Ncarugby.com have today launched our #BackToGrassroots campaign as rugby returns up and down the country. (Photo Credit: Clayton Jane Photography)

As of March 29th, clubs can return to contact training without scrums and mauls, but training sessions should not exceed 20 minutes of contact at this stage.

At the beginning of the month, a detailed calendar was published outlining the route towards a return to normal fixtures, with May 31st a possible date for when full contact matches could be staged.

Obviously, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on our sport – with the last National League fixtures taking place over 12 months ago – but we hope our clubs will continue to rally around as light begins to emerge at the end of the tunnel.

With the #BackToGrassroots campaign, our aim is to bring our clubs together and generate an excitement across the country.

We understand how much a Tuesday/Thursday training session benefits people at every individual club and that sense of togetherness is now more vital than ever.

Over the course of the next few weeks and months, ncarugby.com will be producing interviews, videos and podcasts to raise the profile of the National Leagues as well as showcasing our clubs as preparations begin ahead of the 2021/22 season.

NCA Chairman John Inverdale said: “As the chairman of the NCA, I have been as frustrated as all of you have been over the last few months especially at the height of the rugby season watching the Six Nations and watching matches that have been absolutely riveting, just wanting to get back to the club and wanting to get involved.

“Now is an opportunity to get down to your club and just give it some life again. I just hope over the next six weeks or so, and maybe we have matches in May, that life can be instilled in clubhouses and in clubs across the land again and especially across the 48 member clubs of the NCA .

“Hopefully, we can really sense we are back on a path towards ‘normality’ and come September when the league season resumes, we are up and raring to go.”

So, if your club has a great story to tell or you just want to let us know how your team is preparing for the new season, please get in touch @nca_rugby on Twitter or email us chris@talkingrugbyunion.co.uk or joe@talkingrugbyunion.co.uk

All the latest guidelines released by the RFU can be found here: https://www.englandrugby.com/participation/running-your-club/coronavirus/return-to-rugby

#BackToGrassroots