Rugby Club Issue 70 | Page 67

Southwark “The improvement in playing and training facilities will have a huge impact on the coaching and development of players across the club and is key to reaching their ambition of entering the London leagues within the next three years.” difficult to build consistency or to plan ahead. The bright lights of London also creates an added distraction, so the club will go through a significantly larger roster of players each season than an average club which leads to erratic performances and inconsistent results. Southwark have ambitious plans for the future which will alleviate its inconsistent and ad-hoc nature. With less than 10% of the club hailing from the local area it is imperative that both Southwark and the game of rugby’s profile is raised within the community. More local players and more enthusiasm for the sport will create a buffer against the high yearly turnover that currently plagues the club. Local schools don’t offer rugby coaching but could hold the key to developing a pipeline of enthusiastic players. Chris Callaway says, “It is definitely an area we are looking to target and help fund introductory coaching sessions raising the Club’s presence in the local area is key to our on-going development and success.” Over the next two years Southwark council has plans to develop sporting facilities at Burgess Park which will see the club gain the use of a floodlit 3G pitch whilst retaining their original grass pitch. The improvement in playing and training facilities will have a huge impact on the coaching and development of players across the club and is key to reaching their ambition of entering the London leagues within the next three years. Exciting times lie ahead for Southwark RFC both on the playing side and the community development side. www.rugbyclub.biz 67