Burnbrae BULLetin - August 2020
Tuesday, 4 August 2020
Dear members & friends,
I hope this finds you well? As we make our way out of lockdown, I would like to take this opportunity to update you as best as possible on the rugby landscape and how it may look going forward at West.
Current Rugby Situation
The SRU in conjunction with the Scottish Government (SG) has laid out a 6 stage return to playing competitive contact rugby. We are currently in stage 3 which in general allows for small group training with no contact. The remaining stages with current timelines are as follows:
Stage 4: From 24 Aug 20 - Larger Training Groups with Modified Contact Activities
Stage 5: From mid to late Sep 20 – Team Training and Friendly Fixtures
Stage 6: From 31 Oct 20 - Return to Competitive Rugby
The progression through the stages will only take place with agreement from the SG. There is a slightly relaxed variation on the activities that can be undertaken by those U18. More detailed information is on the SRU website under the Clubs & Schools tab.
The competitive rugby formats for this season for the various playing groups is currently under consideration, but it is unlikely that there will be any National Competition with current thinking leaning towards more regionalised fixtures. As and when there is further information on the respective competitions it will be published on the website and the various club social media channels.
To allow training to take place there is various Covid measures in place to ensure a safe environment. The club in line with SRU direction has appointed a Covid Safety Co-ordinator and I thank Ian McDiarmid (VP Senior Rugby) for volunteering to take up this important role.
Senior Rugby
The club has appointed Andy Douglas as the 1st XV Head Coach. Andy currently works as the SRU Coach Development Officer for Glasgow North, an area that incorporates West, and having previously coached at the club he is well known. He is joined by Assistant Coach, Robbie Currie who is Director of Rugby at a well-known Glasgow Secondary School and I welcome them both to the club. In other coaching news John Nicholson is returning to the fray and I look forward to his enthusiasm rubbing off on all in the player group.
I am pleased that Lindsey Smith will continue to be Head Coach of the Women’s team on the back of a successful last season by winning promotion to National League 1. Lindsey is joined as Assistant Coach by Fergus Matheson and look forward to seeing further progression regardless of the competitive format for this season.
Training for the Male and Female Senior Squads has commenced in line with the current SRU stage 3 direction. It was important to have training commence as soon as was practicable given the lay off from the game. The numbers are very encouraging and with the requirement for small training groups and social distancing it is a challenge for the coaching teams but having 3 pitches is making it easier to organise and run.
Junior Rugby
Most of the midi section has started some form of training with the relevant coaches taking the lead of when and the content of training. Again, we await a decision on what the shape of their competitive rugby will look like this season.
Mini training is due to commence on Sun 16 August 20 and there will be a challenge with space given the numbers and the current direction. Regardless, there will be a plan to make it work!
As always, I am most grateful to all who give of their time be it coaching, administration, catering etc. There is nothing better than seeing the many boys and girls in the red and yellow enjoying themselves.
Oldies Touch Rugby
On the current information provided it looks like Adult Touch Rugby will be permitted from w/c 24th of August. This means those finely tuned athletes from days of yore look set to take to the paddock again in their regular Thursday evening slot (8.30pm - 9.30pm on the 4G pitch). All are welcome to join in. It’s like an incredibly skilful version of real rugby…… but without much skill and played at a pace that some have cynically described as ‘just above walking’. Great fun though and an excellent way to get active again after lockdown. There will be confirmation of the start date through the various club social media channels.
Finance & Subscriptions
The committee has worked hard over the past few months in addressing the financial challenges that the lockdown has brought especially with there being little income. There was a review of the ongoing expenditure (utilities etc.) and access to other forms of income like business grants and the job retention scheme to maximize income and cap expenditure. Subscriptions form a large part of the club annual income and is due for payment from 1 August each year. Whilst there has been limited access to facilities we are moving in the right direction and I would really appreciate the payment of your subscription from 1 August 20 and in turn supporting your club during this difficult time. The rates remain frozen from last year and I thank you in advance. The rates are:
Playing Members - £210. (Annual subscription £170 for Playing Members under 18 years of age as at 1st September 2020 or a student with a valid matriculation card)
Non-Playing Members - £110.00. (Any Member in this category who is of qualifying age for state retirement pension has the right to apply for a modified subscription of £85 provided he or she has been a Member of the Club for at least five years)
Country Members - £85
Family Membership - £250 - (2 adults and 2 children (£50 per additional child) or £200 (2 adults and 1 child). Child is Under 16 as at 1 Sep 20.
Overseas Members - £55
Junior Playing Members - (Under 16 as at 1 Sep 20) - £135
On payment of your membership fee, you will receive a membership card though receipt of the card will be delayed for this season until we have confirmation of the various fixtures. New members are always welcome in all categories and membership application and direct debit forms can be obtained from the contacts below.
Membership enquiries to Willie Barr e: willie.barr@btinternet.com
Junior Membership can be renewed in the Junior Section of the club website but other enquiries should be forwarded to Ian McDiarmid e: mcdiarmid2924@sky.com
Miscellaneous
Despite the financial challenges, the main car park entrance and part of the car park has recently been fixed a task agreed to be completed before lockdown and one urgently needed. This should make the entering and exiting of the car park a better experience for your car!
The downstairs bar is now open every Saturday 4pm to 10pm. There is indoor seating in the hall and outdoor seating in the garden when the weather allows!
Some self-help jobs have taken place around the clubhouse and the main stand in the past few weeks. It was planned to do more jobs in line with the RBS RugbyForce due to take place in early August with club volunteers, but the current situation has seen this postponed. Hopefully, there will be an opportunity for this to take place at a later date and a request for volunteers and tasks will be published when circumstances allow.
Thank you for your time and please do not hesitate to come back to me with any feedback or ideas.
Yours in rugby
Donald Malone - Club President
E: donmalone_lgb@hotmail.com M: 07584 576034
