Throughout the year volunteers have the chance to be recognised for the work they do by England Rugby and their sponsors, Hampshire Rugby and local clubs.

The awards that are available to be nominated for are…

RFU President Lifetime Achievement Award
This award is selected by the Hampshire Executive Committee and as the title suggest goes to a person who has given outstanding service over a long period of time. The recipient gets VIP treatment at an England match at Twickenham and is presented with their award at the post-match dinner.

RFU Honda Volunteers of the Year Award
Clubs nominate their volunteers who are then invited to a ceremony where all nominees receive recognition in the form of a certificate and a small gift to thank them for their contribution. Nominees are then invited to a County recognition event where certificates and awards will be presented. The County shortlist three people in 3 different categories who are then judged by an independent panel at Twickenham. The person selected as our winner goes through to the national final at a gala dinner held at Twickenham.

Hampshire RFU Awards
The County further recognise club volunteers with awards given out at the County AGM. The categories include…
• Administrator of the Year, which is awarded to the club administrator who in the opinion of the panel has done the most to help the game in the season.
• Volunteer of the Year goes to the individual who has made a real difference either on or off the pitch at their club
• Young Volunteer of the Year goes to the individual under the age of 18, who has made a real difference either on or off the pitch at their club.
Other Volunteer Rewards
The County also reward Volunteers with a special day at Twickenham and invite Club nominees to attend the Autumn and Six Nations International matches as our guests.

These awards are always welcome, but the biggest reward is that of a simple” thank you”.

So please take the opportunity to recognise the work that volunteers carry out in your Club. To assist Hampshire are now looking for Clubs to hold their own “Volunteer of the month” nomination and reward programme. How you reward your volunteer is up to each Club but we would like to hear about it and keep a record of these deserving people. The data provided will help us add to the information at the end of the season when recognising the right people for the Honda and County awards.

If you would like more information on how to set this up kindly email George Winch (Hampshire Rugby Volunteer Lead).