We kicked things off with our Volunteers’ Day, which may well have seen our biggest turnout yet.
Luckily Mark Elliott, master of ceremonies and chief organiser, coordinated a fantastic team of more than 50 volunteers, who rolled up their sleeves and worked their way through a huge selection of jobs around the club.
An enormous amount was achieved during the day, including:
• A deep clean of the bar
• Sorting and organising the training store
• Clearing and rearranging the club containers
• Repairs to the players’ entrance
• Pothole repairs and general maintenance around the car park
• Litter picking and grounds work around the pitches
• Clearing and tidying the committee room
• A deep clean of the kitchen and freezers
• Cleaning and decorating the entrance foyer
In total, 51 people generously gave up their time to help get the club shipshape and ready for the start of the new season. It was fantastic to see so many members, players, friends and supporters getting stuck in.
A huge thank you to every single person who came along and helped. Whether you were cleaning, painting, repairing, clearing, tidying, shifting equipment or tackling one of the many other jobs, your contribution really did make a difference.
And the volunteering hasn’t stopped there. A special thank you must also go to everyone who has been helping to water the pitches during the dry weather, which played a big part in allowing our pre-season game against Braintree to go ahead. Thanks also to Lee Salisbury for re-drilling the post holes.
There are so many jobs that go on behind the scenes at a rugby club that most people never see. We simply couldn’t do it without those who are prepared to give up their time and get stuck in.
As a further thank you, we are planning a Volunteer Lunch on March 27th, giving us the opportunity to properly recognise everyone who contributes their time to the club.
So, to all 51 of you who turned up for Volunteers’ Day, and to everyone who continues to help throughout the season – a massive thank you from everyone at the club.
Great clubs don’t just happen, they’re built by great volunteers.

Party season for all the Naughty Forties
We’ve been delighted to host some very special celebrations at the club recently., and congratulations to Mark and Val Kemp, who celebrated their wonderful 40th Wedding Anniversary with us. We also wish a very Happy 21st ? Birthday to Rachel Elliott ?
It’s always great to see the clubhouse full of people enjoying these special occasions and don’t forget, the club is available to hire for your own celebration too! Interested in hiring the club?
Non-members – £200 Members – £100 Club Volunteers – FREE
Booking enquiries Gary Peterkin operations@welwynrugby.co.uk
Saturday bookings available great for fund raising events for tours
Saturdays free at time of newsletter, October 10th,17th & 24th, November 7th & 11th, Dec 5th, January 2nd,9th,16th, 23rd
Celebrate locally, support the club and have a great evening at Welwyn!

Men’s XVs Pre-Season Off to a Great Start
Pre-season has got off to an excellent start, with two games already under our belts.
A good win against Ruislip saw the forwards cross for six tries, with the whole team reaping the benefits of their hard work during Brendan’s tough pre-season fitness sessions, reminiscent of the “beastings” we used to get from Pete Engledow! Most encouragingly, the team finished the game strongly, showing that all the hard work is paying off.
Our first home game of the season took place on Saturday against Braintree. It was designed to be a real test for the squad, and the boys were up for the challenge, putting up a great fight and gaining valuable experience ahead of the league campaign, with one final pre-season fixture still to come against Leighton Buzzard away on 19th September.
It’s a great example of the work that goes on behind the scenes to make sure we can get rugby played.

To mark the Seniors’ first home league game against Hitchin, we’ll be holding the Chairman’s Lunch. Please come along and help us make it a special occasion. Rachel Elliott, our local sommelier, will be guiding us through a selection of fine wines during each course, and there will be plenty happening throughout the Lunch, including shirt presentations, an auction of a signed match ball and shirt, and a Guard of Honour for the game.
It promises to be a fantastic occasion and one not to miss. Please contact Mark Elliott to secure your place, tickets are selling fast!

