Treorchy
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Treorchy RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB
reorchy RFC is enjoying a fantastic season this time around with their success on the field reflecting the fine set up they have in place behind the scenes . Rugby Club Magazine recently caught up with Club Secretary Bryan James to find out more about the good work the club has been doing lately .
Involvement
He told us , “ I started at the club in the 1962 / 63 season after transferring from neighbouring club and close rivals , Treherbert RFC . I had joined Treherbert with my best mate , Robert Griffiths , but was encouraged to move to Treorchy RFC by one of my teachers , a former Treorchy player who was then playing for Cardiff RFC . The decision to move was a relatively easy one for me as Treorchy is closer to my home and I had always watched Treorchy play when growing up .
I played for the club until 1972 when I left the area for one year to pursue my professional training as a Civil Engineer . On my return in 1973 , I became fixture secretary and following the sudden passing of the Club Secretary in 1976 , I became Secretary , the role I have held since .”
The Role
“ The most challenging time was when we were playing at the very top of Welsh Rugby in the then First Division . There was a constant battle to raise sufficient funds to sustain the team playing at that level . Funding from the Welsh Rugby Union was generous and we had a good number of sponsors but , in reality , we were still amateurs running a professional team .
The advent of Regional Rugby in Wales means that our club ’ s achievement of rising through the ranks and finishing 3rd in the top flight of Welsh rugby cannot be repeated . So we can proudly boast that we have “ been there , done that ”!”
Present
“ The mood is buoyant at the moment with a lot of positive things happening . Our new coaching team of Andrew Bishop , Ian Evans and Kevin Jones have reinvigorated our existing players and the positivity is clear to see - both on and off the field .
At the time of writing , we ’ re currently at the top of Division 1 East Central with over half of the season under our belt - with 11 wins and 2 draws from 13 matches played . Our next match is against the second team in the league so that will be a test . We know there ’ s a long way to go but that result may well decide the final outcome of the league .
Quite simply we want to keep doing what we ’ ve been doing . The weather , player availability and fitness are the main risk factors for us as we move into ‘ international season ’, but we ’ re feeling very positive right now .”
Youth
“ Youth rugby is immensely important to our club . We have a strong track record in developing players , both for our own senior team and also for professional rugby . One of our current coaching team - former Wales and Ospreys centre , Andrew Bishop - is in fact a product of our mini and youth set up . As was Wales and Scarlets fullback , Morgan Stoddart ; Bristol hooker , Marc Jones ; Cardiff Blues scrum half , Tomos Williams to name a few .
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