Peebles been a way to make friends in new communities and I like to think Peebles is no different and while the majority of our players have come through our youth development system we like to welcome those who have moved to the area .”
Charity
“ The current role of club Chairman is a new role within the club structure , we have been in the process of reorganising the club from a Community Amateur Sports Club ( CASC ) to a charity , this has involved a change of constitution and club structure .
The most challenging aspect of this process has been in helping the club membership adjust to the new set-up . In effect , the Chairman is equivalent to the more traditional President role but with the club ’ s business activities being carried out by a parallel limited company the directors have some extra legal responsibilities which we have needed to adjust to .
Essentially the same jobs need to be done , the same games need to be played and the same amount of money raised , it is simply that behind the scenes some of the responsibilities have changed . Watching players play and seeing the team winning is still the greatest reward when being involved with any club but seeing the clubroom bar busy and having the clubhouse full for prematch meals does take on a more significant meaning when you are responsible for the club ’ s finances .”
Atmosphere
“ The change in structure did lead to a few issues last season where no-one was really sure who was responsible for particular tasks . While on the field we were very successful , missing out narrowly on promotion to National Division 1 , off the field we had a particularly poor year financially which has led to cuts across all aspects of the club .
The financial issues we faced last season have actually worked to pull people together and focus everyone on what needs to be done . This season things seemed to have settled down and everyone has pulled together creating a much stronger financial base for future development .”
as mentioned earlier , are mainly guys who have come through our development system and the team as a whole are basically very young .
The front row are all under 23 and only two of the regular pack are over 25 , this group are mentored by a couple of experienced players including Captain Calum Anderson who has played age group international rugby and Scotland sevens as well as having spent several seasons winning Premierships with Melrose . We hope that the blend of youth and experience will help to take the club up to the next league .”
Youth
“ Youth development is vital for Peebles Rugby Club and we spent a significant amount of time and money on the process . Like many clubs we have a strong mini section with around 150 kids playing every week .
Players then progress to Peebles High School where we , along with the SRU and local council , fund a Development Officer and a school of rugby post which forms part of the curriculum for kids . Years 1-3 at senior school are covered by school and then the club coaches take over at U16 and colts level and hopefully from there a smooth transition to adult rugby .”
Integration
“ While it is not really possible for the youth teams to train alongside the adults they do train at the same time and occasionally mix for games of touch . In the second half of the season we have a policy of trying to get some of the older colts to play in second team or first team games depending on ability .
We are also fortunate that we are part of the Border Kings of the Sevens series and so the youngsters often get the chance to play in these tournaments as a good
Present
“ The season did not start particularly well for us on the field losing four of our first five league games , however since then we have had a strong run and are comfortably within the top half of the league and if results go well and with a little luck we could be close to challenging for promotion again .
On the field we are aiming to finish as high as possible in the league this season and if promotion does not come this season then it will be a definite target for next year . The team , www . rugbyclubmag . com 71