Edwardian FC Around the Grounds - 6 Nations 2021

The Initiative:

Active 4 Rugby is an initiative designed by Edwardian FC Community, to promote active wellbeing for the Ed's family and wider Edwardian community. 

Community:

Communities have pulled together, supported those who have needed help and protected those who are most vulnerable, and here at Edwardian's its been no different! The club has played an important role during the COVID crisis within the local community raising over £1500 for NHS and Age UK Charities & through our Movember appeal we managed to raise an impressive total of over £700 for the Birmingham Children's Hospital. Club members have volunteered time to deliver food parcels for Age UK and in January we supported St Mary’s Hospice TreeCycling Effort, raising over £105,000 across the region.

We believe at Edwardian's; even during this time of lack of organised grassroots sport, at the heart of every community are its sports clubs. Sport brings people together, helps with physical and mental well-being and even in these unprecedented times gives people a feeling of normality and that's what our Get Active for Rugby and Get Active for Spring initiatives are designed to do for our community.

The Challenge:

During the 6 Nations Championship this February & March we will be taking part in a virtual trip ‘Around The Grounds’ of the 6 Nations, a chance to get active during lockdown, raising much needed funds for your rugby club. The challenge will take place throughout the 6 Nations period from Saturday 6th February through to the final weekend on the 20th March 2021.

The challenge will see senior players, members, Ed’s Youth players, parents and the wider local community work together, walking, running and cycling (children) to represent their club using the fitness app Nike Run Club. Participants have been asked to record their walks, runs or wheelchair pushes on the Nike Run Club app by joining the ‘Ed’s Rugby Around the Grounds Challenge’ to gain the biggest total combined distance for their age group or section and get sponsored along the way. The individual or groups which finishes the 6 Nations period with the biggest total distance covered will be crowned the Ed’s Around the Ground champions, and could be in line for some fantastic prizes. It’s worth participants noting that cycling efforts for U16's and below will also be counted to the club totals! All exercise done should follow Government guidance at the time.

Chris Shipway, Head of Community delivery at Edwardian FC, said, “We are really looking forward to this challenge! It’s a great opportunity for the club, despite the current circumstances, to still be able to come together and – albeit virtually – compete while being physically active and tackle a great challenge.  It’s a great chance for all sections of the club to take part, from our M&Js to all supporters, families, and senior sides”.

Why do we need help?

To ensure funds raised will continue to fill the vast void created through the Covid-19 pandemic and not being able to host our usual events and activities. The last months have been challenging for us all. And no part of our community has been left untouched. 

Unfortunately due to the COVID-19 pandemic the club's major fundraising activities throughout the Summer and Christmas period had to be cancelled as well as our biggest fundraiser, Bonfire Night. With no rugby played this year and our 2019/20 club sponsor having to close it's doors we are missing vital funds this season to simply operate, with items like ground rent, lighting servicing etc all still needed to be paid for. 

We are making great strides from a playing perspective, with playing numbers at an all time high in both the senior section and with Ed's Youth Rugby, even throughout a pandemic. However we need to ensure we have the equipment and facilities ready for when players and members can return. We also still have ambitions to launch our Inclusion team, and reach out to the wider community through our community initiatives including the launch of our Get ready 4 Rugby.

So how can you help? 

'Get Active for Rugby' was initiated to get the Ed's family get active this spring as well as getting the wider community involved, however it was also designed to ensure when we can return we are in a place to continue to deliver inclusive accessible rugby for all, through ensuring Rugby at Edwardian's is affordable, attainable and serves our community for years to come. The situation we find ourselves in has also highlighted the need to provide a greater facility for our members to ensure families can continue to use our club as a hub but with the necessary socially distanced measures taken into consideration, 

With funds raised we aim to:

• Help with membership and other playing costs so that no one is excluded from taking part, no matter their circumstances. 
• Providing our players with the kit and equipment required to take part. 
• Continuing to coach rugby in our local schools, through our RFU acclaimed Schools and Community programme making sure that those children returning to school in September are given proper PE time. 
• The creation of an inclusion provision for those who may previously, not have been able to access rugby.
• Investing in the future via the improvement of facilities, namely new changing & showering facilities for our Girls, Young Women and growing Junior section.
• To improve our social spaces and crate a more usable outdoor space so our community can safely come together

So how do you take part?

Edwardian FC have created a challenge on Nike Run Club, where participants will be able join and any walk, run etc will automatically be logged with their activities counting towards the overall ambitious total of 5600 km’s. We have also created this crowdfunding page for 2021, where supporters, friends and family can support your efforts with much needed donations and sponsorship, which we hope to align with a Sports England Grant.

To take part, once you have downloaded the Nike Run Club app and created a free account, you will need to go to ‘Find friends’ icon in the top right corner and search for Chris Shipway Ed’s, add as a friend then you will be added to the challenge and away you go

We will post weekly updates and the winners will be revealed on Wednesday 24th March. 

For enquiries about the project, or to learn more about the Community Department, please contact [email protected].

FAQs

How do you get involved?
Join Nike Run Club, find Chris Shipway Ed’s and wait to be added. You can then log your activities by selecting any of the quickstarts or guided runs. at the bottom of the screen, choosing run or walk by clicking on the shoe and then pressing ‘Start’. Don’t forget, only your exercises from today…. Yes you can get ahead of the game through to the 20th March will count towards our total.

You can also get involved by donating through our 2021 challenge crowdfunding page, clicking the become a fundraiser link on this page and make your own page or advertising and sharing the clubs Crowdfunder page to your social media or using the available sponsorship forms…. 

Who can get involved?
Our whole club family, whether you are aged 5 (parents you may have to add an 18+ DOB if children are using on their devices) or 65+ can contribute towards our total. It doesn’t matter if you are a player, member, volunteer, supporter, parent, member of staff, a sibling, friend or family member of any of the previous, we’re calling on you to take part, in fact the more the merrier. There’s prizes up for grabs and, of course, some club bragging rights.

When will the challenge take place?
We’re live now so get out there until 11:59pm Sunday 20th March.

What do you have to do?
Please make sure you stick to the government guidelines on exercise and physical activity. So, plan some nice family walks, take the dog for that extra bit of exercise, dust off your running shoes and complete a 5k or meet up with one other person for a stroll and a catch-up. The beauty of this is that every little bit of mileage will help the club’s total. You can run, walk, or push your wheelchair, but just please remember to log it publicly on your Nike Run Club App! Cycling activities will not count towards this challenge unfortunately (unless 16 and below).

Can you share it on your socials?
Absolutely! As well as using your phone to log your exercises, we're encouraging you to take photos and videos of your walks and runs. Share it on your social media accounts and tag us in your posts using @Edwardian FC Youth Rugby @Edwardian FC on Facebook and @eds_youth_rugby and @edsrugby on Instagram. Use the hashtag #EdsAroundTheGrounds & #GetActive4Rugby. We're looking forward to seeing your posts!

Crowdfunder is a great partner for us in this project. 'These are unprecedented times but together, we are stronger, and the response is coming from communities across the country. Volunteer groups such as Edwardian FC are tackling problems faced in our communities – but they need urgent support. That's where we come in, making it 100% free for crowdfunding projects during the coronavirus crisis.' So every penny raised will go towards our Around the Grounds Challenge overall target which we can apply to be matched by Sport England so please support as generously as you can and help Edwardian FC to continue supporting our community.