Chairman's Message

In the following message I want to layout my views for the future, ask for your help and support, but also to update you on developments both on and off the field. Before I do so it would be totally remiss of me not to thank Simon Davies for his fantastic efforts during his tenure as Chairman. He, along with your Executive Committee, has done an amazing job; the culmination of which is the realisation of our dream for a new clubhouse.

Simon , I thank you.

I am sure it has not escaped your attention that our 1^st XV is top of the league; London South East 3. The team are playing exceptional rugby under the leadership of new skipper Phil Cooper and the tutelage of coach Nick Oldham. The 2^nd and 3^rd XV have also started well with some good results and a great team spirit within both squads. Paul Adams has taken over the captaincy of the 2nds and Mark Wilson has stayed on as captain of the 3rds.

I am pleased to welcome some new players throughout the three senior squads. It is a pleasure to have you on board.

Each of our three senior squads have set ambitious goals for the season and it is important we support them as often as we possibly can, in whatever way we can so they can achieve their targets.

The mini and junior sections, under the new direction of Dave Bennett, with the support of John Gibb and Steve Hart, are in good shape too. The mini membership is very good and we have a dedicated cadre of coaches across all age groups. We are already proving tough competitors as Horsham U/10s found out in a recent curtain raiser to a 1^st XV league fixture.

I know from my own experience that junior section success and playing numbers can be very cyclical. This year is one of challenge for us in that we need to increase our junior numbers and ensure we retain minis as they graduate to junior rugby. On this point I ask that you encourage any eligible players you may know to “give rugby a try” again, or even for the first time.

It has been really pleasing to see many of our 1^st XV supporting both the junior and mini squads. This is something we will continue to encourage as part of our drive to continuously improve skills and techniques.

The Colts are also in a positive state with a strong squad and benefitting from the leadership of Dave Pass.

Crowborough Rugby Club has always been the very embodiment of the ethos of this great game. To all our players, coaches, parents and supporters I thank you for your efforts to date in continuing our reputation as a fun and friendly club, but also a very successful club on the field.

Without question the biggest change since the club was formed way back in 1936 and then the opening of the old clubhouse back in the 60’s is the opening of our new clubhouse. This would not have been possible without the unstinting support of a small core group of people. They know who they are and they also know that they have our undying thanks for what has been achieved.

The building itself is only the beginning as WE HAVE MUCH TO DO.

Financial Status

I am pleased we are not Greece. Our cash position is good BUT we now have to service our obligations to our creditors with regard to paying for the building. All the promised grants have been approved and we have identified a number of other grant opportunities. There is still a need for additional funding and two specific areas are Loan Notes and Patronage. Both of these are interesting ways for individuals to invest in the club. I ask anyone who is interested to contact David Clark, our President, or Richard Lambert, our Finance Director for more information.

Internal Decoration

Many of you have noticed, in fact some have rightly complained about the lack of decoration in the clubhouse. I take full responsibility for that. We needed to ensure all building snags were out of the way before we started drilling, hammering, nailing or screwing. Additionally one of our commercial opportunities is the hiring out of the clubhouse for events and suchlike. Whilst we are first and foremost a rugby club we also need to consider the decor impact when hiring.

I have taken personal responsibility for now making this happen quickly and I hope you will like the results.

Now that we have a fantastic event venue we intend to run a range of events which I hope you and your friends and family will support. Your support is crucial for many reasons; we have our financial obligations to meet but we also want to develop the clubhouse further and importantly to invest in future of the playing side, i.e. the children. We are also looking at innovative ways for our individual squads to run events for their own benefit. More on this to follow.

Please check the notice board, the website and with your normal contacts for updates on ‘What’s Hot at The Crow Bar’.

Most definitely put Sunday December 18^th in your diaries for Champagne, Cheese  & Carols. K.O. 2pm

There is no exclusivity on ideas for events so if you have an idea you want to put forward contact me or Sandy behind the bar.

We have a new pouring agreement with Shepherd Neame who have supported us with our new bar. The new beer brands are proving popular and Sandy is looking to extend our wines & spirits offering. We are also looking at interesting promotional ideas and ways of broadening the overall offering, especially on Sundays.

The new kitchen gives us greater flexibility and we have set ourselves the task of building on our already high standards.

As with previous years our sponsors and advertisers have supported us extensively. Their support both in terms of cash donations and the supply of materials and services has been an important contribution to the clubhouse development.  Needless to say I give them my most grateful thanks. In return I am looking at ways we can ensure they benefit, and on this point I ask that where possible you look to support our sponsors and advertisers in whatever way you can.

Communication

 Keeping you, our stakeholders, updated is vital to the ongoing success of the club. It is crucial we have up to date and accurate contact details. We have improved communication greatly over the last few seasons but more still needs to be done.  As a consequence we are looking at a new web based database system which will allow you to update and manage your own records.

As part of our agreement with the RFU we have an obligation to keep accurate records. For anyone under the age of 18 who plays for us; this includes details of any medical conditions.

As this is rolled out I ask you to help us by completing the details as soon, and as accurately as possible.

We also want you to be informed and as a consequence engaged. It is YOUR club.

Our commitment to you is the records will be kept in accordance with all current data protection laws, and if you opt out of any of the questions on communications these will be honoured fully and under NO CIRCUMSTANCES will any information be shared with 3^rd parties of any description.

Over the coming weeks we will be refreshing and tidying the clubs website. The intention is to keep this fresh, relevant and interesting, but most all informative. I am also going to set up a ‘Chairman’s Blog’. This will allow me to personally update you and comment on new news, and I am sure to rant about stuff from time to time. MOST IMPORTANTLY it will be set up so you can leave your comments, questions, suggestions and even complaints for my personal attention.

You, our members, are our most important asset and it is my goal to ensure you are looked after to the best of our ability. We are committed to providing a safe and enjoyable environment for you to be in, whether it be playing or socialising. To this end Frances Davies continues to be our Safeguarding Officer and Eddie Bridges continues to look after Governance; insurance, health & safety etc.

In return I ask you to treat the club and the clubs assets; buildings and equipment with care. I ask you to comply with all our policies, especially our legal obligations such as no under age drinking of alcohol at any time and in helping to keep the clubhouse and our grounds as you expect to find them.

There are never enough volunteers, especially now. PLEASE, if you have time to spare, or a skill or service the club may benefit from, or you have ideas that will help us to continue to move forward then PLEASE, PLEASE contact me. We need you, and need you now.

Two areas, which actually are the most fun, where we need more help, are coaching and refereeing. As no previous experience is required please come forward to help.

To the many of you already volunteering I haven’t mentioned; THANK YOU.

In closing I reiterate my earlier comment and that is Crowborough Rugby Club has always been the very embodiment of the ethos of this great game. Once again to all our players, coaches, parents and supporters I thank you for your efforts to date in continuing our reputation as a fun and friendly club. With our brand new facility we can now take this to an even higher level.

In Rugby