A GRASSROOTS rugby club has quite literally moved the goalposts thanks to bagging a grant to make improvements and repairs to their home.

Canvey Island Rugby Club will be able to hit the ground running when competitive rugby returns thanks to a financial boost from the NatWest RugbyForce Weekend 2020, which has been developed with the Rugby Football Union.

A host of volunteers were on hand to paint and move their goalposts as part of a plan to shift the pitches to avoid overuse and free up more space for training.

Canvey is one of 800 clubs across the country looking forward to the return of rugby, with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport recently giving the green light for clubs to start limited and restricted contact rugby training with inter-club non-contact fixtures able to be organised.

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Hoping to convert the grant into points - Canvey Island

Plenty of hard work has gone into making the return to community rugby possible, with volunteers at Canvey certainly not shy in rolling up their sleeves to play their part.

“It was hard work, that’s for sure,” said Canvey club captain Brett Smith.

“Four sets of goalposts came down via a machine and were painted in the club colours - red and blue.

“The machine had to go back that night so there were about 30 of us digging holes and we had to erect the new uprights by hand.

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“It was a daunting task and there were a few aching bodies, but we got them up.

“The NatWest grant paid for the machine hire and four new horizontal crossbars, as the old ones were ruined.

“It was great to be back at the club and there was a good bunch of us there throughout. Volunteers are so important at times like this - you can’t do it any other way.”

Now in its 12th year, NatWest RugbyForce is a nationwide programme - developed with the RFU - which provides an opportunity for clubs to welcome team members and volunteers back to help make valuable improvements to their homes.

Echo:

Task - a shovel broke as changes were made

NatWest has awarded grants ranging from £500 to £3,000 to clubs - which also includes Billericay and Basildon - to help renovate facilities and remain sustainable for longer in these challenging times.

Extra planning was also required to ensure the activity took place safely, with the club following the government guidelines and RFU’s guidance at all times.

Ex-England star and NatWest RugbyForce ambassador James Haskell said: “I love seeing all the volunteers being involved and getting their clubs ready for the return to rugby.”

To stay up to date with NatWest’s rugby activity, including the NatWest RugbyForce Weekend 2020, follow @NatWest_Rugby and @EnglandRugby on Twitter.