Sport In Profile UK Issue 01 | Page 44

SOUTH GOWER The club has a history of which they have every right to be proud with their roots going back to a meeting which was held in the ‘Long Room’ at the Valley Hotel, Bishopston on the 8th January 1974. The meeting was attended by 18 people and one boy at the former skittle alley. There aims were to bring the joys and disciplines of Rugby Union to the young people in and around the Bishopton and South Gower area. Their first training session saw thirty eight children between the ages of ten to 14 with teams being entered in the Swansea Schools League and Swansea Boys League shortly after. They have continued to do some tremendous work with youngsters in the years that have passed and still have a thriving youth section to this day. This part of the club looks to provide young players from the local area with an opportunity to play the game in a safe and enjoyable environment whilst helping them to reach their full potential. It is important for any side to be able to produce their own talent, particularly in the current financial climate and this is an area that they appear to have covered. It will certainly be exciting to see how their juniors are able to develop over the coming years. 44 ISSUE 01 At first team level they put together a strong campaign last time around as they compiled a record of having won 12, drawn 1 and lost 3 of their 16 matches. This saw them finish near the top of the league with 58 points on the board. A particular highlight of last season’s play was the attacking brand of rugby that they managed to produce. This was reflected by the fact that they managed to rack up 467 points which saw them finish as one of the top scorers in the league. This certainly ensured that any supporters attending their matches were well entertained and should encourage more of the community to get behind the club in the future. This in turn has the potential to provide them with a valuable source of additional revenue. Their attentions will now have turned towards the 2014/15 campaign and getting off to a good start. As long as they are able to retain their current group of players and perhaps make one or two quality additions they should be well positioned for another successful season. There is much to admire about the set-up that South Gower currently has in place and this is thanks to the hard work that their Committee puts into making them a success. Hopefully they will be able to continue in the same manner for many years to come and everyone at Sport in Profile Magazine would like to wish them the best of luck.