Start of Season 2026 – Hampshire RFU Update
Hampshire RFU will align our Merit League and local Age Grade competitions with the RFU’s decision to delay the start of the competitive community rugby season until the week commencing Monday 21 September.
While Hampshire RFU has responsibility and a degree of autonomy over these competitions, we believe aligning with the national position is the right decision for rugby in Hampshire.
It is a decision centred on two things: player welfare and fairness.
The exceptionally hard ground conditions this summer have severely restricted the ability of many clubs to train normally. For the vast majority, opportunities to progressively prepare players for full-contact rugby have been significantly reduced or, in some cases, removed altogether.
The question is therefore not simply whether a pitch might be playable on a particular weekend. We also need to consider whether the players taking to that pitch have had an appropriate opportunity to prepare safely for competitive contact rugby.
There is also a question of fairness. Some clubs have had access to AWP’s, irrigated pitches or other facilities which have enabled greater levels of preparation; many others have not.
With our responsibility for player welfare, alongside our ambition to retain and grow participation, we believe a short delay is both sensible and proportionate. It provides players with additional preparation time and gives our competitions the best opportunity to begin safely and fairly.
Read the full RFU announcement: Start of the Competitive Community Rugby Season
What happens next?
Our competition organisers and league secretaries will now work through the necessary changes to schedules and communicate directly with clubs and teams where required.
In the meantime, this does not mean rugby has to stop. Training can continue where conditions allow and the appropriate risk assessments are undertaken. The RFU has also confirmed that friendly fixtures can take place where local conditions, player readiness and safety allow.
We encourage clubs to use the coming weeks positively: progressively preparing players for contact, considering non-contact formats and, where appropriate, working with neighbouring clubs to explore access to suitable facilities and opportunities to play.
As schedules are adjusted, we also ask clubs to continue the culture of collaboration and creativity that exists across Hampshire rugby. Communicating early, working constructively with opposition clubs and considering alternative dates, venues, fixture reversals and suitable Artificial Grass Pitches can all help us find solutions.
Building a more resilient game
The current situation also reinforces a wider challenge we recently highlighted in our article, Extreme Weather: Building Greater Resilience into Our Community Game.
In recent seasons we have experienced waterlogged pitches, frozen grounds and now prolonged dry weather and exceptionally hard playing surfaces.
Weather will always affect rugby. What is becoming increasingly important is how effectively we adapt to it. That means continuing to think creatively about competition structures, reserve weekends, facilities and greater flexibility around when and where rugby is played.
Read: Extreme Weather – Building Greater Resilience into Our Community Game
There will inevitably be challenges in the weeks ahead, but our collective aim remains simple:
to find safe and sensible ways to keep rugby being played.
By continuing to work together, we can protect our players, support our volunteers and give as many people as possible the opportunity to enjoy rugby across Hampshire.
Hampshire RFU Board
Terry Burwell
Hampshire RFU Council Member & Chair, Adult Competitions Management Sub Committee
