athy
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Athy
RFC
A
thy RFC is a great example
of a vibrant community
establishment
that
is
committed to providing as many people
as possible in their local area with an
opportunity to play the game. They play
their home games at The Showgrounds
on Dublin Road in County Kildare and
their first team currently competes in the
Leinster League Division 2B. The team’s
colours are Royal Blue and White hoops
and they are led by President John Treacy
who is supported by Secretary Diarmuid
O’Connell.
First established in 1880, the club has put
together a history of which they have
every right to be proud. One of their best
periods came through the 1960s and 1970s
when they benefitted from the work done
in the previous decade. During the 1950s
they focused upon building a team and
recruiting new players which enabled them
to field a 2nd XV for the first time.
66 Issue 52
They won plenty of matches during the
early 1960s and made it to two cup finals
although they were unable to secure a
trophy. Their success helped the club to
grow further resulting in a 3rd team being
established for the first time in 1965.
Athy is clearly not a club to rest on their
laurels however and they do a lot of work
in the present day to ensure that they have
a bright future. A major part of this is
their superb youth section which looks to
provide young players with an opportunity
to play the game in a safe and enjoyable
environment whilst helping them to reach
their full potential.
It is important for any side to be able to
produce their own talent, particularly in the
current financial climate and this is an area
that they appear to have covered. It will
certainly be exciting to see how their juniors
can develop over the coming months.
There is a clear pathway for their juniors
to progress into senior rugby as well. Not
only do they have a strong first team but
a number of additional sides. This allows
players to gain experience of the adult game
even if they are not yet considered ready for
first team action which can be an important
step in the development process.
Another benefit of having extra sides is
that it allows the first XV to benefit from far
greater strength in depth. If they are ever
left short on numbers through injury or
work commitments they have the option of
calling players up with a limited amount of
disruption.
Another example of the important role this
club plays in their community is the thriving
ladies section that they run. Now into their
3rd year they are focused upon continuing
to progress as a side and welcome new
players of all skill and fitness levels.
There is much to admire about the work
that Athy have been doing lately. Hopefully
they will be able to keep up the good work
for many years to come and everyone at
Rugby Club Magazine would like to wish
them the best of luck.