You’re Never Too Old to Pull on the Boots! How about representing Hertfordshire in the County Super Vets Championship?
Two of our latest stars recently got to run (!) out against Essex in a closely fought contest, with Hertfordshire narrowly missing out, 15–14.
If you fancy getting involved and representing the county, have a chat with Dave Jordan or Simon Banks. There’s still plenty of rugby left in those legs!
We also need to find out did they need help putting on their socks on Sunday morning?

Welwyn Ladies
Well done Ellie Bonnet (centre in the right picture,2nd from the left in the left picture), a former Welwyn girls player has now been selected to play for Jamaica Ladies 7s. We are all proud and wish you the best of luck.
With over 25 players at every training session ladies, thank you to all for their commitment and to the coaches for organising. They are going to be ready for their first game of the season against Harpenden away.
Thank you to Heather Elliott and Joyce Walkey for keeping the troops fuelled after training on a Thursday, no easy task. Training numbers are growing.
Players for all sides please make sure we are all club registered on GMS, 2-3 weeks before our first games lets be organised: Please ask Steve Buck if you need any support in registering.

Mini/Junior/Girls Rugby
Our Welwyn Mini/Junior/Girls age groups are now in full swing, and it’s fantastic to see so many of our young players back at the club enjoying their rugby.
A huge thank you must go to all our coaches, team managers and volunteers, who are making the sessions fun, engaging and enjoyable for everyone. Their enthusiasm and commitment are hugely important in helping our young players develop their skills, confidence and, most importantly, their love of the game.
That has been particularly important this season after the exceptionally hard ground delayed the start of the season. Thank you to everyone for their patience and flexibility while we waited for conditions to improve and get our players safely back out on the pitches.

Help Us Grow Our U12 Boys
One age group where we are putting some additional focus this season is our Under 12 Boys, where we would really like to boost player numbers.
Being part of a club means being part of a family, and within any family there are times when one group needs a little extra support. This season, we want to rally behind our U12s and help them build a strong squad that can enjoy their rugby together and continue representing Welwyn.
To help encourage new players to give rugby a try, we are offering a 50% discount on membership for any new U12 Boys players who sign up before the end of October.
Contact membership@welwynrugby.co.uk for more info.
Whether they have played rugby before or are completely new to the sport, we would love to welcome them. It’s a great opportunity to get involved, make new friends, get active and discover everything that being part of a rugby club has to offer.
So, please help us spread the word. Speak to friends, family, neighbours, schoolmates and anyone else who might know a boy of the right age who would enjoy giving rugby a go. Sometimes all it takes is a personal invitation from someone already involved with the club.
Having strong Mini/Junior/Girls teams across every age group is vital to the future of Welwyn Rugby Club. These young players are not only the teams of today, they are the future players, coaches, volunteers and supporters who will keep our club thriving for many years to come.
Let’s get behind our U12 Boys, spread the word and make sure Welwyn continues to be represented at every age group in our wonderful sport.

Rugby boots at the club shop has a selection of second hand boots clean and ready for fun grab - a bargain at £5.00/pair

Gum Shields 10% off at Opro mouth Guards. Please keep an eye out for the information being sent out on where and how to order. Please speak to Annabel Taylor. https://opro.info/WelwynRFC

General News
Club Survey. You Said, We’re Listening
Firstly, a big thank you to Darren Lewis for putting together and coordinating our recent Club Survey, and to everyone who took the time to complete it and share their views.
The purpose of the survey was simple: to get a better understanding of what our members think we’re doing well, where we could do better, and what you would like to see from the club in the future. Your feedback gives us something tangible to work from and, importantly, helps us make sure we are focusing our time, resources and volunteer effort on the things that matter most to our members. We were pleased that 70% of members would recommend the club to friends or family, giving us a score of 9 or 10 out of 10.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to provide feedback to the club via the Club Survey. We have listened carefully to what you told us and are now targeting areas for improvement.
As part of this process, anything that received a satisfaction score of under 70% has been identified as an area requiring particular attention. We are reviewing these areas and, wherever practical, putting plans in place to make improvements. Some changes can be made relatively quickly, while others will require more planning, investment or volunteer support. We want to keep members informed, so we’ll continue to provide updates on the actions being taken and the progress we’re making.

