The Annual General Meeting 2008 took place at Ovenden Park on Thursday the 31st of July. Below are the reports presented by the Chairman, the Secretary and the Juniors Officer.
The Chairman's report The Secretary's report The Junior Officer's reportChairman's Report 2007/8
The Club is passing through an interesting and challenging time. There are several problems which need patience and application but can be solved with the support and goodwill of all members, our sponsors, coaches and players. The playing record of the 1st XV last season could be regarded as cause enough for concern, but that should not be regarded as the dominant feature given the continuing huge effort by the Club’s volunteers, the coaching staff and the loyalty and dedication shown by all playing members.
The Club is extremely well served by a variety of volunteers in all areas of the Club operation. It would be an extremely difficult operation to name every one, and it would be churlish to omit the name of someone, in common with many others, who has worked diligently throughout the year. The Club owes a great debt of gratitude to all volunteers. Without their efforts the Club could not operate.
That volunteer force hopefully will continue but it is equally important for fresh volunteers to be recruited and the earnest wish is that they come from a younger profile. Over the years it seems clear that "the older brigade" has taken on responsibilities very successfully but it is important to continually inject new lifeblood into the Club and efforts have been made to involve the younger ones. A fine example is close at hand. The Junior Section under the Chairmanship of Richard Conway, to whose piece attention is drawn, prospers both on the field and off. The enthusiasm of players, parents and supporters all alike on the Thursday training evenings and Sunday mornings is a pleasure. It is a worthwhile exercise to visit the Club on a home game Sunday morning to see the enthusiasm and commitment of all. It is hard to overstate the importance of continuing development and expansion of that Section.
The great hiatus in the Club is the lack of a second team. This topic has taken up much Committee time and has been the subject of many personal conversations. It is difficult to identify with great particularity the reasons for this loss but, there is evidence that players do not join because of a perception that the Club, at 1st team level, has been playing at an unattainably high level and which will be required of players in the lower teams. The necessary involvement of replacements on the 1st team bench is a heavy demand. There are just so many people of appropriate build to play competitively in the front row. There appears to be a malaise about which is demonstrated by the apparent unwillingness of other teams to travel any appreciable distance. There must be significant alternative diversions. It is no solace but Halifax RUFC is clearly not the only Club to suffer in this way.
There have been valiant efforts to provide games for persons who would form the backbone of any second team (jointly with other Clubs) but those games demanded high degrees of effort and organisation to get a team out and it became apparent that such an entity was not viable, in the form proposed.
The topic continues to occupy the minds of the Director of Rugby and his associates. Hopes continue that the new season will attract players from whom a second team can be selected.
The third team has carved out an admirable niche for itself under the towering enthusiasm of Simon Donaldson. There have been some blank weeks but in essence they have played with great enthusiasm and growing skill under the Captaincy of Darren Emmerson. The Club regards the continuation and expansion of this part of the Club as vital and again Club members are encouraged to come to Ovenden Park from time to time and be seen to be giving these players the support which they deserve. Next season their Manager will be Toby Turner. They have been profitably training "pre season" under the enthusiastic guidance of a new coach, John Henry. The signs are encouraging.
The Club has enjoyed immense success over the past several years, culminating in promotion to National Division II. This meant, in effect, that the Club had to be counted amongst the, say, top 40 clubs in the country. They have been halcyon days but life in that Division has been difficult. Unsurprisingly, the opposition is very talented; the demands on players are high and it must be marked as a considerable success for the Club that that status has been maintained for 3 years.
The last season, however, has been difficult.
At all times the players under the guidance of Rhys Morgan and Richard Szabo have tried very hard but it is clear that they have been "out-gunned" and relegation became the clear route from early in 2008.
Such a loss of status is of course a matter of regret but, it must not be regarded as cause for total gloom. The demands on players and Club finances in travelling to the South coast were immense. In the coming season that would have been increased by the addition of 2 further clubs in the South West meaning significantly long and expensive trips to the "South" (including Cambridge) on 7 occasions. Relegation means that there will be a very significant reduction in funds from the RFU in the coming season but membership of Division III North will bring positive aspects, namely (1) the opportunity to renew old friendships with clubs in the North, (2) easier travelling to support the 1st team at away games, (3) greater opportunities for meaningful sponsorship and pleasure in, for instance, sponsored lunches and (4) reduced demands on players and supporters in travelling attainable distances.
