As you may or may not know I was privileged to have been asked to take over from Liam as the club’s Chairman at the last AGM. This isn’t a role I take lightly and am very aware of the large shoes I’m being asked to fill. Liam has left the club in great shape which is testament to all his hard work during his tenure.

I thought now would be a good time to send a note out, to firstly introduce myself to those that don’t already know me, but also to communicate a snippet of what we have in terms of future plans.

So first up, a little bit about myself and my Bognor Rugby Club history. I joined the club in 1992, immediately being made to feel incredibly welcome and can honestly say that I instantly fell in love with the place, quickly being made to feel a part of the Bognor Rugby Club family. In terms of playing, I’ve played for every side in the club, from the first team through to managing to get a game for the infamous “Dave Dozzer 5ths”! I was privileged to have captained the 2nd team for a number of years and have also latterly played for the vets on tours and occasional fun games, plus also finally managing to get that all-important game with my son last year. During this time I also joined Mike O’Connor in coaching the then U12’s through to U15’s.

Committee wise, I set up and managed the club’s first website (one of the first clubs to have one locally) before we moved to the current Pitchero site. I performed a marketing role for a couple of seasons and then in 2017 took over as the club’s Treasurer to the present day. So in short, I’ve invested (and loved every second of it by the way) over 32 years of my life into Bognor Rugby Club and I therefore hope that you’ll feel I’m suitably qualified to help move the club forward in the next exciting phase of its history.

So where are we, what’s next and what are the plans?

Over the last couple of years we’ve invested a significant amount of money (circa £200k!) into the club itself. This has been in form of the new showers and first team changing room (which I believe is something we can be proud of, especially when you visit other clubs), the clubhouse area with improved screens, projectors and TVs, the bar and bar area, a growing gym, plus a whole host of other improvements, some unseen, but all of which go to make an improved experience.

In these troubled financial times, we’ve managed to be in a fortunate position of having no loans or credit, money in the bank and strong financial forecasts.

As with any organisation though we can’t sit still. There are still areas for improvement in the clubhouse itself, training equipment always needs updating, pitch improvements to be made and a whole host of aesthetic improvements that we’re already working on. As a club, we’re fortunate enough to have a genuinely passionate committee, made up of volunteers (as we all are) who are working hard to improve and build the club for future generations to enjoy.

I’m delighted to announce that Tom Spurle has joined the committee as Vice Chairman. Tom brings a wealth of rugby experience from his days of playing (including the first team captaincy) and his coaching. He also garners a huge amount of respect from both within the club and also the wider community and I believe he’ll be a hugely positive addition to the committee.

I’m also excited to say that we’re in the process of agreeing terms with a new caterer, taking over from Tony Fitzpatrick – again some huge shoes to fill, but Rich has some exciting plans for the future, so watch this space.

In the coming weeks I’ll be meeting with Karl Flinn to discuss the feedback he’s gathered, ideas and requirements to make BRFC something different to the norm and make it even more attractive for players both new and existing. Rich Hay has been extremely busy building requirements for updated team kits, sponsorships and other areas – again watch this space.

We continue to commit to bring the senior, ladies and mini & youth sides closer together to ensure that EVERYONE is included in this journey.

The most important thing though is to remember that this is YOUR club. Any ideas you have to improve it will always be listened to and wherever possible implemented. The committee and I are here to serve you and the best interests of the club and will always be interested in anything that helps the club, be that general suggestions, financial assistance, or by wanting to get involved. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me, or any other member of the committee and we’ll be delighted to talk anything through.

One final note, which is actually a reminder for me. At the end of the day, we’re a rugby club. Full of great people who’ve played rugby previously, are playing rugby currently, love rugby, or simply just want to have somewhere to come for a friendly drink. I’ll commit to keep reminding myself and with that in mind, here’s to another successful season both on and off the pitch.

Shaun Rimmer
BRFC Chairman
Shaun.rimmer@gmail.com