MARLBOROUGH RUGBY – GAME ON FOR GROWTH
One of Wiltshire’s oldest and most successful rugby clubs has set out its ambitions for future growth including its aim for the 1st XV to achieve National League status by 2024/25 and a desire to encourage participation at the highest levels across all the age groups.
The new Marlborough Rugby Club plans were outlined at a launch event on Saturday – 11 September, the occasion of the first home game of the 21/22 season for the 1st XV against Grove RFC.
“We took the opportunity to undertake a full review during the Covid lockdowns and look at where we could grow the Club and to understand how our members would like to see us develop. We have already been successful in so many areas, but the consensus was that there is also so much more we could be doing to realise our potential”, explained Marlborough Rugby Chairman, Gary Sharp
He added: “Marlborough’s rugby heritage and credentials go right back to 1871 when we were one of only 21 founding clubs of the RFU, and we remain as passionate as ever about rugby. We have a great diversity of players at the Club including some fantastic South Pacific players, many proudly serving in our Armed Forces and based at Wiltshire’s military bases. We have also recently started up a Girls team and have had both national and international success with our 7s.
“At the entry level, we have already grown to 250 mini and junior players over the past few years; and now we’re aiming for closer to 400. Children can be introduced to rugby from the age of 5 and it’s a fantastic game for youngsters of all ages, teaching the values of teamwork, sportsmanship and respect for one another while truly remaining a game for all shapes and sizes. It’s great for their physical fitness and building self-confidence, the importance of which have been well and truly highlighted during lockdowns.
“To reflect our fresh approach and to ensure clarity over who we are and what we stand for, we have rebranded under the name Marlborough Rugby and our vision is to be One Club united by our new values of Welcome, Inspire and Excel. We are most excited about our rebranded logo and new kit getting its inaugural outing today, at our first home match of the season for the 1st XV and we look forward to welcoming many more to the Marlborough Rugby family over the coming years,” concluded Sharp.
Marlborough Rugby’s future plans for growth, both on and off the pitch, include:
- Looking to field a Women’s team, building on the recent formation of their Girls’ team
- Growing the Minis and Juniors (ages 5 to 17) and to provide a clear pathway for Juniors to move to senior rugby and nurture home talent
- Expanding its successful Schools engagement programme to encourage children to give rugby a go
- Developing and investing in coaching talent
- Continuing to offer a wide range of different memberships from social through to playing
- Ensuring our venue hire remains quality and affordable for local users for classes, one-off events, etc
- Growing our team of passionate and loyal volunteers across all sorts of roles to ensure we can deliver our ambition
More information on membership and volunteer opportunities can be found at https://marlboroughrfc.rfu.club/https://marlboroughrfc.rfu.club/
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