Howe of Fife
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Howe of Fife
RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB
H
owe of Fife RFC does a fine job of providing people in their area with an
opportunity to enjoy the game and has been developing well in recent
times. Rugby Club Magazine recently caught up with Club President Chris Reekie
to find out more.
RC: How long have you been involved
and what first attracted you to the club?
CR: It was my local club for which
my brother played and for (as he was
10 years older than me I was desperate
to play against him) who Dave Rollo
was our first International Cap, and as a
young boy I followed his career. I started
playing for the club straight out of school
in 1974. This was at the start of the very
first league structure in Scotland.
RC: What are the most challenging and
rewarding aspects of your role?
CR: I’m currently President and I see a
very significant change in the challenges
facing rugby clubs. Having moved to a
new facility at our ground, Duffus Park,
from our old clubrooms in Cupar, the
demands placed on running such an
establishment and the scale of support
required to run rugby throughout the
club is a considerable financial cost to
maintain.
When you consider 40 years ago
there were only 2/3 men’s teams and
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some minis, to a position today, where
we start with micros, through the minis,
midis, colts, under 12/15/18 girls and
senior women, plus two senior men
teams. You need the involvement of a
myriad of coaches and helpers. Plus the
club requires to be managed by a range
of skills from enthusiastic volunteers,
and this is proving far more difficult
today.
RC: How’s the general mood down at
the club at the moment?
CR: Having come through some
very challenging days the club is, as it
has always been, a forward thinking
organisation. We are a club steeped
in tradition and rugby history, and
progressive development. There is a
proud legacy of members who gave of
their time to bring about these changes.
It is the shared involvement and
commitment which is the bedrock of this
proud club.
Unquestionably there are many
challenges ahead. We will meet them
head on.
What is heartening is the growth
in the game. We now have micros
introduced, numbers in the junior sector
are growing. The Harlequins, in only
two years, have become established as a
force to reckon with, now with an under
18 team. The Knights offer an outlet for
the older member section to take part
and enjoy their rugby. And there is a new
coaching team in town with a progressive
and innovative outlook which excites me
and will bring out the best of the 1st and
2nd XVs and throughout the club.
Nothing is going to stop us from
improving both on and off the park.
RC: How would you say 2017 has gone
for the club?
CR: Very much a transitional year in
which a new coaching team took over
the reins. Along with Head Coach, Chris
Martin, Dougie Gray a former Howe
player and a stalwart for 20 years at
Dundee High FPs, have installed a new
culture and approach to how the Howe
play the game. This is quite a young
team, not physically imposing, but they