Rugby Club Issue 77 | Page 60

Featherstone Featherstone FOLLOW US ONLINE TWITTER.COM/RUGBYCLUBMAG Featherstone Lions Amateur Rugby League Football Club F eatherstone Lions ARLFC is a fine example of a club playing an important role in their local community, providing people in their area with a chance to enjoy the game. Rugby Club Magazine recently caught up with Secretary Richard Taylor to find out more. He told us, “I have been involved with the Lions from the beginning. The club came together when the three local clubs amalgamated back in 1994 when a new clubhouse was built with lottery funding.” “The biggest challenges of my role are the constant need to raise funds and keeping Volunteers involved. The most rewarding thin g is watching 60 Issue 77 young children grow and develop and mature into well-adjusted adults. When this happens you get a great feeling of satisfaction of a job well done. This is magnified when they win trophies and are successful. “The club as a whole is looking forward to the new season, especially the Open Age following a rather lacklustre season last year with a new coaching and continue to build on the clubs facilities with a new pitch added this year and are seeking more changing rooms to accommodate the girls and the 1st team are looking to consolidate and hopefully get a top 4 finish. “Youth rugby plays a big part in our club as most of our current Open age players were all Lions juniors. There are a number of challenges in trying to keep them together as a team with the many distractions of today. “Lions is very much a community club, in fact it is included in the name Featherstone Lions Community Sports Club and is used by the local community for many different functions especially our indoor training facility. “The big challenges are constantly trying to keep the lights on and pay the ever rising costs associated with running a large club. Attracting and keeping volunteers and coaching staff is never easy; it’s hard to let them know they are appreciated by all at the club.” team in charge there is a great feeling of optimism in the camp. “2017 was a season of mixed fortunes; the first team just avoided relegation, however some of the junior teams had very successful campaigns. We also ran a Girls U16s team for the first time who really achieved well above expectations. “We are looking to operate a further Girls team at U14s this coming season www.rugbyclubmag.com 61