Technical Areas & Spectator Barriers

Spectator Barriers

1st team games in an RFU league or cup competition and competitive youth games WILL NOT TAKE PLACE unless the appropriate barrier(s) are provided or, if that is shown to be impractical, other measures are in place to ensure that spectators keep away from the playing area.

The RFU Regulations about pitch barriers apply to any 1^st team match in an RFU league or cup competition and any league or cup youth game.

These rules therefore apply in Herts to :

1^st team games in Regional 1 and 2 and Counties 1, 2 and 3
all games in RFU cup competitions
all league and cup games in youth rugby

The Regulations require a permanent or temporary pitch barrier or some other practical steps to ensure that spectators keep away from the playing area. This is a safety issue – compliance with the RFU Regs (which have been in place for several seasons) is non-negotiable. These matches WILL NOT TAKE PLACE unless the barrier rules are complied with.

The RFU Regulations make it very clear that, if it is only practical to erect a spectator barrier on one side of the pitch, then all spectators must stand on that side and behind the barrier.

Merit Tables

Clubs are not expected to provide barriers for games in the Herts/Middx Merit Tables or 2nd team games and below in any other league.

However, the safety of players, spectators and match officials remains the home club’s responsibility. The referee MUST stop play if spectators encroach onto or inside the touchline or if other safety concerns arise.

Technical Areas

The RFU Regulations also require technical areas to be marked out on any pitch that is being used for a 1^st team game in an RFU league or cup game or in a competitive youth game.

Club coaches, replacements, water carriers and medical support staff must remain in the technical area (except when delivering water to the players during a break in play or entering the pitch to carry out a medical assessment or provide treatment).

Everyone else must stand on the far side of the barrier. If the barrier is only provided on one side of the pitch, all spectators must remain on that side.

If it is impractical for a technical area to be marked out, then coaches etc must remain on the side of the pitch designated by the home club and within an area between the centre and 10m lines and 2m back from the touchline.

Coaches are not permitted to follow play by walking up and down the touchline and are not permitted to stand in or behind the in goal area.

Referee Responsibilities

We expect our referees to do the following :

check when appointed to referee a match whether the RFU Regs apply to that match;
check well before the kick off time that the spectator barrier(s) and technical areas are in place;
if they are not, tell the home club that the game won’t kick off until they are provided;
remind both team’s coaches of the need to stay in the technical areas;
remind the home team coach or club official that spectators must stay behind the barrier(s) and that, if there is only a barrier on one side, they must stand on that side; and
monitor the behaviour of the coaches during the game to check that they are complying.

Once the game has kicked off, it is the home club’s responsibility to ensure that the spectators are complying with the rules. If a safety incident involving a collision between a player and a spectator occurs because the spectator has not stayed behind the barrier, then that is responsibility of the home club.

We will of course fully support any Society referee who is concerned about safety and who decides that a game is not going to continue until the spectators are in the correct place.