As the darker, wetter, colder months set in, we are regularly asked to clarify whether tag will go ahead in unpleasant or inclement weather. In this policy, we outline our general approach to weather-related postponements or cancellations.
Ultimately, every tag venue has its own set of circumstances. Those include:
Type of playing surface
Availability of sufficient lighting
Quality of drainage on playing surface
Other uses of the pitch and venue, e.g. by other sports
Local weather conditions
Our primary concern in all aspects of our business is the health & safety of our participants. All of our decisions in respect of weather conditions have this consideration at their heart and are guided by information provided by Met Éireann, the Irish Meteorological Service.
Forecasts
Given the predictive nature of weather forecasts, games are rarely cancelled or postponed more than 24 hours before the scheduled kick-off time.For example, a Met Eireann forecast on Monday for heavy showers on a Wednesday does not in and of itself mean tag will be cancelled or postponed.
In normal circumstances, a decision will be made by 16:00 on matchday, having considered the Met Eireann short-term forecasts and live conditions.
Unpleasant Weather (e.g. persistent rain showers)
Generally speaking, unpleasant weather is not a basis to cancel or postpone tag. Tag Rugby is an outdoor sport that is played all year round in a country that is known for its wet and windy weather so, on most occasions, you should assume that matches will be going ahead despite the unseasonable weather. Moreover, our venues provide high-quality pitches built, maintained and/or engineered to withstand typical Irish weather conditions.
Met Eireann Weather Warnings
The exception to this is Met Eireann weather warnings, which we pay close attention to , especially when they apply to areas in which we are operating leagues.While a yellow warning will usually result in matches going ahead, an orange weather warning over a Tag venue during scheduled games will usually results in a cancellation or postponement.
“Is tag going ahead?”
While not always possible, we will try to make a decision on whether tag is going ahead or not by 16:00 on matchday before people start travelling to the venue. The first thing we do when tag is cancelled is notify the team captains via Whatsapp and email, who are then expected to notify their teammates (hence why having up to date details of captains is really important!)
Simply put, this means that if you have to ask if tag is going ahead, the answer is always yes.
Process for notifying teams
Considering all relevant factors, we will always endeavour to make a decision on the playability of a particular venue well in advance of your departure for the first round.
Our primary method of communication with team captains is through the relevant league Whatsapp group, the link for which is included at the start of the welcome email for the relevant league.
When notifying of a cancellation, we will ask each captain to explicitly respond to indicate that they have forwarded the information to their team, and to name the team in question when doing so. This gives us an immediate picture of which teams require further communication in order to be notified.
An email will also be sent to all team captains at the relevant venue, and a message posted on @tagrugbyireland on social media.
Please note that we are not always in a position to issue a timely communication to captains. This can arise, for example, when the venue itself notifies of a cancellation or intends to hold an inspection at a later time. On occasion, our staff may arrive at a venue and discover that it is unexpectedly unplayable or that real weather conditions do not match those forecasted. In these circumstances it may be necessary to postpone or cancel games at short notice.
Process for rearrangement
In the event of a postponement of games, the following process shall apply:
Postponed games will be played on the next night of the league. For example, if a game is cancelled on 4th December, it will be rescheduled for 11th December provided there is still a booking available on that date. All subsequent games will be rescheduled by being pushed out by one week.
Where relevant, the next league at that venue will also be pushed out by one week
Process for cancellation
In certain circumstances, it may not be possible to schedule a game at another point in future, e.g. where our booking at a venue runs for exactly 9 weeks for a 9-week league and it isn’t possible to add to it.
This scenario may also arise where games are cancelled after others have already completed at the venue, and there are no opportunities within the booking window to complete these games in future weeks.
In such circumstances, cancelled games are subject to a 0-0 draw and a proportionate refund based on missed games.