliation in adult game:
- Ensure Clubs, CBs and the RFU have a full list of all adults playing the game.
- Give clubs a more accurate and detailed understanding of their playing base.
- Share the workload of inputting data and of sharing communications further. There is currently a reliance on a small group of volunteers to do this.
- Make it easier for club volunteers to connect with players to help retain and attract more players to their clubs in the future.
- Give CBs a clearer picture of how clubs are doing in their area to help identify where CBs and the RFU can best support them.
- Aspire to GMS providing experiences that benefit players and clubs. E.g being able to track their playing records and achievements.
Before announcing a move to develop Player Affiliation in the adult game, consultation was held with representatives of the Community Game, which includes those involved in clubs and CBs through the sub-committees, Community Game Board and RFU Council. Recommendations were put forward by the Community Game Board and principles agreed by Council.
The change of name from registration to affiliation in the age grade game was also agreed to ensure consistency with terminology in the adult game.