lisburn
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Lisburn
L
isburn Rugby Club is a terrific example of a well-run club
playing a vital role in their local community, providing people
of all ages with a chance to play the game. We caught up with
Club Representative Philip Clarke to find out more about the
good work they have been doing lately.
Involvement
He told us, “I have been involved with Lisburn Rugby as a player, captain
and committee member over the past 6 years. The club is blessed with not
only a central location in the heart of Ulster’s transport network but also
with the prime location of having around a dozen schools nearby that feed
into the club at mini, junior and senior levels. Born and raised in Lisburn,
playing for my home city was the logical option for me with a lot of my
colleagues and team mates at the club.”
The Role
“In regards to the biggest challenges and rewards of my role the answer
is the same for both – the players! In terms of organisational abilities I am
genuinely surprised sometimes that some of the lads are able to remember
their boots for training or matches, let alone tie them!
However when it comes to playing together either in a humid preseason
training session or in a nail biting league game it’s the camaraderie and
team spirit that makes it all worthwhile. My roles of Public Relations
Officer and as one of the team captains allows me to bring the best of the
club to the wider community and bring new players into our dynamics.”
Atmosphere
“Lisburn Rugby Club is going through a real transition right now, which
may sound like a cliché but we genuinely are with a new head coach
joining us for the 2015/2016 season and with a committee that is ensuring
the club stays sustainable for the foreseeable future.
This transition comes with a certain degree of frustration from the
players, supporters and alickadoo’s as we haven’t performed as well as
should have in recent seasons. However there is a real shift change in our
current mood, stemming from an influx of new players and talent, to one
of genuine passion for results across all our senior teams.”
2014/15
“From as early as Christmas LRFC 1st XV found themselves in a relegation
battle in Kukri Qualifying League 2 and this essentially set the tone for
the rest of the season. It is with credit to the outgoing coaching staff and
players that we sustained our position in the league and avoided relegation.
Some genuinely excellent performances from the young team were rightly
overshadowed by a loss on the scoreboard and a number of crucial injuries
played their part.
For our 2nd XV who finished 3rd in their respective league, they were
equally as frustrated as their 1st XV teammates despite being at the other
end of the table in what could have been a winnable league and the 3rd XV
lost their relegation fight in the end in a very competitive Junior 5 League.”
Community
“We are a community club. We have all walks of life playing for the club or
supporting it in some capacity. We also have very strong links with local
GAA teams in the area and the clubhouse is regularly used for social and
fundraising.
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