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A message from our Club President

A message from our Club President

David Lawrence18 Jul 2017 - 18:44
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Ahead of the new season start

My fellow VPs,

As we bask in the joys of summer it is hard to believe that the new season is but 5-6 weeks away. And not just any old season but our first season in London 1! Who would ever have believed the incredible progress our great Club has made in recent years culminating in our amazing promotion last season. We must warmly congratulate and thank all the players, coaching staff, committee members and all those who have given of their valuable time to make this possible.

As you can see from Liam's e mail as the players have been involved in pre season training we have started planning some of the off field activities. I see this season as a huge opportunity for all of us to support and promote a Club we all hold dear to our hearts. We have always been a community based family Club that welcomes all and treats all players with the same respect and dignity regardless of which team they play in. Our strong bonds and sense of togetherness fuel our ambitions and enable us to achieve so much. I will support our strong values and moral and ethical principles as long as I have any influence in the Club. So, as I say, what a great opportunity the new season brings for us to promote our wonderful and all that it represents and stands for. Please do all you can to support as many of the lunches as possible.

There is no doubt that the season ahead will be challenging and we will face some tough fixtures. We also know that the players really appreciated the level of support we all gave them last season, both home and away. It does make a big difference to them. So as VPs let's do all that we can to get behind all our teams but not just that, to extend a warm South Woodham Ferrers welcome to all our visiting teams and their supporters and to conduct ourselves with pride and dignity at away games. This is a unique opportunity for the Club so let us also be conscious also of our touch line behaviour. We are all guilty of criticising and shouting at referees decisions and/or questioning their eyesight and opponents but in all the years I have been watching rugby I have never known a referee change a decision based on spectator opinion, however expressed. A situation which is not going to change next year. However equally importantly this does not help our players and we certainly don't want to alienate referees, life will be tough enough as it is!

So let us embrace the new season with positive and unwavering support for our great players and maximise this fantastic opportunity to promote the values of our Club.

A point on the subject of membership. As a VP you are automatically a member of the Club and thus exempt from having to pay a membership fee. However we have always encouraged VPs to pay a non playing membership fee, and I know many of you do, to help support the Club financially. The non playing membership fee is £45, where else can you get to watch quality rugby, enjoy good beer and rugby camaraderie and fellowship for less than £1 per week?! So I urge you all to lend your support in this way as well.

For my part as co-founder and President I could not be more proud of South Woodham Ferrers Rugby Club and all that has been achieved in the last 36 years. I warmly thank all those past and present for their invaluable commitment and efforts that have made this incredible journey so spectacular. I can't wait for the new season to start and look forward to seeing you all soon!

Yours in rugby

Derek

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