BURNBRAE BULLetin - May 2022
Sunday, 29 May 2022
Dear members & friends,
Welcome to the latest edition of the Burnbrae Bulletin which wraps things up as we finish season 21/22.
Senior Rugby
The Men’s 1st XV finished 5th in National League 3. Lasswade and Berwick were promoted to National League 2 with Gordonians and Whitecraigs coming down. With 5 points separating 3rd to 5th in the league this was a very encouraging season and well placed to remain competitive next season. The clubs being promoted from the Regional Leagues are Allan Glen’s, Royal High and Orkney with Ardrossan being relegated. This will result in the resumption of a 12-team league for next season but there is on-going work which may result in league reconstruction for season 23/24. More to follow when known.
The Men’s 2nd XV finished their season on the 9th of April with a resounding 64 – 7 with over local rivals Allan Glen’s. The season has been a success as West were the only 2nd XV in our league to fulfil all the respective fixtures and for good measure had a full squad of 22 available for every fixture. This says much about the talent coming through the youth section. A massive thanks to all the coaches but more importantly to the player’s themselves who turned up in good numbers to training and played some great rugby throughout the season.
The Women’s 1st XV played their first season in National League 1 and gave a very good account of themselves. Finishing 3rd in the league just 7 points behind the winners Garioch. It turned into a long season as on completing the league campaign at the end of Feb it was straight into the Cup competition where West were in a group with Heriot’s, Stirling County and HJRFC from the Premiership. No wins but West were competitive in all 3 matches giving a good account of West and a good gauge for next season where there will be a 7-team National 1 league with the aim to be challenging for promotion. The other encouraging thing from the season was the healthy numbers at training and the ability to at times play a development/2nd XV matches and well done to the coaches and players alike for a great season.
To finish the season the club ran the Glengoyne West Fest 7s on 14 May. Teams from GHK, Glasgow Accies, HJRFC, Lenzie, Caley Uni, Dundee Uni/Harris select and 2 teams from West participated with West A beating Glasgow Accies in the final. A good day was had by all and will now look to build from this success to have a bigger and better event next season.
U18
What an end of season for the U18’s! On Sunday the 27th of March, West U18 played Boroughmuir in the final of the Boy’s National Cup played at Murrayfield. It was an absolute belter of a match with two teams playing high tempo and skillful rugby. The score was 24 all going into the last minute but a final attack from Boroughmuir saw them cross the line for the winning score. Absolute heartache for the team but my how they made the large red and yellow army so proud. They made up for it by winning the West Regional Cup on the 23rd of April at Burnbrae by defeating Ayr 45 – 8. This was a fitting end to the season for them and best of luck to those moving to adult rugby and more of the same to those again playing U18 next season!
Junior Rugby
Midi Rugby - The various male and female midi teams continued training and playing with a mixture of cup and friendly fixtures throughout the second half of the season. All in all, a successful season which also saw a resumption of the club Development Programme. Special mention to the first full competitive fixtures for the West girl’s and congratulations to the Male U15 in winning the West Regional Shield by defeating Ardrossan at Ardrossan by 52 points to 14. For now, unsure what the playing schedule for next season is going to be for the midi section as the SRU are looking to change the format yet again.
Mini Rugby – The mini rugby section had a full calendar of fixtures and training. The season culminated with the West Mini tournament on the 8th of May and end of season fun day and prizes on the 15th of May. A big thanks to Claire Roux for organizing the tournament, the respective coaches for refereeing and making it work and to Gary Da Silva and his team of helpers for the catering. Despite the odd shower of rain, the fun day was great and many thanks to the parents, coaches and again Gary for making the day a success. The day was rounded off with a visit from Ryan Wilson and Zander Fagerson from Glasgow Warriors with the Calcutta Cup in hand. There was the opportunity for team and individual photos with them and the trophy. A fantastic couple of events to finish the season.
Rugby Development Manager
As you are probably aware Millan Browne left the club Rugby Development Manager post at the end of March to move onto the Glasgow Rugby Academy. Over the past few weeks, the recruiting process to identify a replacement has taken place and I am pleased to announce that Steven Meenagh has accepted the post. He joins the club from Hamilton RFC and will start on 1 Jul. I am sure he will receive a very warm West welcome from all as he settles into the role.
Club Development
In the previous update I mentioned that we are in the early stages of a proposal to build a new indoor multi-purpose facility to replace the current gym building. It is still in the early stages but a funding application to the SRU has been made in line with the recent growth and participation initiative and there has also been close engagement with Sport Scotland. We will know more over the coming months, and I pass my thanks on to the sub-committee for the work and engagement as I feel we are very much on the front foot to this point. Further updates will be provided in due course.
Volunteers
I also made mention of the need for new blood to come onto the committee and take forward how your club is run. Disappointingly, there has been no takers, but the plea is still there as it is absolutely vital more volunteers come onboard to keep the running of the whole club functioning. There are also specific roles that the club would benefit from both operationally and financially by being filled and I take this opportunity to put them out there.
Sponsorship Convenor - Looking for an individual to re-invigorate the sponsorship revenues for the club. The traditional method of generating sponsorship is to offer club advertising on the club website, pitch side hoardings, match day programme, playing shirt sponsorship, player sponsorship and match day ball sponsorship. However, this needs an engaging and enthusiastic individual to start afresh as an area that can potentially raise good income for the club. Commitment: Main effort over the summer months in the lead up to the start of the playing season August/September be it obtaining new sponsors or renewing current for the season. Low key for the remainder of the season. No requirement to be part of the committee though very welcome to join if so wished.
Finance Officer - The main accounting for the club is outsourced to a company called BDO but the club requires an individual to do the day-to-day club transactional business. This involves:
- Payment of authorised invoices, usually weekly, maintaining payments records.
- Link with club officials and BDO for staff (3) gross monthly salaries, review & pay net salaries & Paye/NI monthly
- Maintain 2 bank & 1 paypal accounts and provide regular information to other club officials as required
- Provide BDO with monthly receipts & payments analysis, and supporting vouchers
- Each Quarter - answer questions on accounts from BDO & VAT Return
Commitment: On average this will require 4 hours per week and the FO will normally be part of the General Committee which generally meets once each month for between one and a half to two hours.
General Committee Members - The club is currently managed by the GC who are all volunteers with the best interests of the club at heart. There is a wide range of topics to monitor and maintain and looking for volunteers to come and join the GC to assist and have a say in how the club is run.
Commitment: The GC generally meets once a month and lasts between one and a half to two hours.
If you can help in anyway or wish to know more about the above roles, please do not hesitate to contact me direct.
International Tickets
Tickets for the Scotland Autumn Internationals are now available for club members to purchase through the club. The relevant information with the application form is posted on the club website and please note the very last day for applications is Tue the 7th of Jun to meet the SRU deadline.
The information on tickets for the 6 Nations 2023 home matches will be placed on the club website from Monday the 13th of Jun with a deadline for applications of 25th August.
Summary
This has been a great return to rugby for all sections of the club and I believe the club is thriving through the numbers and the rugby being played. A massive thank you to all that have supported the club be it coaching, catering, admin, or spectating. Enjoy your summer, and then be ready for next season to do it all again!
Yours in rugby
Donald Malone
Club President
E: donaldmalone9278@gmail.com M: 07584 576034
