Now that we have completed the first 2 months of the season, with all teams producing good quality rugby as you can see from the reports from the Team Captains, I feel it is time to reflect on the past couple of months and look forward to the future.

We started the season with a commitment from Committee Members, Coaches, Team Management and Captains that we would work together to achieve our aims in taking the club forward with good management and good coaching resulting in good rugby, which in turn would lead to a thriving club. In my opinion we have nearly reached our aim. The rugby sections are financially viable at this moment in time, thanks largely to members paying subscription on time. Fund raising is going well with successful events such as the Ted Robbins evening, whilst major sponsorship is bringing much needed revenue in thanks to Alexander Events, Fairs Cameras, Firtree Landscapes and Thornton Hall Hotel plus many more supplementary sponsors and the officer of the day is running weekly raffles which helps day to day outgoings. On the playing of rugby, under the guidance of new Director of Rugby, Andy McKinney, all teams are doing well and holding their own in the their respective leagues, all Captains, Coaches and Managers must also be thanked for their efforts, as without them we couldn’t achieve our aim. Finally all players and spectators have done their bit to help the club achieve its aim. This has also been recognised by the RFU with the club being accredited the Seal of Approval mainly due to the Mini and Junior Section, but we are well on our way to achieving the full club Seal of Approval which only a hand full of clubs in the Country have achieved.

So the future for Wirral Rugby Club looks rosy with major events planned for the spring. Details will be appearing on the website and on notices around the club. The Mini and Junior section have parties planned through out the season thanks to our newly formed M & J’s Social Committee, also thanks to the efforts of John Ayre and his Committee. On the rugby side we have a very young playing membership with lots of potential and talent through out, a lot of this talent has come through the School and the M & J’s, with rugby being played from U7’s to over 50’s.

Finally, in order to survive into the future we need continuous support form all members, both on and off the field ,to enable us to keep the tradition of rugby going, whilst being honest and real in our expectations and achieving what we can as a Community Rugby Club, where we all look after each other and support the club that has supported a majority of us throughout our playing careers,.Without this Wirral Rugby Club could be like so many other clubs in the area, fighting for survival.
By David Van Der Zwan
Chairman of Rugby