Wharfedale get Whole Club Seal of Approval from Rugby Football Union (From Craven Herald)

Wharfedale get Whole Club Seal of Approval Rugby Football Union

9:10am Thursday 19th January 2012 in Wharfedale

Wharfedale have become only the ninth club in Yorkshire to receive the Rugby Football Union’s Whole Club Seal of Approval.

The Greens’ president John Spencer and com-mittee member Toni Birch were given a plaque at half-time during last Saturday’s first-team match by Yorkshire RFU president Trevor Kent-Jones.

The Whole Club Seal of Approval recognises clubs at the pinnacle of the community game. The accreditation recognises the effort and achievement of volunteers in reaching the standard required in the development of rugby across the whole club, and to plan for the long-term sustainability of the club and rugby union.

The Whole Club Seal of Approval accreditation was introduced in 2009, and clubs must demonstrate evidence of good practice in areas such as club man-agement, player development and recruitment, child protection, sports equity, coaching, refereeing and volunteering.

Wharfedale acknowledge the contribution of Skipton Building Society in supporting the Wharfe-dale Rugby Academy, which now takes the game into over 50 schools, and wishes to thank Toni Birch, who, with RFU rugby development officer Hamish Pratt, took the club through the procedures.