Consett
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Consett
RUGBY CLUB
Consett & District Rugby Club was formed in 1923, so is looking forward to
the Centenary Year in a few years. I have been involved with the club from a
young age, my father being a first team player and member of the Executive
Committee in the 1970’s and 1980’s. I played at the club from Under 10 level,
through to senior rugby until injury forced me to take a back seat.
The playing side of the club is run on an entirely voluntary
basis, with a fairly unique business model in that we own
and run a town centre pub in Consett, The Demi. The bar is
sports themed and is a well-known pub in the town open to
the general public. All of the profits from the pub are ploughed
back into the club and enables us to keep our membership costs
low and accessible for all those wishing to join. Our tag line in
the pub is ‘Where drinking can actually help the community’
- and this is absolutely true, especially where customers have
such a wide choice of venues in the town.
Our dedicated group of over 40 volunteers run teams from
Under 6 to Under 18, three Senior teams and one Vets team
who play around seven games each season. We have qualified
first aiders, RFU qualified coaches and referees all connected
to the club either through their children or as ex-players, all
giving their time up to help out.
We are delighted to have seen the female side of the game
grow and see around thirty girls across the age ranges join
us to learn about the game, with the midterm view of having
full girls’ teams in the junior ranks. Ladies rugby is still in
its infancy, and the challenge we, and all clubs are facing, is
getting attendance levels up. There is no shortage of willing,
experienced volunteers to help them learn.
The most rewarding part of my role is to see so many take
pleasure from the game, the camaraderie and the opportunities
given to the local young people and the life skills the game
provides. Whilst I don’t play anymore, the work I, and the rest
of the Committees put in out of the spotlight is all to make sure
whatever the current membership has, is better than when we
were playing and will continue to get better in the future, in
the coaching, facilities and benefits we can provide. We have a
fabulous balcony at our clubhouse and it’s great to look around
the club on a Sunday morning to see the organised chaos of so
many kids running around playing the game.
From a senior rugby point of view, our most recent
promotion into North One East Division in 2018 was the
culmination of a huge amount of work not only from the
players, but the Executive Committee, our sponsors and our
staff to put in place all that was necessary to get the team in
the right position to push for that promotion. Our first team
features predominantly Consett born players who have come
through the junior ranks, and to get them to the level they are
playing at is a huge nod to the work done over many years.
As many in the game will see from our difficult position
in the league this year, the step up into the 6th tier of English
Rugby has been a steep learning curve, but all our players can
take positives from the fact that we have competed well in each
and every game. The step up has also filtered down through
the teams, with our 2nd XV squad very much pressuring for
places in the 1sts. It has also been pleasing to be complimented
by our opposing teams, who are impressed with our facilities
and the atmosphere around the club.
Amethyst Homes are our main sponsor, with our ground
named Amethyst Park to reflect the importance of the
relationship. Mark Short, MD of Amethyst Homes is a lifelong
friend of several of our ex-players and the company are in the
middle of significant building projects around the town. As a
Consett based company, we are proud to have been able to
count on the support of Amethyst for many years in continuing
to promote the game and provide us the tools to continually
improve the club.
In our youth section, with registered numbers approaching
350, we have a continuous job in making sure people know
where they are supposed to be and when. Our Junior
Committee is constantly frazzled by arrangements for pitch
space, games, festivals and fund raisers, and is definitely a
spectacle to experience! The more humbling part of it is that
we are still looking to get more people involved.
“Amethyst Homes is a Consett based house building company that
was established just over five years ago. As a local company we want
to contribute to the commercial and cultural health of the town, Consett
Rugby Club is important in this regard as it contributes both as an
attraction for visitors and part of the community, engaging with young
people, schools and also providing a facility for local organisations to use.
We have been a sponsor of Consett RC for around three years now and
we currently sponsor the stadium as well as some games. Our staff and
clients get down to the club for matches whenever we can and we look
forward to continuing our relationship with the club long-term.
Consett Rugby Club is a very important Sports Club in the community
here in Consett and we are very proud to be associated with them.
From all of us here at Amethyst Homes we would like to wish everyone
associated with the club all the very best and look forward to continuing
our relationship and giving back to our community.”
Dave Robinson
16 Issue 01