IMPORTANT
The Rhinos Challenge is a touring festival. Accommodation for your whole group, including players, club officials and families/spectators, must be booked through ESF Events. Individuals who are not booked through ESF Events are not part of the event and do not have permission to attend the playing venues as a player, official or spectator, or to attend the presentation ceremonies at Butlin’s. If members of your group (players, club officials, spectators) attend the event but have not booked accommodation through ESF Events, the team will not be permitted to participate in the festival.
HOW TO BOOK
STAGE 1: MAKE A PROVISIONAL BOOKING
Call ESF Events on 01664 566360, or email info@rhinoschallenge.co.uk (Rugby bookings) or netball@rhinoschallenge.co.uk (Netball bookings), and, subject to availability, we will reserve your team(s) a place for up to 2 weeks free of charge.
STAGE 2: REGISTER YOUR TEAM/CLUB
Download, complete and return the Registration Form with the appropriate deposit, or call ESF Events on 01664 566360 to register over the phone. You will then be emailed a booking confirmation.
Please note, Initial Deposit payments are non-refundable for teams who cancel their booking.
Rugby League: Click here to download registration form
Netball: Click here to download registration form
STAGE 3: BOOK ACCOMMODATION
Once registered, ESF Events will email the Group Leader a unique accommodation booking link for each age section registered. Group Leaders can simply forward this email to the parents in your group, who can then book accommodation for their family/friends on the ESF Events section of the Butlin’s website, through the accommodation booking link. Your party will be given an Accommodation Booking Deadline by ESF Events, which is normally 3 weeks after your team(s) registration has been accepted. A deposit of £30 per person is required to book accommodation.
STAGE 4: PAY FINAL BALANCE
The final balance for accommodation will be due no later than 10 weeks before the festival. Final balance payments can be made by families at www.butlins.com/pay
TOUR ITINERARY
DAY 1, FRIDAY: ARRIVAL DAY:
No netball/rugby is played on the day of arrival. Accommodation units will be available from 4pm, but teams can arrive on resort from Midday and use the facilities at Butlin’s. There will be a full evening entertainment programme on the Friday. Our welcome meeting for coaches will take place on Friday evening.
DAYS 2 & 3, SATURDAY & SUNDAY:
All teams will participate in a two day festival that take place on both the Saturday & Sunday. Each age section will be organised in accordance with the England Netball/RFU guidelines. The event format may vary depending on the number of teams registered in each age section.
The celebrity presentation ceremony will take place on the Sunday afternoon/evening. Teams are welcome to travel home on the Sunday evening after the presentation, or Monday morning.
DAY 4, MONDAY: DEPARTURE DAY:
Check out of accommodation is 10.00am but you do not have to leave the resort until Midday, so there’s time for a final trip to Splash Waterworld or the Funfair.
TEAM ENTRY FEES
There are no Team Entry Fees to enter the Rhinos Challenge. All costs involved with staging the festival are included in the accommodation charges. As such, it is a condition of entry to the festival that all members of your touring party (players, coaches, officials, family members etc.), book accommodation through ESF Events.
FESTIVAL FORMAT
Festivals are played on the Saturday and Sunday with all teams playing games on both days. Full details of each individual age grade format will be emailed to all teams prior to the 2025 Rhinos Challenge. A Final Briefing will be emailed to Group Leaders 7-10 days before the festival. The Final Briefing email will include the festival format, fixtures & schedules and rules.
PLAYER REGISTRATION FORM
Participating teams are required to complete a player registration form, which includes the name and date of birth of all players to be registered for the festival.
If you have any queries regarding the eligibility of players, please contact ESF Events by telephone on 01664 56360, or via email at info@rhinosschallenge.co.uk or netball@rhinoschallenge.co.uk
ACCOMMODATION
IMPORTANT: Accommodation for your whole party, including players, families, managers and supporters, must be booked through ESF Events. If members of your party do not book their accommodation through ESF Events, the team will not be permitted to participate in the Rhinos Challenge.
