Garioch - President's Newsletter
Aug
The new season is on us and once again the Club springs into an action packed programme on and off the field. Let me start by expressing my thanks and appreciation to all those who have contributed time and assistance in the running of the Club over the close season. It used to be that we could wrap up in April and come back in August but management of the Scottish Rugby Club game is now 12 months a year.
Stuart Archer has stepped down as President after 2 years in the post and I would like to extend my thanks for all that he has achieved in the hot seat. The past 2 seasons has seen a huge increase in the standard of rugby played at Kellands and the benchmark that has been set that will be a challenge to exceed. Stuart's years of commitment to the club both as a player, then Captain during Seasons 1991-1993 & 2000-2001 and with his Term as President puts S.J. Archer along side Dr J.E. Black & J.H. Sommerville into that elite few, who have served the club on both boards.
In the interim, I have returned to the Presidency with renewed enthusiasm for the job and I will be looking for support in the role from all that are willing to give it.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch.
New faces around the club.
Some of you will have met Thiu Barnard, who joins us as Forwards Coach/Player. If have not been in his company yet, don't worry. You will!!! Thiu is from SA and played U19, U20 and U21 with the Natal Sharks.
Another new kid on the block is Mitch Craig from Brisbane . Mitch has been drafted in as Back's Coach and will also be playing for the club. Mitch's pedigree in playing is likewise solid and his Stingrays level is a level just below the Queensland Reds. Our relationship with Queensland continues.
For the first time in its history Garioch RFC has sponsored an SVQ, by the name of Andrew Morrison. This young man hails from Alford and is Captain of our U18 team. He will be mentored by the Club's RDO, Chris Lawson. So well done to Andrew and I am sure you will be a keen student
The Minis and Micros are up and running with the usual upbeat approach to the new season and with a number of new faces around, the opportunity is there for us to increase not only our player numbers, but also the volunteer base. Lets all be proactive in recruiting as many of these willing helpers as we can.
Garioch Youth section, otherwise known as Midis are also well into the swing off things. Good numbers in both the age grades are training hard and looking forward to a busy fixture programme in the run up to Christmas.
A full programme of U18 Fixtures, is also confirmed. Numbers as yet are not the greatest, but most clubs in the area are going through this and the league structure is designed to take this into account. With 1 match already under their belts, the young guns are going through a team building process and the club is fully committed to supporting this important age group.
A massive thanks goes to our Youth Convenor ,Craig Mitchell, who has worked tirelessly to get a proactive committee together, to ensure that the players are prepared for what could turn out to be a defining season in the future of the club.
The Ladies Section is also on the increase. Michelle Molyneux has reported numbers on the up in Seniors and the shortly to be initiated Girls Section.
Seniors
The Flagship 1st XV kicked off on Saturday 28th Aug in the Caledonia League Div. 2 North with Tom Hardwick donning the Captain's hat in place of elected captain Scott Richardson, who was unavailable through work commitments. A fine win can be read about on the Senior section of the website. Good luck with the rest of this season's campaign.
2ND XV will play in an Aberdeen and District League and this kicks off 2 weeks time.
A full list of fixtures is available on the website www.gariochrugbyclub.org
School Rugby Programme
Our RDO Chris is seeing the success of last season continue into this, with new schools coming on board. By far the most significant of these is Inverurie Academy, and this is a fantastic step forward in the development of this great game in the area. This school has already fostered International Players and I'm confident that there will be more to come. Well done Chris for setting this up and the club is committed to providing the resources to get the job done.
One of our major desires with the schools coaching programme was to run curriculum rugby in the 2 academies in our catchment area. This we have now managed to achieve, but it is such a major achievement that the Committee has agreed to put another £3000 into the programme to ensure it happens. Up until Christmas, we will be committing 11 days every week in the schools, making for a total annual investment in the region of £40,000.
I am looking forward to meeting all new members at some stage over the next few weeks and I am available to speak with you at any time that is mutually convenient if you have any concerns or questions you wish to raise.
Best Regards for a memorable season.
David Thom
President
