BUCKINGHAM
Youth
Challenges
“Youth rugby is massive at Buckingham with over 200
players (I believe). The whole club is run by volunteers
and what happens in the youth section is outstanding,
on a Sunday morning the club is alive it makes me
very proud to see what we are providing for so many
youngsters in the town. Sadly we do n’t have a girls
youth squad but there are still some younger girls
playing.
“For the ladies - we will lose some of our older players
who have been threatening retirement for a few years
now but have been holding the team up whilst new
support comes through however I really believe that
there are new additions to the team that will take on
these important roles. We just have to keep recruiting
and keep going even when we struggle to get numbers
at training or to away fixtures. I also hope that our new
coach can stay with us to add to the continuity.
The youth players are involved in what is called our
academy and they begin to have some time training
with the men but also with their peers, they are
given the opportunity to play in the men’s teams and
are regarded as the clubs second team. The youth
academy is very highly regarded and I know that it
has been doing so well over the past few years that
it has been attracting players from other local teams
who want to continue their rugby career with such a
supportive club.”
Community
“We are 100% a community club. There is no doubt
about it, it is one of the things I love about Buckingham
Rugby Club. It is completely volunteer run and having
sat on the main club committee for 3 years there is
definitely a strong vibe that we like to support and be
involved with our local community - well why wouldn’t
we be when that’s where all of our players and
supporters live?!”
14
ISSUE 49
For the whole club, the men are often faced with the
dilemma of whether to pay players as more and more
local clubs do but I think it is not part of our club ethos
to do this so I hope that players are not lured away!”
Ambitions
“The club is in need of an all whether training area and
I think this is on the clubs agenda over the next few
years, but it will be a massive investment and is still a
long way off.”
Buckingham rugby club is a family, we all work together
to welcome all players and all people. I have been
involved in the club since I was 16 and even though
I have moved away with university and work there is
always a gravitational force back to the Buckingham
rugby club. Ask almost anyone you see at the club
over any weekend and they will say the place is like a
second home where you not only get to play a good
standard of competitive rugby but you also make
great friends and have the chance to socialise and
have fun! After all that’s what it is all about!