Ash
Ash
Ash
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RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB
Ash RFC was founded in 1995 and I joined the club in the same year. The village had a thriving cricket
club but needed a sporting and social focus through the colder months – rugby seemed the ideal choice.
I have stayed with the club ever since, gradually progressing from playing to coaching the minis and
juniors, including my own two sons and eventually the seniors. I am currently Head Coach, holding a
Level 2 (preparing for level 3) coaching qualification and Vice-Chairman of the club.
Like everything else, the club
has its ups and downs – keeping
membership consistent is always a
challenge as class sizes vary from
year to year and with changes in the
local work environment which affect
demographics (such as when Pfizer
closed). Translating enthusiasm into
bums on seats for away matches
is a perennial problem but seeing
players that you’ve coached from
Minis come through to play in the
Senior team and holding whole club
events where all age groups come
together for a runaround and a
social event more than make up for
any stresses and strains.
“I have been involved with the club for ten years now since my
eldest child was in reception. At the time we actually lived in the
village and had heard through friends that it was a great family
orientated club. My husband had played rugby through his teens
and university and felt strongly the values it instilled in him were
those we wanted for our children.
Currently I am the joint minis and juniors coordinator, as well
as the volunteer coordinator and I also oversee the management
of refreshments run by the kiosk in the club on training and match
mornings. Without a doubt the most challenging aspect is getting
parents to help share the responsibilities. We are all volunteers,
so fitting in all the weekly jobs around my current work and other
responsibilities is always a challenge. To have more people on
board willing to give up a few of their hours a week to help would
be amazing. The most rewarding aspect of my roles is to see happy
children and parents turn up week after week even in the pouring
rain!
From the minis and juniors perspective I would say the mood
is very good and positive. We have an amazing group of coaches
who work and support each other so well that it creates a fantastic
positive atmosphere. The kids clearly love their rugby and are
producing some really great results against some of our bigger
local competition. Aside from the playing rugby itself, Kelly and I
have worked hard at developing a stronger relationship between
the youth and senior sections off the pitch. Through this we have
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This summer has seen higher than
ever numbers of players attending
pre-season training. The club ran
some strength and conditioning
sessions through July and August
which were well attended by seniors
and juniors, as well as some coaches.
For the new season we are aiming
to build on the success of our Minis
had some and continue to have a variety of club social activities
which again are enhancing a positive vibe through the whole of
the club.
The club definitely recognises the importance youth rugby plays
in strengthening and maintaining the senior game. The committee is
now joint between the youth and senior sections which has helped
to link the two parts of the club. A large percentage of the senior
team is now being made up with players who are transitioning into
the senior game. To my understanding this fresh blood is helping to
consolidate a very skillful and experienced senior side.
To be honest the club is constrained by the facilities rather than
the people and until this can maybe be addressed, I feel the club is
currently running almost to the best of its capacity. Situated in Ash
recreation ground, in a small council owned pavilion, with rented
pitch space there is a limit to how large this club can grow. It is also
constrained geographically by some close but much larger clubs.
However, I feel the club’s primary goals over the coming
years are to field two successful senior teams and try to facilitate
a buoyant team in each of the youth and minis age groups. This
will ensure a steady flow of youth to senior players through the
club whilst continuing to build and maintain a strong connection
between all levels of the game.”
Jo Irwin, Joint Minis and Youth Coordinator
tag festivals which boosted numbers
and to celebrate our sponsorship by
Unilever which has allowed us to get
some fantastic new kit which will be
on display at our three-way Persil
tournament in the New Year and
proudly worn by our Senior team
over the winter months. Our Senior
team is playing in the Kent 4 Rural
league and we are looking forward
to some challenging matches. To
mark the World Cup Year, we will
be holding a series of social events
at the clubhouse to coincide with the
England games
Ash has always been a club with
a family atmosphere and it is not
uncommon for players to start off in
the Minis and progress to Seniors,
some with their parents picking up
coaching qualifications along the
way. As they become Juniors, they
start to train separately but on the
same nights as the seniors and we
encourage senior players to come to
Sunday morning training sessions to
inspire the youngsters.
In five years’ time I hope to see
the Minis thriving with increased
numbers of children and Junior
“We live very close to the village recreation ground, where the
rugby club play and trains, so we naturally went along to the club,
when my eldest son was old enough, to give it a go. From joining as
an Under 6, he is now 10 and we have been involved with helping
at the club the whole time. In the last couple of years, more formally
as registrations officer and minis coordinator, whilst my husband
coaches the Under 7s. The club is friendly and welcoming, not
pompous or clichy, family members get stuck in and help with all
aspects of the club and this makes it feel like a big community.
The most challenging aspects are learning new roles, dealing
with new situations I am not familiar with. As in any new role,
figuring out procedures, what works best, who to ask questions to
etc can be a challenge but being confident, open minded and not
afraid to ask for help is the key. The most rewarding part of my role
is introducing new children to the sport, through organising local
school tag festivals (usually U6 and U7 ages), then seeing them
have a go at rugby at the club on a Sunday morning, and stick with
it through the season. Seeing those children build new friendships,
teams, learn new skills and grow in confidence is very satisfying.
The atmosphere here is very positive! We have a small but
balanced committee of members from the senior and youth side
of the club, who support each other’s goals and strategies. We see
the value in developing both the senior and youth game, growing
teams running age groups in every
year. I would also like to see the
Seniors running two adult teams
– one in Kent 2 or equivalent and
another in Kent 4 Rural where
we currently are. It would also be
fabulous to have a Veterans side to
compliment this on the pitch and in
the clubhouse!
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Geoffrey
the club from the grassroots, investing in coaches and encouraging
a solid foundation in the skills and strengths needed for the sport.
With some recent sponsorship, we have been able to raise the
profile and image of the club from the minis up, and this has helped
increase numbers in all age groups too.
Youth rugby is very important to the club, as we have the chance
to nurture the values, skills and teamwork steadily through the age
grades, gradually introducing new physical skills and techniques,
building a firm team bond between players, so that they can grow
and develop in the sport,
My advice for anyone interested in getting involved in the game
would be to join a small, friendly club that welcomes kids from all
backgrounds and abilities. Sometimes it’s best to go to your local
club, where you may know a few kids, but sometimes it works best
where you don’t know anyone! This gives kids the chance to make
a completely new set of friends and build bonds around the sport,
not their school or background.
Give it a go for a good few weeks. Sometimes the weather is
bad, you’re tired or the team hits a glitch, but persevere and give it
some energy and the rewards and feeling of accomplishment as a
team is the best!”
Kelly Lott
“I have been involved with the club from a year after its start. Friends of mine were playing and peer pressure meant that I decided to
give up hockey and take up rugby at the tender age of 35. 17 years later I finally managed to hang up my boots! The rewards of being
Chair of the club are on a busy Sunday with the recreation ground full of minis and juniors playing sport.
At the moment we are in a good place with an upbeat mood. We are working to continue to grow our mini section, get all coaches on
the relevant courses and put out a second senior side. Ash is a grass roots community rugby club.
Our biggest challenges are the pressure on our pitches and changing facilities, as well as managing a decline in senior playing
numbers. It is our ambition over the next five years to have a full set of mini and junior teams from age 6 to 16, a full second team, a
veterans side, improved changing facilities, all volunteer roles filled, all coaches fully qualified or working towards it, each age group having
at least two coaches and an admin assistant, more grass pitches, followed by at least two weeks in the sun!”
Paul Ralph, Chairman
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