Fighting back against Covid-19

Crawley RFC has in recent years become a pillar in the community and now more than ever we need the support of our town to help us through these challenging times. Rugby has ground to a halt due to Covid-19 which means all of our playing members from aged 3 upwards have been left without any physical activity at the club and there are no real signs of when we may be able to continue.

The club is also host to many events which are put on for the people of Crawley and have been a big driver in bringing in much needed revenue to our volunteer based community club, such as our annual Halloween and firework nights, comedy nights and many other events held within our clubhouse that the town likes to come to, which have all had to be cancelled.

Like many other businesses we have found ourselves in a situation where we are fighting for survival and we really need the Crawley community to help support our great club so we can bounce back from Covid-19 and continue to provide for our players and the town.

Covid-19 Effect

Financial Impact

As with many small businesses and voluntary groups both locally and nationally the financial impact of Covid-19 has been the most difficult part of this pandemic. The national lockdown meant that Crawley RFC missed our on our Family Fun Day, traditionally held at the last home game of each season. With restrictions still not lifted and competitive rugby not looking likely until the new year the club will also have missed out on around 10 home games, where takings increase to around £2,500 on a Saturday.

The national lockdown also saw the cancellation of events such as the Players' Dinner, end of season awards for our Minis and Youth sections, and the Halloween and firework night, which is put on for the whole Crawley community.

Although there has been some financial support from the Government Covid-19 has given cause to a substantial reduction in the club's financial position. Thankfully due to the support of our members and sponsors we did manage to open the club again back in October but have had to close again with the latest lockdown issued by the government which has caused even more financial worries for our community club.

Community Impact

Not only have we had to stop providing rugby coaching for all of our players which has a huge impact on their social and physical engagement, but our newly formed wheelchair rugby team, which is the only disabled team sport on offer in Crawley, has also had to stop with no real signs of when or if we can restart. Our Sunday social events which are held once a month for adults with learning disabilities have had to stop and this was a key element of activity and social engagement in their daily lives which they have now been without for some months, some of these young adults are even employed by the club and have lost the opportunity to work.

Crawley RFC holds a big place in the hearts of many who have played for the club, and those who have been involved since day one, and whilst the Covid-19 pandemic has taken its toll on the club we are not ready to go down without a fight. 

However with the new restrictions being put in place limiting the numbers that can enter our club house and the winter weather drawing in and restricting the use of our outdoor space, we need your support now to ensure the club can remain open to offer this support again once the pandemic is under control.

We would really appreciate any support you could offer us and hope the information provided below will show how our club fulfils its role within the community, but also provides the facilities for people of all ages to remain active and learn the core values of rugby that will help them in their future as well as ours.

Our Role within the Community

Although Rugby will always be at the heart of the club, the committee and staff have worked hard to make it a venue that is open to the community for a wide range of uses such as meetings and conferences, pool, darts and poker teams. We also provide the facilities for hire for birthdays, funerals, weddings, christenings, etc.

We also send our volunteer coaches out into the local schools to deliver rugby sessions to both primary and secondary school children.

Charity & Community Support

The rugby club works closely with The Greenaway foundation and every year members from the club give up their time to help Darren and his team in the great work they do providing meals for families at Christmas. We work closely with the Aldingbourne Trust who provide a service for young adults with learning disabilities, offering Sunday socials for their members once a month. The club strives to be an inclusive and diverse sports club open to all walks of life and it looks to give everybody an opportunity to come and enjoy themselves either as social members or players as part of one Crawley community.

Any support we can get from the wonderful people of Crawley or local businesses will help us bounce back from Covid-19 and allow us to continue providing a service for our residents, members, players and families from all over Crawley.

We have lots of rewards available for those making donations to win, including an official framed RWC 2019 New Zealand All Blacks shirt signed by the entire winning playing squad and management (which, due to its rarity, does require a minimum of 100 tickets to be purchased before a winner can be drawn).