BURNBRAE BULLetin - August 2022
Monday, 22 August 2022
Dear members & friends,
Introduction
Welcome to the latest edition of the Burnbrae Bulletin. I do hope you have had a refreshing summer and now ready to dive headlong into another season. This note will hopefully provide some update on what is going on and ahead of us in the weeks and months to come.
Honorary President
The club constitution allows the General Committee to appoint a club Honorary President as a mark of esteem or appreciation for services rendered. In recent months the Committee agreed to offer the position to Andrew Primrose (pictured opposite) and delighted that he gladly accepted. Andrew was first involved with West more than 60 years ago serving in many positions since, including being Club President 1981 - 1983. Andrew is still a regular attendee at West and would be delighted if you say hello to him
Senior Rugby
The Men’s 1st XV will be competing in National League 3 with the first fixture being on the 3rd Sep away to Perthshire. The first home fixture in on the 10th Sep against newly promoted Royal High. All the fixtures can be found on the link below. Andy Douglas will continue as head coach and will be assisted by Ritchie Gray, currently still playing with Glasgow Warriors. At the recent SRU AGM it was voted to re-organise the current 4 league structure (Prem league of 10 and 3 National Leagues of 12) to 5 leagues of 10 teams for the season 23/24. To achieve this, National 3 will have the bottom 6 teams relegated at the end of this season into the new National 4 as there will be several teams relegated from National 2. One team will be promoted from National 3 to 2 so there is still plenty to play for.
The Men’s 2nd XV will play in West Reserve League 2 with a league of 10 teams. Hopefully, all the teams will be able to commit to playing and provide a decent fixture list as it ended being a frustrating league last season with sporadic fixtures. First two fixtures are away to GHK Students on 3rd Sep and Greenock Wanderers on 10th Sep with the first home game on Sat 17th Sep against Allan Glen’s. Full fixture list is available at the link below.
The Women’s 1st XV will be competing in National League 1 with the first fixture away to Broughton on Sun 4th Sep and then at home on Sun 11th Sep against Howe of Fife. There is to be a change to the Women’s league structure for season 23/24 with a Premiership of 8 clubs and everyone else playing regional rugby. Therefore, the winner of National 1 this season will be promoted and the remainder consigned to regional rugby. On the 25th Jul a come and try session was held that saw around 12 new players attend and some club girls that were U18 last season step up. There is the potential for development/2nd XV fixtures, but this will be shaped as the season progresses. The 1st XV full fixture list is available at the link below.
U18
The U18 will play in the Boy’s National Club Conference being the top level of U18 club rugby. There are 6 teams with one fixture either home or away giving 5 matches which are available on the link below. On completion of the 5 fixtures the league will have a round robin between the top 3 and a round robin between the lower 3. Beyond that, unknown!
Junior Rugby
Junior & Youth Rugby returned to Burnbrae after the summer break on Sunday the 21st of August. New players in all categories are very welcome with the days and timings of training at the link below. Further information is available on the Junior & Youth tab or on following the link.
Junior Rugby Re-Starts at West
Midi Rugby - The male midi teams (U16, U15, S2 and S1) are also involved in the Boy’s National Club Conference with a similar format as the U18 but with fixtures on a Sunday. The opposition will be from the same club with two of the teams at home and two the remaining two teams away. The midi girls are involved in the Aspiring League which will see a number of fixtures played at the same venue on various Sunday’s. Fixtures are shown within the following link.
Rugby Development Manager
Steven Meenagh assumed the role of the club Rugby Development Manager on 1st Jul. He has made a busy start getting to know the various sections and helping with the various training during July. With the return of junior rugby and schools this will provide Steven the opportunity to get to know more and take things forward..
Subscriptions
The annual subscription fee collected from all members is important in the ongoing running of the club. So, a gentle reminder that membership fees are due from 1st August 2022; rates are as follows:
Senior Playing Members - £210. (Annual subscription £170 for Playing Members under 18 years of age as at 1st September 2022 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 30th Sep 2022
Overseas Members - £55
Junior Playing Members - (Under 16 as at 30th Sep 2022) - £135
Membership enquiries to Willie Barr e: willie.barr@btinternet.com
Junior Membership can be renewed on the club website at this Link and other enquiries forwarded to Ian McDiarmid e: mcdiarmid2924@sky.com
Club Development
The club is still in the early stages of a proposal to build a new indoor multi-purpose facility to replace the current gym building. Over the coming weeks meetings and presentations with regard external funding are due to take place. Further updates will be provided in due course.
International Tickets
Tickets for the 6 Nations home matches for 2023 are available for club members to purchase through the club. The information has been on the club website for some weeks and is accessible at the link below. The closing date for applications is Wed 24 Aug. There is no information on away tickets though information is due to be released from 1st Sep onwards. The information will be placed on the club website. If you are interested in away tickets, please email me and I will endeavor to send you the relevant info direct.
Volunteers
For the past year I have been making pleas for volunteers to help take the club forward but alas nobody has. I must admit to some anxiety as to how the club will move forward without the volunteers needed to run the club. There remains a core, but more are required so please if you wish to help take your club forward and be involved in its running then please let me know.
Linked to the success of the club, in particular the sheer size of the playing population, and the lack of volunteers the club is putting together a job description for a General Manager/Admin post that will hopefully increase the efficiency of the club. This does not take away the need for volunteers, but it will be advertised on the website and recruiting tools.
Summary
Despite my volunteer concerns the club is in rude health with great participation across the range of sections. This is your club so have a great season and a thank you in advance to all the many coaches and helpers that make the playing aspect work. It’s all about the Red and Yellow!
Yours in rugby
Donald Malone - Club President
E: donaldmalone9278@gmail.com M: 07584 576034
