150 supporters watch rugby club’s festive fixture – but no Covid rules broken

Around 150 supporters were able to watch Caerphilly RFC’s Boxing Day match at Virginia Park, despite Welsh Government rules banning outdoor gatherings of more than 50.

During the match, which saw a Caerphilly Veterans XV take on the club’s Under-30s side, 49 supporters watched the game pitchside, while the rest watched from the clubhouse.

Club chairman Gareth Ashman told BBC Radio Wales this was the only way the game could go ahead.

The fixture, which is played at the club every Boxing Day, normally brings more than 1,000 fans – generating much-needed income for a community-run club like Caerphilly – which, like most other rugby clubs in Wales, has been hit hard by the pandemic.

No Covid restrictions were broken, with people still able to meet in pubs and bars under the current rules, providing there are no more than six people per table, masks are worn away from the table and food and drink are served to the table.

The latest rules came in place across Wales on Boxing Day to combat the Omicron variant.

The Welsh Government had previously announced sports games would be played with no spectators, but later changed these rules to allow up to 50 spectators.

A live stream of the game was shown to supporters in the clubhouse, while other supporters were able to watch the match through the clubhouse windows.

Before the match, the club said anyone not adhering to the rules would be asked to leave.

Mr Ashman told BBC Radio Wales: “We’re one of the biggest community clubs in Wales. We’ve got quite a large clubhouse so we can accommodate quite a lot of members in the club and there was a real buzz around working out a way that members could see the game on Boxing Day as we have traditionally.”

He added: “Everybody was keen to play, cognisant of the effect Covid has had on us as a club over the past two years.

“It’s a really huge fixture for us, big money-spinner, probably have around anywhere from 1,000 to 1,500 people there on a Boxing Day, which is probably our biggest day of the year.

“We are so reliant on our gate and bar takings to survive effectively. We’ve had a really challenging two years obviously, as every community club in Wales has.”