Rugby Club ISSUE 87 | Page 59

Grimsby Grimsby RUGBY CLUB Grimsby Rugby Club have gone through some lean times over recent years but look to be turning things around with a new, rejuvenated committee set up in 2017 led by Chairman Martin Simons and Secretary Andy Picking, a surprising double act, the club fortunes are looking promising. Last season the club were narrowly relegated from Midlands 3 East but managed to bounce straight back as Champions. Martin first came to the club 33 years ago in 1986 as the student’s union Rugby Union rep at the local college tasked with finding a club to host the home games on a Wednesday Afternoon for the colleges Rugby Union team, “The food Tech Boys”. He later ended up playing and coaching the first team and was responsible for setting up the junior section. After a spell away from the club Martin came back and stepped into the role as Chairman. Andy, having played rugby previously at Uni and a few social teams, came to the club in 2003 when his son Evan wanted to play rugby rather than football. From being a parent, he was forced into coaching the U8s as there was no one else! From there he helped take the junior side all the way to Colts and eventually became manager of the 1st team where Evan now plays. He stepped into the role as Secretary in 2017. RC: What are the most challenging and rewarding aspects of your role? AP: Amateur rugby clubs can swallow money at an alarming rate through utility bills, repairs and maintenance, improvements etc … so keeping everything in the black is a massive challenge. Achieving improvements and keeping the club solvent is the most rewarding aspect. The teams winning are a bonus. www.rugbyclubmag.com 59