Yeovil Rugby Club acknowledges the RFU's decision to delay the start of the 2026/27 competitive community rugby season until the week commencing Monday 21 September.
The decision, announced by the RFU on Friday, follows the prolonged period of exceptionally hot and dry weather across the country, which has resulted in concerns surrounding pitch conditions, player welfare and the safe return to competitive rugby.
At Yeovil Rugby Club, the safety and welfare of our players will always be a priority, and we fully understand the difficult considerations that have led to this decision.
However, we also recognise the significant disappointment and disruption this will cause.
Like clubs across the country, a huge amount of work has already taken place at Yeovil in preparation for the new season. Players and coaches have been working hard throughout pre-season, while our volunteers, grounds team, sponsors, staff and supporters have all been preparing for competitive rugby to return.
The delay will inevitably have an impact beyond the rugby pitch. Home fixtures are an important part of the running of a community rugby club, bringing together players, members, supporters, sponsors and the wider local community. Changes to the fixture calendar also affect matchday sponsorships, hospitality, staffing, catering, events and the many volunteers who give their time to make matchdays possible.
We appreciate that there will be many questions surrounding postponed fixtures and how the revised season will now operate.
At present, we are awaiting further information regarding the rearrangement of affected fixtures and the revised league schedule. As soon as these details are confirmed, we will communicate them to our players, members, sponsors and supporters.
In the meantime, Yeovil Rugby Club will continue to prepare for the season ahead and work closely with our coaching teams and grounds team to ensure that rugby can return safely when conditions allow.
We would like to thank everyone who has already put so much work into preparing for the 2026/27 season, particularly our coaches, players, volunteers, grounds team, sponsors and staff.
This is a delay to the beginning of our competitive campaign – not to the season or the ambitions we have for Yeovil Rugby Club.
We look forward to getting back out on the pitch and welcoming everyone back to Yeovil Rugby Club as soon as competitive rugby gets underway.
Yeovil Rugby Club
The official RFU announcement is here: RFU – Statement on the start of the competitive community rugby season.
