Sport In Profile UK Issue 03 | Page 42

BRADFORD & BINGLEY RFC sure that boys in the Under 15s, Under 16s and Under 17s know who Senior Players are, and just as importantly the club knows who they are, so we don’t just lose them as they start to transition out of the Juniors.” Community “We want to be a community club, but I wouldn't necessarily think we are at the moment; for example, an awful lot of new development has happened in Bingley recently and I think if you asked those new residents where the rugby club was, they wouldn't know we were here. We want more people to use us and our facilities and to be a community club in that sense, but I think it remains a challenge. However, the success of our mixed ability side, The Bumbles, has created a whole community around that team, and the club will be hosting the first ever "Mixed Ability" World Cup next August, so some things are working.” Facilities “We nearly always get a very positive response on the clubhouse and the pitches, but our changing facilities remain stuck in the 1970s. We are constantly looking at improving; unfortunately we don’t have the funds to immediately act on every initiative we think of.” Commercial “The whole structure of the club and its relationship to other Sports, like Bingley Harriers, the Cricket Club, the Canoe Club and to the Clubhouse as bat and function room is under review at the moment and we hope we will re-emerge in 2015 as a much more commercially aware and increasingly viable business.” Challenges/Ambitions “The world has changed immeasurably in the last 20 years and continues to change; a lot of the "givens" of 20 years ago appear not to be quite so certain anymore - will anyone be interested in amateur rugby in another decade? Will it be commercially viable to own our own facilities and maintain four pitches? All aspects of keeping afloat seem to be a challenge! In the years to come we want to continue to do everything we do now, but better.” 42 ISSUE 03