As you are aware the committee at the rugby club have to make strategic decisions regarding the financial running of the club. We are always looking for ways of making money through social events, sponsorship, grants, raffles, donations and of course renting out our facilities for weddings, Christenings etc. as well as the odd sporting fixture.

In addition we are also looking at ways we can save money both in the short term and also in the longer term. Some examples of this are improving the central heating system to ensure more efficient usage, utilising the band of volunteer's who put themselves forward to undertake work for us at the club therefore saving us paying out large sums of money to contractors; for example painting the changing rooms, painting the perimeter rails around the pitch, general housekeeping inside the club and outside on the terrace and on the pitches (glass and rubbish). Thank you to all the volunteers who have made themselves available and for the hard work they have given, please keep it up and more wanted.

This season, with hard work and luck (in today's climate), Sue Broad has managed to secure a main sponsor for the club, a big thank you to Ascot Services for their support this season. In addition Sue has secured sponsorship for the back of the 1st team shirts by Global and also Environmental Solutions with BDA Surveying sponsoring the sleeve.Thank you to all.

On vice presidents day 20th September the 1st team are playing Southport at home and the new shirts will be presented to the 1st team, as well as mementoes presented to the sponsors.

We are always looking for match day sponsorship and to date we have secured 6 x 1st team games and a second/third team game, good news but still room for improvement.

This season, as in the past, the playing kit will be blue and white shirts (with a touch of black), similar throughout the club, white shorts and blue/white hoop socks as per last season. We have decided to go with plain white shorts this season (as before) as this will allow interchange-ability between teams for the player, pending their promotion through the ranks, and ensure consistency. Most players have white shorts but for those who don't they can be purchased from most local sports outlets for approx. £10 to £15. The club has purchased a batch of socks (blue and white hoops) and these are available to the players at a discount price of £5 per pair should you wish to renew your attire.

A few players have now started to pay instalments for their annual subs to ensure they can complete the total before the deadline of the end of September, good for them and a clever way to remove the burden of a single payment. please be aware normal rules will apply to players who have not played their subs by the deadline so please hurry.

To finish it was good to watch the warm up game last week when we played away at Burnley. It was a good turn out, as we are still in the holiday season, and the player played well during the quarters putting in some combinations attack and defence. Keep up the good work.

Thank you

Brent Broadhurst
Chairman