West Norfolk
Ed Weightman has had a twenty-year relationship with
West Norfolk Rugby Club having moved to the area in 1997.
He recently told Rugby Club Magazine, “When I moved to
North Wootton I was invited along to the club by some
friends and have been a member and supporter ever since.
The club have always displayed a great community spirit
and passion which I feel has been a bedrock to their growth.
The undisputed success of their youth section where girls
and boys are supported and coached to a high standard
has received much deserved recognition.
“Steve Smith our immediate past chairman has
contributed greatly to the club over the years and our current
chairman Graham Woodcock is carrying the baton forward
with the same enthusiasm. It is apparent that the committee
are focused on not standing still and developing the club for
everyone to enjoy. New dugouts and toilets are some of the
recent developments with plans for further improvements
are on the horizon. Darren Clarke, the club’s head coach,
has had a great influence on our team performances with a
very free flowing and entertaining brand of rugby.
“My business Russen & Turner have sponsored the club
for the past four years and we very much enjoyed helping
support the club realise their ambitions. I have to say that
I have always found West Norfolk Rugby Club to be the
most hospitable of places to be part off, not originally being
from the local area my experience has been that I have
made more and more great friends through the club over
the years. Myself and my partners at Russen & Turner wish
everyone at West Norfolk RFC the very best of continued
success for the future and for the remainder of the 2020
campaign!”
draw we will continue to enjoy our rugby with a few
beers and songs along the way.
Youth rugby is the future of the club and this section
continues to build on the success of last season which
saw our under 18’s reach the quarterfinals of the
National Under 18’s Cup. The under 15’s
squad were the Norfolk plate runners
up for the second consecutive year
at the Norfolk Big Weekend of
Rugby which we hosted earlier
this year. Several players
across the youth age groups
are now in the Leicester
Tigers DPP programme
and this season four of our
under16’s were selected
to play for Norfolk U16’s
and three of these have
been selected for Eastern
Counties trials.
The transition from Age
Grade Rugby to the senior
game has been a particular focus
for the club over the last couple of
years and we have had some success
in this area with a number of players
coming up through the age groups establishing
themselves in senior sides. At the start of this season it
was decided that the training of the under 17’s and 18’s
would fall within the brief of the senior coaching team.
Our under 16’s also regularly train with our under 17’s
and 18’s in order to break down any barriers that exist
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between these age groups, ensuring a smooth transition
to senior rugby.
The club was founded in 1925 and is the second oldest
in Norfolk. The club was initially based in Swaffham
and moved to King’s Lynn in the 1930’s, based at
the Dukes Head Hotel until the outbreak of
the second world war.
After the war the club began its
association with North Wootton.
Initially making its home at
the Red Cat Hotel using the
stables for its changing
facilities, the original pitch
was some distance from the
hotel out on the marshes.
The present ground,
acquired in 1965, is
approximately ten acres
of land with a layout
containing three full size
pitches. The playing facility
came into use in 1969 with the
initial prefabricated clubhouse
from 1970.
The expansion and success of both
senior and, more significantly, junior
and mini rugby has meant that the original
clubhouse became inadequate. This led to a major
building project to develop the clubhouse and improve
both the changing, medical and social facilities. The
project started in 1989 and was completed in 1992.
17 Hig
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