It must be regarded as a great bonus that the greater part of last year’s team have committed themselves to the coming season and it is hoped that they with those newly recruited will mean that the Club can be highly competitive in its new surroundings in 2008/09.
The eternal cry has been that the Club must raise funds. That is repeated but that cry has never been truer. The bar represents a rising source of revenue and hopefully that trend will be maintained with greater numbers from Northern clubs, but it is important that all should prompt and support functions.
In this last season the President, Mr A B Pentelow, was the prime mover in revitalisation of the Annual Men’s Dinner with David Duckham as the main speaker. The annual "Cocktail" party was also well and profitably attended and the sponsored lunches before 1st team home games continued to be successful.
The sale and potential development of Gee’s Dam land adjacent to the bottom pitch has been assiduously pursued over the last 12 months. There has been regular contact with the prospective developer; there have been a number of meetings with their advisors, the Club’s architect, the local authority, as well as meetings within the Club. "Hope has sprung eternal" that the key move in the developers lodging with the local authority the planning application would be made but that purpose has been confounded. The problem has been compounded further in recent months by the national difficulties encountered by the building industry and the "credit crunch" which might, understandably, have reduced the resolve to proceed with the development.
That is a continuing difficulty but work continues to advance the position in the best terms possible. Capital however arising from any such sale would not ease the Club’s revenue position because, in the drive to improve the Club’s own facilities and make it an attractive "community" feature, capital arising would probably have to be supplemented by funds from other sources. A redeveloped Club however should be able to provide several revenue producing assets, eg 5-a-side football pitches.
In summary, the question of the redevelopment remains under close and regular scrutiny.
These are interesting times. There are many and varied competing diversions for potential rugby players; the competition for rugby players is fierce. That presents the Club with a great challenge.
I am confident that the Club can successfully meet it.
Grayham P Smith
Chairman
July 2008
Hon. Secretary’s report- Mike Smith
INTRODUCTION
In asking you to formally approve this Report, I am conscious that this is the last one which I will submit to you as your Honorary Secretary.
First and foremost therefore, I would like to thank everyone connected with Halifax RUFC for their wonderful and committed support for me personally, and for the Club over the past ten years.
During that period of time, the Club has achieved significant progress. Most notably on the field, and whilst similar progress off the field has not been as momentous as our playing development, nevertheless we have moved forward albeit at much slower pace.
On the field, during my time as Secretary, the Club won promotion four times in six seasons, won the RFU Powergen Intermediate Cup, plus Sport England’s Yorkshire Region Club Team and Senior Club Team of the Year Awards.
It should not be forgotten that the prestigious Club Team Award was the first to be awarded to a Yorkshire non County Representative Team.
Off the field, despite numerous meetings, discussions, and negotiations, our much sought after and badly needed Ground Development Scheme has still not materialised. It is now 16 years ago when such a programme was first mooted, and it has personally been a huge disappointment that after all this time we are still waiting! However, or so we are told, progress is still being made to achieving our objective. Let us hope so, as more than ever we need an up to date facility not only to attract more Members and Sponsors but to ensure the continued viability of our Club.
Whilst we await the Ground Development Scheme, we are fully engaged in developing our Junior Rugby Section, and we hope sincerely that this will continue to gain momentum, as it is vital we start to bring through into the Senior Teams young ‘home grown’ players.
RUGBY SUMMARY
First Fifteen.
We have often said that the success of a Club is rated on the achievements of its First XV. Whilst this is primarily true, the 2007-2008 season, which resulted in relegation from League National 2, cannot be considered unsatisfactory, despite the team only achieving two wins out of twenty six played.
Faced with a mass exodus of players during the close season, compounded by the resignation of Kevin McCallion as Director of Rugby days before the season got underway, it was no surprise that the team and the Club for that matter faced an uphill struggle throughout the season.
One could argue that better planning should have been implemented to overcome these major problems, but like hundreds of other Clubs, we at Halifax RUFC have always placed player loyalty and player commitment to the Club as paramount, so it was a huge disappointment to all concerned when the players we thought we could rely upon, decided to leave the Club. Especially, as many of those players had been more than ‘well looked after’ over many years, often at considerable cost, not only to the Club, but also to individual Members, and Supporters.