Once the club is registered, ESF Events will email the Group Leader a unique accommodation booking link for each age section registered. Group Leaders can simply forward this email to the parents in your group, who can then book accommodation for their family/friends on the ESF Events section of the Butlin’s website, through the accommodation booking link. Your party will be given an Accommodation Booking Deadline by ESF Events, which is normally 3 weeks after your team(s) registration has been accepted. A deposit of £30 per person is required to book accommodation. The final balance for accommodation will be due no later than 10 weeks before the festival. Final balance payments can be made by families at www.butlins.com/pay
Accommodation is allocated strictly on a first-come first-served basis. All sizes and grades of accommodation are subject to availability. If you select a particular size or grade of accommodation which is no longer available, you will be offered the nearest alternative.
UNOCCUPIED BEDS: In cases where a unit of accommodation is booked leaving unoccupied beds, a full subsidy will be charged. i.e If 3 people book a 4 berth unit of accommodation, they would have to pay for 4 people. Infants under the age of 2 years, who go free if you bring along your own cot, do not count towards the occupancy of a unit. At all Butlin’s resorts you can hire a cot for a fee of £10 (linen is not provided) or pay a supplement if an infant under 2 sleeps in a bed.
For full Terms & Conditions of the holiday centres and full details of accommodation and facilities, please refer to www.butlins.com and the ESF accommodation booking information.
DINING PLANS AT BUTLIN’S
Half Board Dining Plans at Butlin’s include breakfast and evening meal. Evening meal is included on the day of arrival, but not if you arrive after the restaurant is closed. Breakfast is included on the day of departure. The meal times are scheduled so they don’t clash with your festival fixtures.
SUPERVISION: ADULT TO CHILD RATIOS
At least one responsible adult over the age of 21 must occupy each unit of accommodation. A minimum adult to child ratio of 1 to 2 is required for your party by Butlin’s.
School Groups – Please contact ESF Events for further details regarding supervision conditions, which are different for school groups.
INSURANCE
The Rhinos Challenge is covered for ‘Public Liability’ insurance by ESF Events. However, this does not cover individual teams or ‘person to person’ public liability, personal accident or injury whilst attending the festival. We strongly recommend that all participating clubs, if they are not already covered, should take out insurance cover for these risks.
We also strongly recommend all members of your party take out appropriate holiday insurance. ESF Events are not responsible for the property of individuals attending the Rhinos Challenge, both at Butlin’s resort or at the festival venues.
TEAM/CLUB CANCELLATION
If you need to cancel your Team/Club registration at the Rhinos Challenge, the Group Leader for the booking must email info@rhinoschallenge.co.uk (Rugby bookings) or netball@rhinoschallenge.co.uk (Netball bookings)to notify ESF Events that the Team/Club are withdrawing from the festival. Please note, the Initial Deposit Payment paid by the Team/Club to register for the Rhinos Challenge will not be refunded to Teams/Clubs who cancel their registration.
ACCOMMODATION CANCELLATION AT BUTLIN’S RESORTS
It may be necessary to cancel your break due to illness, accident or change of circumstances. If you have taken an insurance policy you will need to contact your insurers directly, charges arising from the cancellation will be covered in most cases.
If you’ve taken out Butlin’s Holiday Protection and need to cancel your break, you’ll need to email Butlin’s Customer Care team holidayprotection@butlins.com as soon as you can.
Cancellation charges:
If you have Butlin’s Holiday Protection and you are cancelling for sickness, redundancy, jury service or bereavement:
- Two days (48 hours) or more – Full refund minus a cancellation charge of £65 per accommodation unit and cost of Butlin’s Holiday Protection
- Two days (47 hours, 59 minutes) or less – 30% refund of your total holiday cost and cost of Butlin’s Holiday Protection
If you have Butlin’s Holiday Protection and you are cancelling for any other reason:
- 70 days or more – Full refund minus a cancellation charge of £65 per accommodation unit and cost of Butlin’s Holiday Protection
- 69-43 days – 70% refund minus a cancellation charge of £65 per accommodation unit and cost of Butlin’s Holiday Protection
- 42-29 days – 50% refund minus a cancellation charge of £65 per accommodation unit and cost of Butlin’s Holiday Protection
- 28-8 days – 10% refund minus a cancellation charge of £65 per accommodation unit and cost of Butlin’s Holiday Protection
- 7 days or less – no refund
If you have not taken Butlin’s Holiday Protection and you cancel your break, Butlin’s will not issue a refund and you will need to claim back through your holiday insurance provider.
