Parking
Parking will be mainly on site this year. We will be strictly separating vehicles and pedestrians. Vehicle speed onsite must be 5mph. There will be signs and marshals on the day to direct you to parking.

Parking is FREE, so please use it rather than parking on the road.
We recommend car sharing to make life as easy as possible for all.
Please inform a week prior to the event if you will be arriving by coach. There will be a charge of £35 per coach.
All vehicles and their contents are parked entirely at the owner’s risk and Ilkeston Rugby Football Club accepts no responsibility for any loss, damage or theft, however it may occur.

Entrance on the day
As I’m sure everyone understands, festivals like ours are put on to promote rugby but also raise much needed funds for community clubs like ours. This means unsurprisingly, there is a gate charge for all non-playing visitors.

All non-playing visitors (18+ years) including coaches, referees, spectators etc - £3 each
As we have the volunteers on the car park and entrance, the rules are clear to them, so please join in and don’t give them a hard time. Can you pass this onto your parents, prior notice to them does help.
JUST REMEMBER CASH IS KING – Oh and it’s also likely to be the quicker line!

Safeguarding
Please be aware of the following and be proactive in supplying any information that helps with these matters if required:

Changing rooms/toilets - will be signposted so that female players and/or coaches can access separate facilities. Men and boys will also be separated. Ilkeston Rugby Football Club accepts no responsibility for damage or loss of personal belongings.
Photography- Please inform us if there is anyone within your playing group that must not be photographed. An official photographer team will be present, but obviously everyone also now carries a camera on their phone. In light of photography being difficult to control, we will therefore presume all photography is OK unless we are informed otherwise, at which point those particular playing pools will be informed that they have a team that cannot be filmed or photographed.

Tournament & Matches
Registration - is being held in the organisers tent just below the changing rooms. This will be open from 9am and will close at 9.45 am – if you are delayed for any reason, please telephone Paul Shoebridge 07917 003972
Registration Sheets - Appendix 3 - All Coaches must have a copy of each player’s GMS registration number. We require a list of registered players attending for each Squad/Age Group Participating (please use the attached form appendix 2) – this should be handed to the Registration Clerk at Registration and certainly should be available on request should an issue occur.
In the unlikely event coaches may be asked to prove a players age so we suggest that they bring RFU GMS player print out for their squad and if this is not available, then alternative forms of ID confirming date of birth will be acceptable.
Players playing in correct age group – Due to clubs’ objections in the past it is expected that each team will consist solely of the correct age group. If your club has any intention to play anyone out of age group, for whatever reason. This may be permissible but will need prior permission and is likely to rely on evidence of the official CB permission sought by your club and also a mutual acceptance by the clubs in each pool.
Fixtures - will be available in the program online at https://www.ilkestonrugby.com/a/ilkeston-minis-festival-2026-69074.html
All age groups are set up to deliver meaningly match lengths, combined with maximising total playing time.
Referees - Each team must supply someone competent to referee matches involving sides other than their own club, plus a linesman to assist during its own fixtures.
Coaches briefing - will be held at the organisers tent at 9.45.
Pitch Layout – please see pitch layout below in online program
Kick Off Time - The first fixtures for each age group will kick off at 10.00am. Please ensure that your team is ready to play 5 minutes before each scheduled kick off time – this will help ensure the tournament runs to time.
Awards – Our festival does not award trophies. We do however concentrate on delivering an efficient and enjoyable festival to be enjoyed by all participants, played with the RFU Teamwork, Respect, Enjoyment, Discipline and Sportsmanship in mind.
Pitch management – Each age group will have a pitch management team; this will consist of at least one young adult so please bear this in mind.

Facilities
Food – Available from BBQ at The Stute Clubhouse - Bacon, Sausage rolls, Burger etc
Drinks – Available from The Stute Clubhouse & Cabin Bar - Soft drinks, tea, coffee, beer etc will be available with a full bar available in the club house. Please Note – Only alcohol purchased at the club’s bars can be consumed on the premises, including the playing fields.
First Aid – Whilst we provides appropriate first aid cover for this event, it is the responsibility of each visiting club to make sure that they adhere to the current RFU requirements regarding first aid provision for their team. If you require first aid assistance then please speak to a member of your pitch management team or the Festival Organiser. The festival first aid is in the Physio room in the changing rooms.

No personal BBQs under any circumstances
Please ensure that everyone that needs to brings a change of clothing or over clothes with them to wear before going in the clubhouse. No one is allowed into The Stute Clubhouse in dirty kit.

Your Club’s Responsibilities
Please remember that your club and teams should be aware of and fulfil their RFU responsibilities in all areas, including for example first aid, safeguarding, risk assessments, registrations etc. This list is not exhaustive.

May I take this opportunity of thanking you in advance for participating in our Tournament and we very much look forward to seeing you on the day and welcoming you to our club. We hope for good weather and an enjoyable day of fun Rugby for all concerned! If you have any queries/problems regarding any of the arrangements, please give me a call

Yours sincerely,

Paul Shoebridge
Ilkeston Rugby Club Junior Chairman
The Stute
Hallam Fields Rd,
Ilkeston, Derbyshire
DE7 4AZ