Whole Club Seal of Approval press release

Knutsford Rugby Club has been awarded the RFU's Whole Club Seal of Approval accreditation. The accreditation recognises the effort and achievement of volunteers in reaching the standard required in the development of rugby across the whole club, and to plan for the long term sustainability of the club and rugby union.

The RFU introduced the Seal of Approval programme in association with Sport England and the Clubmark scheme in 2002, an award which Knutsford Rugby Club achieved in 2008 in recognition of their good practice in the Junior Section.

The Whole Club Seal of Approval accreditation was introduced in 2009 as a method of ensuring high quality provision of rugby in clubs. It builds on the established procedures of Mini and Youth Seal of Approval. Clubs are assessed by the RFU and must demonstrate evidence of good practice in areas such as club management, player development & recruitment, child protection, sports equity, coaching, refereeing and volunteering. Knutsford Rugby Club are the 9^th club in England and the FIRST club in Cheshire to be given this award.

Knutsford Rugby Club has worked closely with Dave Livesey their Rugby Development Officer and Community Development Team whose primary roles are to support clubs & the local community in developing the provision of rugby for players. Commenting on KRFC’s achievement Dave said “Knutsford Rugby Club have been recognised with this tremendous award for good reason. They have a very strong infrastructure for such a young club and they are a great example of what can be achieved with the right plans and attitude.”

Club Chairman Gareth Walton added “This is a fantastic achievement for our club. Knutsford Rugby Club are a very ambitious club and this award further demonstrates that we are on track in our goal to become one of the leading clubs in the North of England There has been a tremendous amount of work going on in the background to make this happen and I would like to personally thank everyone involved in this, in particular our club secretary Neil Loftus and our Junior Chairman Steve Mooney who have been the real driving force behind this result.”

The RFU's Community Rugby director Andrew Scoular said: "This accreditation will show all those with an interest in rugby and sports development that Knutsford Rugby Club is providing its players & community with a safe, well-organised and enjoyable environment in which to learn and play rugby. Our clubs are the focal point of the RFU club development strategies for many years to come.”

If you are interested in getting involved in this exciting, progressive and fun club please get in touch by emailing: contact_us@knutsfordrugby.com or visit www.knutsfordrugby.com for more details!