How Rugby Tours To France Are Organised
When we arrange a club tour to France it is not a simple matter of booking a few flights and arranging some accommodation. There are many factors to take into account and lots of organisations and individuals to contact along the way. In the following article I will explain step by step the process involved in setting up a rugby tour to France.
Fix Your Window and Squad Size First
In terms of planning the trip, it is useful to fix your window for travel (April or May is popular as the pitches are still in good order and it is easy to find fixtures) and your number of travelling players before you start to book anything.
Sourcing Opposition Clubs
Most French clubs need to know a number of details about a visiting team before they agree to a match. This typically includes the age group and standard of the visitors, preferred dates for the match and details about any necessary match kit and referees. Contact can be made with regional rugby federations or touring contacts that have in the past set up fixtures for touring sides. It is not uncommon for several weeks to pass before a match is finally confirmed in writing.
Cross-Channel and In-Country Transport
The majority of tours take place by coach and cross the Channel Tunnel to France. The coach is also used for all in-country travel between the team’s hotel, training facilities and match venues. It’s also a good idea to produce a written itinerary to be distributed to all team members prior to travel to avoid any confusion on tour.
Picking the Right Training Venue
In most cases the touring team will be granted the use of the home team’s training facilities for a pre-match warm up. This must be agreed with the home team prior to the tour and details such as the pitch, changing rooms and time must be confirmed.
Accommodation for a Rugby Squad
This must be chosen with the needs of your party in mind. Hotels with large dining rooms, lock-up for kit, and plenty of twin rooms to avoid charging of single supplements are ideal.
Insurance and Duty of Care
The sports travel insurance that you take will need to cover any match related injuries as well as any medical treatment and repatriation required as a result of an accident. Guidance on the Duty of Care for groups of travelling sports people should also be read so that the coaches on tour are aware of their responsibilities to the players for their welfare.
A well-planned rugby tour takes months to plan, so start planning early.