The Club Shop has extended its opening hours throughout the first two weeks of September and is fully stocked with a great range of club merchandise.
As a trial, we’re also introducing a small selection of Club Shop items for sale behind the bar as well as at the shop, There’s more on the way too! Club umbrellas and club-branded rugby balls and we’ve recently added club sliders to the range, thank you to Justin Burgess for organising the sliders.

We’re also investigating the introduction of an online Club Shop, which would make it even easier to browse and purchase club merchandise from home. More news on this to follow.

If you have a Club Shop enquiry outside normal opening hours at 10am on Sundays, Katie Kemp is happy to help. Katie’s mobile number is displayed on the wall of the Club Shop.
Please pop in, take a look at what’s available and help support the club with your purchases!

Car Parking & Field Access
We’ve recently made improvements to the field access, which we hope will make a real difference later in the season when the weather turns and ground conditions become wetter.
We’re also looking at the best options for resurfacing and improving the main car park. We know this is important to members and visitors, and we’ll provide further updates as our plans develop.

Kitchen & Weekend Food
We’re currently looking at ways to provide additional support for the kitchen on Sundays, particularly during match and training days. We’re also now reviewing how we can improve and expand the food available from both the kitchen and bar. Our aim is to provide a better choice of food and refreshments for players, members, families, supporters and visitors, while making the clubhouse an even more welcoming place to spend time before, during and after rugby.

More Family Activities
Another clear message from the feedback was that members would like to see more family activities and events at the club.
We want to explore this in more detail rather than simply deciding what we think families might want. We’ll therefore be speaking to our members and families to hear your ideas and suggestions about the types of activities and events you would like to see at the club.
We’ll then look at what we can realistically introduce. If you have a good idea, please let us know, we’d love to hear it!

Your feedback is helping us decide where to focus our efforts. Thank you for getting involved, and we’ll continue to keep you updated as these improvements progress.

Dates for the Diary

19th September Welwyn 1st XV against Leighton Buzzard Away

26th September: Welwyn 1st XV against Old Albanians 2nd XV Away

27th September: Welwyn Women against Harpenden Women Away

1st October: Wooden Spoon Annual Golf Day, Knebworth Golf Course please ask Mark Elliott for details

3rd October: Welwyn 1st XV against Hitchin 1st XV & Welwyn 2nd XV against Hitchin 2nd XV at Home

16th April 2027: Nigel Owens is at the Alban Arena

Referees are an essential part of our game, and we’re always keen to encourage more people from within the club to give refereeing a go. Whether you’re a current player, former player, parent, coach or simply someone who loves rugby and wants to get more involved, refereeing can be a fantastic way to stay close to the action.
If you would like to learn to referee, the club will support you in booking an appropriate refereeing course and we will cover the cost of the course.
If you’re interested, please speak to someone at the club and we’ll help you take the first step.

Our thoughts are with all those who have recently lost family members and friends.
In particular, everyone at the club sends their heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of John Glossop, Richard Luck and Janet Cannon.

OneClubOneFamily Julian Emery chairman@welwynrugby.co.uk

Training & Club Information
• Men’s Training: Tuesdays & Thursdays – 19:30 to 21.00
• Women’s Training: Thursdays – 19:30 to 21.00
• Walking Rugby : Tuesdays 7pm
• Touch Rugby : Tuesdays 7pm
• Girls training : Wednesdays 7pm
• Boys training : Wednesdays 7pm, currently only the U15
Please contact membership@welwynrugby.co.uk for full details of training and other enquiries

Upcoming Matches

Bishop's Stortford II

Welwyn