Rugby Club Issue 79 | Page 104

Woking FOLLOW US ONLINE TWITTER.COM/RUGBYCLUBMAG Woking RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB I t has been a season to remember for Woking RFC with their first team winning their league title, winning all sixteen of their league matches in the process. Rugby Club Magazine recently caught up with Club Representative Matthew Brennan to find out more. He told us, “I first joined the club in October 2007 after a couple of seasons out injured/studying. The club uses the tagline ‘The friendliest club in Surrey’ and they lived up to this by making me feel like I belonged from day 1. I still continue to play to this day and have served off and on the committee since 2009.” For me, the reward lies in that I can see that I am making a difference in improving the club. We have had players come down who never knew that Woking had a rugby club until they saw a flyer at the local gym or pub. Marketing/recruitment has played a huge part in increasing the player base at the club which has created more competition for places and raises the quality of rugby played by all.” The Role Atmosphere “As press and publicity officer, the biggest challenge for me is ensuring we meet deadlines for the local press. We usually need to get reports in by 12 on a Sunday which is the last thing you want to do when it’s your only lie in of the week! It can be difficult to get full/accurate details of the game from players/spectators and then you often get one person who gets upset that they didn’t get a mention. The atmosphere here is very positive. It has been a season to remember for players and supporters alike with both the first and second XV’s picking up silverware. At the moment almost all players have committed to playing the 18/19 season which shows a sign of how things are at the moment.” Involvement 104 Issue 79 This Season “I would say that this could be considered as one of the finest seasons in the history of Woking RFC. The first XV went undefeated in the league scoring an average of 40 points per game and despite losing in the Cup, they lead a side from a higher division until the 80th minute. The second XV have also had a fine season and despite some mismatches due to issues with the league structure, the boys involved have grown and improved as the season progressed. They have picked up silverware in the recent Surrey finals day and have an opportunity to pick up further silverware next weekend. Finally, we have managed to get out a Third/Occassionals XV for those who cannot commit to regular rugby. They have played six fixtures this season and the club plans to build on this. To be able to get out 50+ players on a Saturday is a huge achievement for the club.”