Sunday 26^th February 2023

On behalf of Tunbridge Wells RFC, we welcome you to our 2023 Minis Festival, for what we hope is a great day of rugby, teamwork and fun.

Pools & Fixtures

Pitch Layout

KEY INFORMATION

Registration:   Open from 09.00
Referees Briefing: 09:45
First Matches Kick Off: 10:00
Address: St Mark’s Recreation Ground, Frant Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 5LS

All age groups will be playing round robin fixtures with no scores being recorded by the organisers.

All matches will be played in accordance with the Kent Regulation 15 and the Referees decision is final.  Paramount for ALL is to have fun and we expect players, coaches and parents to ensure that this happens.

Please ensure you gather up all your rubbish and place it within the bin-liners provided in each Age Group Area. This year we will also have recycling points. Please use them where possible.

Entrance Fee Programme

There is a £5.00 entrance fee PER FAMILY with a programme included, this contains pitch layouts and the match pools. TWRFC members and visiting coaches will also need to pay the entrance fee. The programme charge goes towards the cost of running the festival. Whilst we will have card readers available CASH is the preferred payment method to ensure we can minimise queues at the gate

Registration & Timings:

The registration desk, which will be located in the control tent, will be open from 09:00 a.m. Please make sure each team/age group notifies us of their arrival promptly to avoid delays. All players must be registered with the RFU.

There will be a Coaches/Referee briefing for each age group at 09:45 a.m. These are hosted by the Tunbridge Wells coaches for each age group and held by the pitches upon which the age group will be playing, next to the TWRFC Tent. We aim to have all games commencing promptly at 10.00 a.m. 

Please note when you will be expected to referee and get to the pitch in plenty of time. All of our Pitch Marshals are volunteers. Please do advise them if you have any problems putting a team together or if you are missing a referee.

As per all festivals, the onus is upon each visiting team to have a first aid kit and nominated first aider with them for each age group. The St Johns Ambulance point is at the entrance gate. Please make your way there should you require any assistance.

PARKING – IMPORTANT

Unless you have received dispensation to do so there will be no parking at the club. There will be a drop-off zone allowing you to drive through the club to drop off kit etc., should you need to do so. There is no parking on A267 Frant Road, Redcliffe Place or Moat Farm.

Please ask any Blue Badge holders, or visitors with special access requirements to pre-book their space at the club by emailing minifixtures@twrfc.com with their name, car details and mobile number. Please ask them to indicate if they hold a badge and / or what space etc. they need. The club has disabled toilets but unfortunately no disabled access to the upstairs bar. All other facilities are accessible.

There is plenty of parking within 10-15 minutes’ walk so please ensure that you leave time to get to the pitches.

Please respect the local residents and park legally without blocking driveways or access to properties. Wardens do patrol often and will ticket any infringements.

In the attempt to ease parking, we have allocated nearby roads to particular clubs. Please head for these roads as a matter of course. Please be polite to our neighbours and park respectfully and lawfully.

Please refer to the parking allocation map:

Bayham Road – TN2 5HP – Sevenoaks RFC, Cranbrook RFC, Aylesford Bulls RFC & Maidstone RFC
Forest Road – TN2 5HS –  Tunbridge Wells RFC, Medway RFC, Beckenham RFC & Crowborough RFC
St Marks Road – TN2 5XJ – Old Alleynians RFC & Heathfield & Waldron RFC
Broadwater Down – TN2 5NU – Tonbridge Juddians RFC, Westcombe Park RFC, Edenbridge RFC

Please could we encourage car-sharing wherever possible.

Matches and Pitch Boundaries

We ask that viewing adults do not encroach on to the pitch area. Please respect this for safety reasons. Due to pitch conditions games may only be watchable from off the rugby pitches. Underfoot conditions can be particularly muddy and we encourage appropriate footwear for spectators.

Referees

Every team is required to provide a referee to ref one half of their sides game each. Each age group will host a referee briefing before matches begin to ensure everyone is clear on what is expected. The festival referee will act in all disputes over on-pitch decisions. Remember referees and coaches are only human and they have volunteered their time. Respect their decision, regardless of whether you agree or not. Please raise any issues with the TWRFC Head Coach in the first instance, or Andy Murphy via the Registration Tent.

Behaviour

We ask that all spectators, players and coaches behave appropriately. If any spectator, player or coach displays aggressive or unacceptable behaviour on or off the pitch they will be asked to leave and their team may be withdrawn from the festival. Remember that this is a festival for the enjoyment of the children taking part.

Drones

The use of drones is not permitted at this festival. Please report any use immediately via the Registration Tent.

Dog Policy

Please note that all dogs (excluding service dogs) are not permitted at St Marks during Mini Festivals, and there will be no facility to leave your dog at the gate.
Every year there are a couple of families who turn up with their dogs and are disappointed to be turned away. Anyone turning up with a dog will be directed to the nearest public footpath, which is away from the club so unfortunately, they will miss seeing any rugby being played.

Refreshments

• Our Club House will be open providing bacon and sausage rolls and a range of hot and cold drinks from the downstairs café. The bar at the clubhouse will be open later in the day.
• We have two BBQ locations serving everyone’s favourite festival food with Burgers and Hot Dogs provided by Fuller’s Butchers
• Pizza Cucina will be serving freshly made Wood Fired Pizzas
• W&H Pubs are providing a range of Sausage Rolls, CornishPasties, Vegan Pasties, Scotch Eggs, Chips, Cheesy Chips and Loaded Chips with Chilli
• In addition to our Club House, we have two mobile coffee vans providing you withyour favourite Barista made coffee, as well as tea and hot chocolate.
• Our legendary Tuck Shop will provide all the sweet treats, snacks and drinks to keepyour kids full of energy throughout the festival.

Tents/Gazebos/Rubbish

Teams are allowed to bring tents/gazebos but please make sure that they are in areas a suitable distance from the pitches. Please ensure you gather up all your rubbish and place it within the bin-liners provided in each Age Group Area. Please note, that whilst there are no recycling points at the club, all our waste is sent to a location where recyclable material is separated from landfill.