Penygroes
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Penygroes
RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB
Penygroes RFC is a fine example of a club that is playing an important
role in their local community. Rugby Club Magazine recently caught
up with Club Chairman Neil Armstrong to find out more about how
they have been getting along lately.
Involvement The Role
He told us, “I joined Penygroes
RFC in 1986 as a youth player, this
was a golden era in community
rugby where every club had youth,
2nd and 1st teams. Penygroes RFC
is up there in the list of oldest clubs,
formed in 1891 there is a long history
of rugby in the community. Having
been with the club thirty-three years,
there has certainly been some high’s
and low’s in the club, the high’s of
cup and league success and the
lows of watching youth and 2nd
team rugby diminish and eventual
disband.” “The last ten years has been a
challenge, year in year out it was
a constant battle coupled with the
club in large debt. It was difficult to
maintain optimism with the players.
In 2016, it was our 125th year, this
was ideal timing of a much-needed
boost, we had a sell-out dinner and
a tour to Ireland which lifted spirits
for the players and supporters.
Despite this, three months later
the team disbanded. It was the lowest
I felt in all my time with the club as
I did take this personally. Not only
that, we had to make a commercial
decision to close the clubhouse as
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well. As time passed, I felt a sense
of relief with the disappointment,
perhaps this was an opportunity to
say we’ve done our best and it’s time
to move on.
The 2016/17 season passed with
no rugby at all. There was a small
core of players that wanted to try
and kick start the team again for the
2017/18 season, it looked promising
at the start but it became a constant
struggle to get a team. I have the
greatest respect to the core of boys
who played in this season as they
took an absolute battering. Perhaps
we only had fifteen players on the
pitch once. We also took criticism
on social media saying ‘just disband,