Club Update

Club update from Tony Bleakman
I hope all our members and players are well and in terms of players staying fit during the ‘off season’. The Club Committee is working hard behind the scenes to ensure the challenges presented by Covid 19 are navigated and a sub-committee has been formed comprising representatives of the junior and senior section to ensure a safe return to rugby when allowed in line with guidance from the Government and RFU - an update will be issued this weekend.

There are a number of areas to update you on:

Fund-raising update
Once again I want to thank you all for your magnificent support for the club through the Just Giving page which has enabled the Rugby club to withstand the financial pressure of a season like no other when the wet weather robbed us of many weekends of playing rugby and then Covid 19 brought an immediate end to the season all of which meant the usual end of season fund-raising activity did not take place. I cannot thank you enough for your generosity, it has made a huge difference to put the club in a good position to face the challenges the coming season will throw at us as we navigate our return to rugby.

Our relationship with the FCDCA
We have for some time been talking to the CA about how our relationship should be structured given the profit from the bar does not cover our responsibilities with regard to outgoings. We have therefore changed the terms of our relationship so we once again become a member who will pay rent for rooms rather than having a wider responsibility for the bar and Crossbow House outgoings. This reduces the financial risk to the club, gives us a simpler operating model and allows us to focus on playing and providing rugby for everyone in the community.

Club management Committee positions
Following on from Martyn’s note on our approach to the AGM and appointment of the Club Management Committee for the coming season I’m pleased to confirm the existing committee remains largely unchanged with a couple of exceptions. Steve Neale has decided to stand down as Junior Chairman and I would like to thank him for his hard-work and support. Whilst Jake Darby is currently standing in if any members wish to take on the role please email the Club Secretary on martyn.james62@gmail.com by the 15th July. The only other change is that me and Dominic Baines have changed positions and this will therefore be my last note to you as Chairman as I become Vice-Chairman and Dom takes over as Chairman. I believe this continuity will help us through what will certainly be a season of change.

I hope to see you all again soon but in the meantime stay safe.

Tony Bleakman
Chairman