WRISTBANDS
Each guest who has booked accommodation through ESF Events will receive an ESF Events wristband when they check in at Butlin’s. Please be aware that the ESF Events wristband is required to attend the playing venues as a player, club official or spectator, attend the presentation ceremony at Butlin’s, and enter evening entertainment venues at Butlin’s.
Event wristbands are not available to purchase separately. If you are not booked through ESF Events at Butlin’s, you are not part of the event and do not have permission to attend the playing venues as a player, official or spectator, or to attend the presentation ceremonies at Butlin’s.
BEHAVIOUR & CONDUCT WHILE ON TOUR
It is the responsibility of the Group Leader and adults in the group to ensure the behaviour of all members of your touring party is acceptable at all times at the festival. Clubs will be charged for any damages caused by members of their group. In extreme cases of unacceptable behaviour, ESF Events and the Resort Management reserve the right to terminate a tour/holiday, whereby part or all of a Team/Club may be eliminated from the festival and required to leave the playing venue and Butlin’s resort, without refund.
EVENT ORGANISERS
The Rhinos Challenge is organised and staged by ESF Events Ltd (Company Registration Number 7695303).
Registered Address: ESF Events Ltd, 18A Park Lane, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, LE13 0PT
Tel: 01664 566360. Email: info@esfevents.co.uk
Please note – Phone calls made to ESF Events Ltd may be recorded for training and monitoring purposes.
FORCE MAJEUR
We do not accept liability for any loss, damage or expense arising from a change or cancellation to your tour which occurs due to unusual or unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control and that of our suppliers. Such events would include, for example, war, threat of war, riots, civil strife, pandemics, industrial disputes, terrorist activity, fire or adverse weather conditions, natural or nuclear disaster, decisions of the RFU or England Netball, or similar events beyond our control.
DATA PROTECTION
ESF Events will use the personal information that you provide to process your booking and provide your tour. We may also need to pass your information to third party service providers such as Butlin’s and Leeds Rhinos. The Group Leader for each booking has the authority to discuss all accommodation bookings made under the team booking with ESF and representatives from Butlin’s if required. It is the Group Leaders responsibility to inform all other members of your party what information you are providing, and what we may use it for.
Please note – Phone calls made to ESF Events Ltd may be recorded for training and monitoring purposes.
FINANCIAL PROTECTION
The Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT) provides financial protection under The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 for ESF Events Limited number 5165 and in the event of their insolvency, protection is provided for:
- Non-flight packages
Please note that:
• Bookings with and payments made directly to Butlins are not covered by ABTOT.
• Bookings not purchased directly with ESF Events Limited as Principal to the contract are not covered by ABTOT.
ABTOT cover provides for a refund in the event you have not yet travelled or repatriation if transportation was included in your package. In the unlikely event that you require assistance whilst abroad due to our financial failure, please call our 24/7 helpline on 01702 811397 and advise you are a customer of an ABTOT protected travel company.
You can access The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/634/contents/made
You can find out more about ABTOT here: https://www.abtot.com/
WEBSITE/MARKETING ACCURACY
To the best of our knowledge, all information contained on this website and in all Rhinos Challenge marketing literature is accurate at the time of publication/print. Please be aware that there may be occasions when the facilities listed at the holiday resorts are modified or unavailable due to factors beyond our control.
GENERAL TERMS
We reserve the right to amend these Terms at any time, you will be notified of any changes.
By making a Booking and/or participating in the Event, you acknowledge that you have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Terms & Conditions.
