Rugby Club ISSUE 87 | Page 74

Romsey FOLLOW US ONLINE TWITTER.COM/RUGBYCLUBMAG “I can’t speak highly enough about Romsey Rugby Club and the service they provide to the local community. My experience has been of a club with a great, live and vibrant atmosphere which caters for old and young, passing on useful skills which can be utilised both on and off the pitch. Like a lot of clubs challenging times arise around exam times when the focus can change however they manage to get by. As a club sponsor Flack Manor have always enjoyed their association with this great club and this season we are sponsoring the post protectors; a very important part of the on field safety. Myself and everyone at the brewery would like to wish all associated with Romsey RFC the very best of continued success for the many more seasons to come!” Nigel Welsh Community Youth “Like all clubs, we recognised that the optimal way to secure the future of the club is to ensure we provide safe and interesting rugby experience for girls and boys of all ages. Senior players are encouraged to give up some of their time to help coaching and mentoring of the younger players, which provides tangible links across the club. Romsey has recently been classified an RFU accredited club, of which we are all very proud, and special mention should be made of the efforts of Jamie and Katherine Glanville especially within the junior and Mini sections of the club.” Integration “Like many clubs, the perfect scenario would be that the youngsters progress through the Colts into the senior teams; however for the many reasons that we are all aware of, this seldom happens, with University and college courses taking them away from home. The RFU has helped by being flexible with dual registration for the students, but still the drop away from the ages of 18 – 23 is a factor which all clubs must endure. Summer touch is a useful means of maintaining contact and increased usage of social media across that age group helps with social bonding and the occasional game during the well-earned breaks from studies.” 74 Issue 87 “Romsey is a small market town in Hampshire, and through the auspices of the Town Council and Test Valley Borough Council respectively, the rugby club plays an active part within the community. By supporting Youth charities and participating in events such as Carnival processions and Rotary relay marathons, the club receives support from the populace of the town and the councils alike.” Challenges/Ambitions “The club is scheduled to move into new premises within the town in the coming years as the lease with the Council expires, and thus the two major challenges are both managing the move and ensuring player retention across all age categories. We are being helped in the move by our RFU RDO Ivan Torpey who works tirelessly for his clubs throughout Hampshire, and specialist representatives from the RFU including Jason Bowers. We have to ensure the new playing and clubhouse conditions are safe and accommodating to all players, both home and away, thus enabling the proud tradition of the club to continue and thrive. Our ambitions over the coming years are for continued success on the playing field for all teams and a smooth transition to the new premises out of town where anyone from the community wishes to can play in a safe and friendly environment.”