Message from the Chairman
Dear Avonvale RFC Members,
The new season is now upon us, so I wanted to take this opportunity of welcoming all of you for the 2007/08 season.
John Crabbe has taken on the Club Captain’s role and has already been instrumental in getting good numbers to the training sessions on a Tuesday evening at the clubhouse. I wish John and all players the very best of luck for the forthcoming season and encourage as many of you as possible to come along and support the teams.
Tank has taken on the mantle of Club Coach and his wealth of experience both on and off the pitch will hopefully help to develop our current players and encourage new players to join us. The 1st XV finished off in good form last season, let’s hope they improve further this year and get promotion out of their current league.
The U17’s will have new challenges this year and having achieved a very successful set of results last season, will have to defend their position at the top of the tree. Many clubs will be viewing fixtures against the U17’s as a key game to win. Good luck to Chris Hobbs, his coaching team and the players. Let’s see if you can bring more silverware back to the club this season!!!!!!!!!
The Avonvale Mini’s section has been going from strength to strength with a huge amount of commitment given to the development of the players from all of the coaches. We have invested in additional training for the coaches, which again we hope will bring benefits to all teams. We encourage parents to stay and support their children and reward good play, whether it is from our teams or the opposition. At this level, the aim is to help develop the children’s rugby skills and fitness, as well as encouraging an environment of fun.
We have invested a large amount of money into the clubhouse during the summer months, with major projects undertaken to replace the clubhouse flooring and lighting. A special thanks to Steve Adams for coordinating these projects. Volunteers have helped to further develop the interior of the old “scout club” for use as changing facilities for the mini’s, so a big thank you to all of those who have helped.
Membership is now due, so please contact Maria Bath.
The clubhouse is available for parties/society meetings, etc, so please contact Maria Bath to see if it is available on the dates you require. The skittle alley is available for use by a team; if you know of anyone looking for a skittle alley, please let me know.
A list of contact numbers for the Committee is displayed in the clubhouse, should you need to contact any of us. If you feel you can help the committee in anyway, please let me now, as we are always looking to involve members of our club.
Our Webmaster has agreed to keep the Avonvale RFC website up to date, so if there is anything that you want to see on the website, please let him know. I also encourage you to provide him with any anecdotes, match reports etc, which are appropriate for inclusion on the website.
We are always looking for fundraising initiatives, if any of you have any ideas or know of someone who may be willing to sponsor the club in any way, please let myself or one of the committee members know.
On a final note I want to remind all players, spectators and club members of the “Code of Conduct” both on the pitch and in the clubhouse.
· Applaud good play (both us and our opposition)
· Respect the officials (referees, coaches, bar staff, etc)
· Respect other users of the club
· Do not drop litter or cigarettes around the clubhouse or on the pitches
· Keep dogs under control
· Supervise your children at all times
· Be an ambassador of the club
If you have any suggestions on how to improve things, please let me know.
Wishing everyone a very successful 2007/08 season.
Regards,
Martin Bath
Club Chairman.