ilkestonrugby.com online shop - Until last season you could buy certain items from the physical shop at The Stute and also on our ilkestonrugby.com website. Generally these would have been products that may be needed in a hurry (eg. socks and shorts) or things that we have to order from suppliers outside of Scorpion (our plying kit supplier). These would have been:

Elks Blue Rugby Socks
IRUFC Blue Rugby Shorts
Club Ties
Oddball Elks Bobble Hat
Oddball IRUFC Beech Towel
Oddball IRUFC Boxers
Odball IRUFC Kids Hipsters
OPRO Mouthguards

Subsequently we also added a link that takes you to Scorpion where you may also buy (in a separate transaction) from a large range of club branded training and leisure items. This is a separate shop as these items come direct to you from scorpion.

However pitchero, the provider of our website have changed the shop aspect aspect and their new version of the shop is quite frankly rubbish, only allowing people to buy 1 product at a time. Therefore on this page (http://www.ilkestonrugby.com/a/club-shop-56098.html) for the time being it will list what you can buy from the physical shop at The Stute and will show the link to the external Scorpion Shop (https://www.ilkestonrugbyshop.co.uk/)

What we hope to do? - I am waiting to see what pitchero can do to improve this situation, however we hope to have running by mid/late August a page that provides the link to the scorpion site and also either allows you to buy the products in the above table directly from the pitchero site or links you to another shop where these will be available direct from us. We would also hope to add a way of ordering mini/junior playing shirts, replica 1st team shirts, tickets for events and a way of buying subs on line.

Your patience in this matter is very much appreciated.

Mini / Junior Playing Shirts - These will remain the same design as they have been for the last few years in order to make sure parents can buy with confidence and get the most wear out of them, this is one of the ways the club is trying to keep the cost of play down.

Subscriptions - New subscriptions have been agreed at the AGM. The playing side of the club currently runs at a loss (accounts were available at the AGM) and the committee are looking at ways to make sure that this runs at a neutral cost. Subs have been increased with Seniors now being £150 and Juniors/Minis £130 (usual reductions for 2nd child, u6s etc remain please see link for details ( http://www.ilkestonrugby.com/a/subscriptions-15101.html ). This represent £4.70 a week for adults and £4 a week for juniors and includes (not an exhaustive list) RFU qualified coaching, 1st and physio aid cover, 3 full sized pitches plus individual pitches and maintained areas for 6 other age groups, match food after games, festival and tournament player entrance fees, where applicable the use of changing rooms etc.
The RFU are introducing online registration of players by parents for certain junior and mini age groups this year. This is meant to reduce the admin burden for clubs and allow parents better control over data. However, we have always registered our junior and mini players anyway through our membership subs forms data and it is not clear how this will work with the vast majority of our our players that are therefore already registered. For the time being and until we get a reply from the RFU on the matter please assume that we will carry on using the membership forms like we always have, the new one of which can be found on the subs page on the website http://www.ilkestonrugby.com/a/subscriptions-15101.html

Sorting of changing room 6 (end changing room) - As some of you may know the very end changing room has been used as a bit of a dumping store for kit over the past few years. By the start of the new season we hope to have better organised this room so that we can allow basic changing for players in the U13s/U14s if required (they generally dont use showers!!!), shelving for all junior/mini age groups up to U15 equipment, as well as general equipment such as corner flags and tackle pads. This will bring the number of available changing rooms at the club up to 7.

News on Sponsorship - The club has being making good strides with sponsorship this year (this will also help reduce the deficit that the playing side currently runs at). Belfield Group, whose furnishing business is the largest employer in Ilkeston, have renewed as the club's platinum sponsor. Long term sponsors Ilkeston Fencing, Polar Blinds, Stanton Recycling, Orchard Works Joinery, Real Education, Stirland Patterson Group, Buttercups Training, Keith Willis Associates, Evans Pharmacy, ARUP and many more (this not an exhaustive list so please excuse me if i missed anyone, keep an eye on our website and facebook page for the official announcements coming up) have all renewed there sponsorship this season, with many of them increasing their already substantial contributions. New Gold sponsors Martson's Brewery and Donaldsons Timber also get a big welcome and thank you for this new season.

How can you help? -
1. Pitch-side Banners - £220 + VAT we have numerous of these placements available, so if you know a business that might be keen then please contact Paul at sponsorship@ilkestonrugby.com
2. 1st Team Squad Shirt Number Sponsor - After the success of last years U12s sponsoring a 1st team player and benefitting from him coming to and helping to run a few of the session, the club is looking for each Mini and Junior Age group to sponsor a senior player this year. Players will be allocated to an age group. All each age group has to do is have a whip round to hopefully cover the £120 sponsorship.
Business name/logo or web address or age group alongside a shirt number in the Ilkeston rugby matchday programme throughout the season .
Club Website link. • An invite to a Players Pie Supper following a 1st Team fixture (date TBA)
Plus your support will provide the training stash for a player or coach* (Scorpion Sports Contact Top, training tee and club polo
3. Sponsor a match ball for one of the 12 Ilkeston RUFC Senior XV home matches in 2019/20 Season. This can either be a company or a person
Company logo/business name or name featured in Match programme team sheet.
Company Name or Name featured on match ball sponsors web page at ilkestonrugby.com
Price per match £60 +VAT
For further info on sponsorship - Paul O’Connor IRUFC Grants & Sponsorship Officer sponsorship@ilkestonrugby.com or call 07786915962