Henley
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Henley Rugby Football Club is a terrific example of how to utilise modern
technology to enhance their performance as a successful community
establishment with traditional rugby values at its core. Rugby Club Magazine
recently caught up with Club Chairman Mike Trethewey to find out more.
8 Issue 65
He told us, “I’ve been with Henley for ten years now, starting
out sitting on the committee for events. I’ve been Chairman of
the club for four years now and have been proud to hold the role.
When I first came in the financial situation we found ourselves
in was not good but I am pleased to be able to say that we are no
longer in debt and are making money.
“Henley-on-Thames is a relatively small place with a
population of 12,000 people and the club is an important part of
the community here. The atmosphere is very good at the moment;
we’re looking for the first team to get back into League 1 but it’s
very early in the season so we will have to see how things go.
Our goal is to establish ourselves at League 1 level but only if
we can do that whilst staying in a stable position financially. The
quality of rugby we play is important to our supporters and we
are committed to playing the right way.
“I think that our improvement on the field has been thanks
to our better finances. We are now run as a small business and
have brought in a Commercial Manager full-time who has had
a really positive impact. We have a fantastic set of volunteers
here to support the club with a team of around 140 people all
contributing. Quite simply, without them the club would not be
able to succeed.
“Off the field, we’ve just spent £500,000 on a new clubhouse
and it is a fantastic facility. Sean Fitzpatrick opened it for us and I
have to say that he was terrific; playing a key role in the opening
and making sure he had time for everybody. It’s great for our
members to have a high quality facility to use and hopefully it
will also provide a reliable income stream for us for many years
to come.
“Henley is a rugby club that is the heart of the town and
people are proud of it whether they have an interest in the game
or not. I am very pleased to be part of it and truly believe that the
town would be a lesser place without its thriving rugby club.”
Membership Secretary Martin Bidlake-Corser has been with
the club for twenty five years and said, “When I first joined it