From the 2024/25 season, all players, in all formats of the game (including non-contact), will be required to register themselves annually to play rugby within RFU member clubs.
Player registration is currently a club-led process, where clubs register players on their behalf. We are moving from this to a registration process where players will register themselves to play with a club, using their Game Management System (GMS) account. Clubs will then accept/decline player registrations as they come through.
To help get ready for next season, we are asking clubs to make sure that players’ email addresses are verified on GMS. For guidance on how to do this, visit Community Rugby Help.
Adult Men's Registration
The management and processing of adult men’s registrations is divided between clubs who compete in the Premiership, Championship, National One and Two, and those who compete in the RFU Regional and County Leagues.
- Adult men’s registrations are governed by the RFU Regulations, and in particular Regulation 14.
- All players who are registering for Adult rugby must complete and submit the RFU Adult Player Registration form.
- To find the correct application form, follow the links on this page. Please ensure that you use the latest versions of the various player registration application forms, which appear below.
- For clubs who compete in the Premiership, Championship, National One or Two, the Club Registrar will need to submit all their applications to the RFU Registrations team at Twickenham, through DocuSign.
- For clubs who compete in the Regional and County Leagues, the Club Registrar will need to either complete the relevant application form and register that player online via the Game Management System (GMS); or they submit the completed application form to their RFU Registrar.
Premiership, Championship, National One and Two Clubs
There is now one application form for all adult players, irrespective of whether they are currently registered as an adult to another English club or not and is managed within DocuSign.
There is also a second application form, which is mandatory for all contracted players who by definition are receiving material benefit. This form is also managed within DocuSign. If a player is amateur and has not used an agent, this second form is not required.
Player Registration Application (Step 1)
Clubs must submit the Player Registration Application via DocuSign, which is initiated from the link below, to submit an application to register a player.
This application also enables Premiership or Championship clubs only to apply for EQP status for that same player at the time of registration, via Birth or Ancestry. EQP Residency applications must still be submitted via email. You can find more information about EQP here.
Please see the Player Registration application user guide and the link to initiate the application below:
- Player Registration DocuSign User Guide
- Apply for Player Registration via DocuSign
Short Signatory Specific Application User Guides
Additionally, we have produced shorter guides which explain the process to follow for each signatory, taken from the full guide above. You can share these shorter guides with the relevant person before they receive the application, to provide clarity on the process they must follow. The three short guides are found below:
- Player Registration Application - DocuSign User Guide - Applicant Club
- Player Registration Application - DocuSign User Guide - Current Club
- Player Registration Application - DocuSign User Guide - Player
Contract Information and Agent Declaration Forms (Step 2, if applicable)
Clubs must submit the Contract Information and Agent Declaration Form via DocuSign, which is initiated from the link below.
Clubs must submit this second application for all players who are contracted, which is initiated from the link below, to complete the application for a contracted player. This application also captures whether a registered agent has been engaged in the approach or negotiation in relation to the transfer, employment or registration of the player with your club.
If a player is amateur and has not used an agent, this second form is not required for Premiership or National Leagues clubs. However, this form is always required for Championship clubs. You can find more information about contracts and agents here.
Please see the Contract Information and Agent Declaration Forms user guide and the link to initiate the application below:
- Contract Information and Agent Declaration Forms User Guide
- Submit Contract Information and Agent Declaration Forms via DocuSign
Short Signatory Specific Application User Guides
Additionally, we have produced shorter guides which explain the process to follow for each signatory, taken from the full guide above. You can share these shorter guides with the relevant person before they receive the application, to provide clarity on the process they must follow. The three short guides are found below:
- Contract Information and Agent Declaration Forms - DocuSign User Guide - Applicant Club
- Contract Information and Agent Declaration Forms - DocuSign User Guide - Registered Agent
- Contract Information and Agent Declaration Forms - DocuSign User Guide - Player
RFU Regional and County Leagues - Online Application process via the GMS
Clubs who compete in the RFU Regional and County Leagues, formerly Level 5 and below can either register a player in the GMS themselves in the player registration module of the GMS, or if the player is one of the following types, they must submit their application via email to their RFU Registrar, Bob Morrison.
These players, as noted in RFU Regulation 14.5.11 include:
- England Academy Players;
- Contracted Players;
- Contracted Overseas Players;
- A Player applying for Effective Registration with a Club with which he has previously been Effectively Registered during the Season;
- A Player for whom the Club is making an Expedited Application;
- A Player for whom the Club is making an application during the period between the Transfer Deadline and the end of the Season
Where a player is moving to a club competing in Regional 1 and below, please complete the application forms below:
- Adult Registration Application Form
- Notification of Transfer Form
Clubs competing at Regional 1 and below will only be asked to complete an application via DocuSign, when a player is leaving their club to move to another English club who compete in the Premiership, Championship, National One or Two leagues. A short user guide to explain the process you must follow in this case can be found below:
- Player Registration Application - DocuSign User Guide - Current Club
If online registration is used by a club, the player will become effectively registered and therefore available for selection upon completion of the process in the same way as if he had been registered by their RFU Registrar.
Clubs wishing to register players themselves on the player registration module of the GMS, are still required to ensure the completed registration form, see below, is signed by the player to confirm that the data is accurate and retain the form for at least 12 months after the player was registered.
Answers to the most frequently asked questions on the GMS and community game can be found on Community Rugby Help. Designed to make it easier for you to get the answers you need, Community Rugby Help allows you to find relevant help articles and submit help requests if further assistance is required.
Playing Adult Rugby
A player aged 17 who is registered for youth rugby is not automatically eligible for Adult rugby and must complete an Adult Player Registration form and be registered accordingly.
RFU Regulation 15.6.1 states that a male player can play adult contact and non-contact rugby, or train with other adults in contact and non-contact rugby, when they reach their seventeenth birthday provided:
- They have been assessed as capable of playing with adults
- The RFU’s Playing Adult Rugby Form has been duly completed and signed
- The player does not train or play in the front row of the contested scrum. Once a player has reached the age of 18, the player may play in any position.
The below form needs to be filled in:
- Playing Adult Rugby Form
Contracted and Amateur Players
All All players who are receiving material benefit, must submit a contract information form to their RFU Registrar. Material Benefit is defined in RFU Regulation 7.2.
Any person or entity giving or receiving (whether directly or indirectly) any Material Benefit for participation in the Game must ensure that:
- A Contract is in place
- Such Contract is in a form approved and/or distributed by the RFU
- RFU Regulation 14.6.3 is complied with in respect of all Contracted Players (RFU Regulation 7.3).
For Premier 15s clubs, if an agent has been used, you must also complete and submit the Agent Activity Declaration (Premier 15s) Form to womensplayerregistration@rfu.com.
You can find further information about player contracts on the Contracts, Agents and Immigration page.
Player Loans
Clubs competing in the Premiership, Championship, National One and Two
Below you can find the DocuSign user guide and the link to initiate a loan application for a player moving to your club:
Apply for Loan via DocuSign (Clubs at Levels 1-4 only)
Clubs competing in Regional 1 and Below
Below you can find the pdf loan form to complete and submit to your RFU Registrar, when making an application for a player who is moving to your club:
