Kids & Families

HOPE VALLEY RUGBY CLUB

As with many amateur sports clubs, the past fifteen months have proved a awaiting approval testing time for Hope Valley RFC. When Covid brought a sudden halt to their league competition in March 2020, with Valley lying a creditable fourth in their division, few could have imagined that it would be over a year before anyone laced up their boots again. Whilst Valley (who use community facilities on match days and ‘The Woodroffe Arms’ in Hope as their clubhouse) are financially more secure than many amateur clubs, the potential effect on a close knit group of players, who enjoy the “social” side of the sport as much as the physical, was immeasurable. It was reassuring then, that when the Government and the RFU relaxed their regulations regarding amateur sport, that the enthusiasm for training reached previously unknown levels and the weekly sessions were well attended and well received. So it’s with heightened optimism that the Club are approaching a return to competitive action, which will hopefully begin at Sheffield Tigers 7s at Dore Moor on 31 July, and continue into the 2021-22 league season, which is due to start in September. A season which will see a new leader on the field as Matt Keeley takes over the captaincy after Ben Somerton’s seven years at the helm.