Kids First Co-Chair, Andy Cutler, and Vice Chairs, Hannah Avoth and Duncan Johnson have all been nominated for the Mitsubishi Motors volunteer of the year awards for their work in player growth and retention.

The awards are part of the Mitsubishi Motors volunteer recognition programme that provides grassroots rugby clubs and the rugby community with opportunities to recognise and reward the volunteers who make up such an integral part of the game.

As well as their regular coaching and Chair/Vice Chair duties, Hannah, Duncan and Andy have been heavily involved in the growth of Girls rugby at the club, in particular the addition of the new U11 Girls section which required a huge amount of work and negotiation with the RFU and Hants RFU as this age group isn’t currently recognised as a standalone age group. Through their hard work and determination, Girls rugby has grown significantly with good interaction and relationship building with other similarly-minded clubs.

This great work was also a key contributor towards the Kids First section being named as Old Mutual Wealth Kids First Champions for April, when we were joined for a surprise visit by England rugby legends Nolli Waterman, David Flatman and Jason Robinson.

The Kids First trio have been invited, along with Director Of Rugby Steve Benson, to attend an awards event held at Winchester Rugby Club on Friday 29 June 2018. Let’s hope one of our Fantastic Four can follow on from last years success at the event with one of them being announced as Volunteer Of The Year for Hampshire – earning them a place at the Mitsubishi Motors volunteer of the year awards night at Twickenham Stadium on Friday 7 September 2018. Three overall winners will be announced on the evening and each one will receive a Mitsubishi car for a year as a thank you for their continued support of the game.

As well as the Mitsubishi Motors Volunteer of the Year Awards, the programme offers a number of opportunities to say thank you to the thousands of volunteers who give back to grassroots rugby, week in, week out. Find out more about how you can show your appreciation for a volunteer in your rugby community by visiting www.englandrugby.com/mitsubishivolunteers 