Rugby Club ISSUE 83 | Page 92

Keresley FOLLOW US ONLINE TWITTER.COM/RUGBYCLUBMAG players cannot always commit to playing every week, and training represents other difficulties too. A number of ‘older’ players are coming to the end of their playing careers, and their wealth of experience is difficult to replace. Our challenge is keeping the team playing to a good standard whilst developing the younger and more inexperienced players, who represent the future of the club. As the now Director of Rugby, there are frustrations with availability at times, and with injuries. Physio Jordan Alldritt works wonders with the players, but we are unable to field the same players each week, which disrupts continuity. That is the reality of rugby in 2019, however, and 92 Issue 83 we all have to work with what we have. We can only ‘control the controllables’, as is often quoted to the players, when some decisions don’t seem to go our way. With my Chairman’s hat on, the future of the club is bright. The potential housing development will surround the club, and with more than 250 houses being built, we have a massive opportunity to integrate our club in the future lives of all of these new residents. We do need to do some work on our clubhouse, but a club offering daytime facilities for the neighbourhood, thus generating footfall and income, must be our ambition. On the pitch, we must aim for promotion from the current league, but that must be managed effectively, to allow players to develop and maintain a lifelong love for the game. Rugby is supposed to be fun, and our appointment of Bren McNally as the club’s Enjoyment Officer, is testament to our expectations of why we all do what we do: fun, enjoyment. The club believes fervently in the RFU’s Core Values, and we must always remind ourselves why we all are involved in this wonderful sport. Article provided by Paul Harrison