Ponteland RFC is hosting the festival their ground is at Ponteland Leisure Centre, Callerton Lane, Ponteland. Parking is at Ponteland High School NE20 9EY

Please DO NOT park at the Leisure Centre. Ponteland Community High School, just a few hundred yards along Callerton Lane and enter the Leisure Centre fields using the footpath off Callerton Lane next to the play park.

The best way to get to the car park is to travel down Callerton Lane from the Darras Hall end. From the airport, turn left at Dobbies roundabout onto Rotary Way, right at the next two roundabouts and then marshals will guide people into the car park. Entrance
There will be an entry fee of £2 per family to help cover the costs of hosting the event.

Organisation on the day

We ask you all to arrive by 9.45. There will be a coaches briefing at 10.00am. Games kick off at 10.30.

It is very important to arrive promptly to allow the children to warm up and to get the squads organized.

This is a very large festival and timings are tight. We must be organized and ready to start promptly to help the festival run smoothly. Matches start at 10.30. The last matches are scheduled to start at 12.10.

There will be a presentation ceremony with medals being handed out to all players (called up by club) and this will be expected to start at 12:45pm. Callum Chick (Current England U20 Captain) will present the medals and a County Representative (Tony Lederyou) will present the Spirit of Rugby Award.

Festival Format

Teams will be mixed ability. We have entered three squads. Games are 7-a-side. There are 20 squads entered and these are split into 4 leagues of 5 teams. Each league will play 4 games of 16 minutes (8minutes each way and 2 minutes half time). This means the children will be playing a lot of rugby.

There will be no ‘winner’ declared either in individual matches or for the festival as a whole. However, the matches are still competitive, sometimes very competitive, but the emphasis is on enjoying the game whether playing or watching.

Rule Clarification

Following discussions throughout the season with many coaches here are some rule clarifications
- We will be playing 7th tackle turnover
- No coaches on the pitch
- The ball does not need to be carried in both hands but should be encouraged. Referees should be watching out for fend/handing offs.
- At a tackle to ground, a tackled player can either place the ball for a ‘scrum half pass’ or pop the ball up for a pass to a teammate. This pop up pass however must be immediate
- When the tackled player places the ball backwards for a ‘scrum half pass’, the defending team cannot advance to tackle the ‘scrum half’, the defending team must wait until the pass has been made before they can advance.

First Aid Cover – Other Facilities

First aid cover is provided by the leisure centre staff, though teams are still advised to bring their own first aid / medical cover. The bar will be open to the public and will be serving a selection refreshments.

Please ensure that the cricket outfield is not sued as a training area. The cricket pitch is out of bounds to the rugby club.

Kit and Food

The children will need football/rugby boots with studs to play.
THE CHILDREN MUST WEAR MOUTH GUARDS. Please, please, please do not forget them. The children will not be allowed to play without one.

Check the forecast, it is a bit mixed and uncertain. There will be some sitting around so please make sure you have enough layers to keep the children and yourselves warm and dry.

There will be hot dogs for the players, but these won’t be available until the end. Please bring plenty of snacks and drinks to keep the children happy and hydrated - they will be playing a lot of rugby.

HELP PLEASE

More than ever, we need active help from the sidelines. We have almost the entire squad turning out which is really great to see.

It means we have been able to enter three teams, but we have only three coaches on Sunday. This is stretching our resources very thinly (coaches are also required to referee other matches). So, in addition to the usual help with lace tying, comforting and encouragement (always greatly appreciated), extra help will be required to keep the players warmed up and occupied between matches. Please don your trainers and be prepared for a bit of throwing and catching with your children.

This is a festival, so there will be no official scoring. However, we do like to keep a tally of who scored tries in each game so that we can write a match report. Scoop Jefferson (James’ dad) is available to keep a tally and write notes for one squad. We will need a volunteer from the other two teams so that we can have full match coverage and no-one misses out. Coaches will provide a team grid and pens on Sunday.

And Finally…

We would ask you all to follow the Code of Conduct which was given out in the Welcome Pack. Please support the coaches and uphold the Novo’s club and rugby ethos; encourage the children and applaud good play from all sides. Enjoy the day and enjoy watching your children play.

See you all on Sunday.

Go Knights!

Andrew, Heather, Mike and Rachel