Having been elected as Chairman of our wonderful club back in May I think we have achieved some great things in the last 7 months. Some of these things are very visible while others may be not so.

On the pitch we have seen some great achievements across our Minis & Juniors sections with all age groups reporting strong numbers of players.

We have started a girls section at Under 12/13 and a big thanks to Stuart and Carl for leading this change to get more and more girls involved in rugby.

Our Ladies team continues to go from strength to strength being top of their league and still in the cup! Off the pitch the Ladies have great fun and togetherness and their social media is the envy of many other clubs.

Our Academy is performing really well and is in the 3rd round of the national under 18 cup. Congratulations also to Alex Turton who has been selected for the South West assessments.

Our 1 XV have been finding it tough in the first half of the season and have a lot to do in the New Year. Home form has been really good with a fantastic win in the last game of the year at Lily Hill Park against our big rivals. Jamie & Dan are focused on getting things right and have the support of the committee in securing our position in this league for next season.

One other highlight of the senior teams is our ability to, more often than not, put out 4 senior men’s team at the same time. This is a massive achievement by the players, managers and coaches. There are a lot of clubs who struggle to put two teams out and we should be very proud as a club that we can maintain the level of rugby we do.

Our playing facilities have been a struggle this season. We have closed pitch 2 for maintenance and this will not be available until September 2019. However, this pitch will be in far better condition as a result of this closure.

Pitch 3 has again borne the brunt of the training sessions and is in a poor state. Whereas pitch 1 has held up really well.

The pitch at Calfridus has had some work done on it by the council to try and eradicate the mole problem. Not sure it’s been too successful but the playing surface is good.

The club has invested heavily in its playing facilities with the ongoing maintenance such as irrigation during the hot summer, grass cutting and verti draining. We have also provided the funds for external facilities to be made available at Garth School, Bohunt School and Wellington College.

Overall, we are currently providing rugby in Bracknell for over 500 people. I am really proud of this and in the months and seasons to come want to grow this number

Off the pitch the operational team keep the clubhouse as busy as possible with events and parties. We have had another successful Ale & Cider festival along with the Fireworks evening and the club is getting a good reputation for ‘laying on a good do’ across the community. Sue and her team do a great job in keeping the club the way it is and we are building on that team in the new year to give it some further support where it’s needed.

We have seen many improvements across the club:
• New pitch surround on pitch one
• New fresh advertising banners
• New Glass washer behind the bar
• New improved cooker in the kitchen
• New Storage shed
• New Electronic Scoreboard

None of this could have been provided without the wonderful support of everyone connected to the club. Whether you brought a pint, a raffle ticket or invested in some tickets for an international game it all helps towards improving the environment we have.

We have some fantastic volunteers across our club who put in lots of time. To anyone who has done there bit I want to say a massive thank you.

However, there is a real risk that if we cannot encourage more people to come and lend some time the club will suffer.

Volunteers are the heartbeat of any organisation like Bracknell Rugby Club. We simply cannot survive without them.

We do need more help from keeping the place clean and tidy, to serving burgers at one of our functions.

We will be looking for help in the forthcoming events such as next year’s Ale & Cider Festival. To run this event smoothly and give everyone the opportunity to enjoy the day we probably need between 80 – 100 volunteers.

The simple truth is that if we cannot encourage more volunteers we will have to pay for the services or not run them at all. The consequence of that is obvious with the club at all levels suffering.

Volunteering does not always have to be given in time. We are always in the need of specialist advice and support such as legal, marketing, finance etc. If you work in a specialist area or have access to these types of specialisms then again, we would welcome this.

Please, if you are able to offer some time and support let me know or contact the club directly.

Bracknell Rugby Club is a great place to be and the Executive Committee are determined to continue on our journey of continuous improvement.

Finally, at this special time of the year I would like to wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous and successful New Year.

Thank you for your support,

Ian Wilson
Club Chairman

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