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Constituent Body

Rugby Football Union Constituent Bodies

Somerset County Rugby Football Union Ltd (SCRFU) is an RFU Constituent Body. Constituent Bodies are the only administrative bodies which operate between the national governing body and the member clubs. We provide significant development support to our member clubs and therefore clubs should ensure that they develop good links with the different functions of their Constituent Body. A Constituent Body, alongside the RFU regional rugby delivery team, will offers support and guidance in the following areas:

  • Discipline
  • Coach development
  • Playing development
  • Safeguarding children and vulnerable adults
  • Club finance and funding
  • Representative rugby and schools of rugby
  • Facility development

There are 28 county CBs, including Somerset, and seven non-geographical CBs, such as the Students RFU or the Army RFU, of which all clubs, schools, colleges and universities are affiliated members.

Constituent Body Management

The 35 Constituent Bodies (CBs) of the RFU comprise counties – some individual some combined – the three armed forces, Oxford and Cambridge Universities, The England Schools Rugby Football Union and England Students.

Depending on the number of member clubs, each CB annually elects one or two members to the RFU Council. Somerset Rugby elects one. Somerset Rugby has a common committee structure linked to the RFU, provides its own administration and develops its own strategic plans.

CBs fulfil a number of vital roles in order to help develop rugby within the community:

  • Their volunteer members work closely in partnership with RFU Rugby Development Officers (RDOs) and local and regional organisations to help promote and develop the game of rugby union within their member clubs.
  • CBs provide the RFU with local knowledge of their clubs, and act as a communication link between the clubs and the RFU. They also annually monitor club accounts and promote the use of the game-wide management system (GMS).
  • CB Rugby Development Partnerships plan, agree and implement a strategy for rugby development of all players within the CB and coordinate an annual player development programme.
  • CBs provide opportunities to play representative rugby through teams who compete in the County Championship, from which the England Counties representative team is selected, the National Under-20 Championship, and at Under 18 level and below.
  • CBs organise county leagues, manage county cup competitions and merit tables for club teams and manage leagues, merit tables or festivals for young players at U18 and below.
  • CB Coaching Committees establish coach development programmes. CBs have close links with Referee Societies who train and develop referees. CBs work with the RFU to increase the number of volunteers with skills and commitment to administer the game at club level.
  • CBs have delegated disciplinary powers to act in relation to infringement of any law of the game by players below National League level or for any conduct prejudicial to the game or for infringement of most RFU or IRB regulations.