This week, the Leeds Modernians committee have released a statement regarding the reopening of the clubhouse facilities. Please find the long version posted below, but the tl;dr round up is that the bar will be open from next Friday (10th July), but only for members.

Don't worry if you're not currently a member though. Come on down to our first pre-season training session on the 16th July and we can get you signed up to play games and enjoy our social facilities and activities.

On a side note, the RFU have released some plans for when competitive rugby could start again, but it's a tad confusing so we'll hold off on talking about it until more information comes to light.

Anyway, here is the full version of the message sent out by the committee:

Dear Members,

Following the announcement from the government that some of the Covid-19 restrictions will be lifted on July 4th, thereby allowing pubs and clubs to trade in a limited fashion, we have made a plan for the club to reopen.

After careful consideration of the regulations and conditions still imposed, and the need to vigorously safeguard our staff and customers, we have decided to reopen from

Friday 10th July at 5pm

This will afford the club a small window to provide staff training, complete full risk assessments and carry out any modifications to the clubhouse that may be required. It will also allow us to test any new queuing and ordering systems to ensure a safe and smooth experience for you all.

We will be implementing a new table booking service for indoor seating and operating a strict members-only policy throughout the clubhouse and grounds. There will be some restrictions and conditions that we will have to enforce:

• Anyone ordering a drink at the bar must wear a mask or suitable face-covering, and must carry a valid membership card;
• Only one person will be permitted at the bar per round, so we would encourage you to bring
your own tray if visiting as a large group;
• We will be operating on a cash-free basis, so cards or contactless only;
• There will be no sitting at the bar allowed, nor will anyone be able to stand whilst drinking inside the club;
• The indoor seating will be restricted – to guarantee a seat, we strongly recommend that you use the new table booking system;
• There will be limited outdoor seating available so you are strongly encouraged to bring
your own chairs/rugs etc;
• There will be an expectation that all members will adhere to social distancing of at
least 2m at all times wherever possible;
• Happy Hour will be suspended until further notice;
• We may not be able to carry a full range of our usual drinks;
• Until further notice the club is strictly members-only.

We understand that some members may be disappointed that we are not opening sooner, or with fewer restrictions; we have carefully considered all the options open to us however and concluded that this is the only way we can safely open at present.

We will of course review the situation regularly, in line with the government advice and considering our membership. Further information about the table booking system will be circulated as soon as possible.

Finally, we’d like to thank every one of you for your patience and understanding at this time and sincerely thank you for your support throughout. We hope to see you soon!

Kind regards and best wishes,
Leeds Modernians