Despite all the efforts of our new Director of Rugby Rhys Morgan and Assistant Coach Richard Szabo, the team struggled to achieve consistency throughout the season. There were several crises in respect of shortage of players, caused by injuries and further player departures, but somehow we coped, although perhaps only Graham Allan (Chairman of Rugby) and myself who dealt with the Registration of Players, know exactly how close we came (on several occasions) to being unable to raise a side.
Having assembled a Squad, we then addressed our third season in league National 2 with enthusiasm. An opening defeat at Ovenden Park against old rivals Wharfedale by three points was difficult to accept, and indeed understand as their winning points came in the last minute of the match, after we had dominated for long periods of play. However, that setback proved to be a regular occurrence throughout the season, as in the majority of matches we played well - should have won - yet somehow managed to turn effort, work rate and lack of consistency into losses which were not, in all truth fully deserved.
Close analysis of the season shows that whilst only two league games (Southend and Waterloo at home), were won, seven games were lost by ten points or fewer. These are games which we should have closed out and won, but our inexperience or indeed sheer bad luck in some instances, resulted in our opposition taking the spoils, leaving ourselves with only regrets and thoughts as to how we came to lose.
Frustration, disappointment, unbelievable were some of the words understandably used to describe defeats, but amongst all this woe week after week - the team displayed marvellous team spirit. A factor, which was highly commendable, and much praise must go to the players plus Captain Danny McGee and the Coaching Staff for developing this attitude - prevalent throughout the season.
In the EDF Energy Trophy, we secured a good Third Round win away to Westcombe Park by 3-41. A result, which confounded the punters and a result, which surprised even ourselves! Perhaps Combe did field an inexperienced side, but full credit to our team for the marvellous win, and after that success, spirits were boosted, which gave fresh hope that in the second half of the league season we would perform much better. Sadly that did not happen, and we exited the Cup Competition in Round Four when we lost away to Blackheath by 3-24, a scoreline which did not reflect the effort we put in, and although we lost, the team received a deserved standing ovation from the most generous and friendly Blackheath Supporters, who knew that their side had been lucky to win.
Although the season in respect of success on the field was our worst since leagues were first introduced in 1987, and we accepted the inevitable - relegation to League 3 North - we should not take any notice of those people who believe that playing at Level 4 instead of Level 3 will ultimately prove to be more beneficial to the Club.
Those of us who have given so much time and energy over the past six to seven years to achieve National League status, have accumulated much experience to know that the standard required to maintain that position is high.
Personally, to see us relegated from National 2 after all the hard work spent on maintaining our status is very hard to accept. The same view applies to several other Members as well. We have made mistakes, we have suffered financially (which was not self inflicted), but we have established ourselves as one of the top Clubs in the country, and whatever happens, surely we do not want to revert back to the days of frequent relegation, and free fall down the leagues?
Make no mistake! Life in League 3 North will be very tough. It is a very competitive league, and we will have to play consistently well to achieve a respectable league position. Let us hope we can do that.
Reserve Teams
There are many people associated with the Club who genuinely feel that the absence of a regular Second XV is a major contributing factor to the poor results achieved by the First XV.
Lack of competition for First XV positions is perhaps the most important reason caused by the lack of a Dukes XV, but there is also the latent factor of player satisfaction, in that First XV Squad players want regular rugby. They do not want to sit out on Match Days - they want to play rugby. That is the reason they join a Rugby Club.
Equally important in my opinion, is that Members of the Club are entitled to watch rugby at Ovenden Park, week in week out. They pay good money for the privilege of doing so, and their subscriptions should not just be related to watching 13 home First XV matches over an eight month period.
If there is one mistake, which we as a Club should resolve as soon as possible, it would be the reforming of a viable Second XV.
Our Vikings XV or Third Fifteen as they like to be called, have again carried the flag as far as Reserve Team rugby is concerned. Under the leadership of Simon Donaldson, they have enjoyed a mixed season, but as always team spirit remains high, and the comradeship amongst their players is second to none. We thank them for all their efforts, and trust that next season they will further enjoy more success.
Junior Rugby
Words cannot fully express the gratitude of the Club to all those people, Officials, Coaches, Players, and above all Parents who have given much valuable time to ensure that Junior Rugby has flourished at Ovenden Park throughout the past season.
Their efforts have been marvellous, and we express sincere thanks.
We have said for many years that Junior Rugby is the future of the Club!
This is true, and we must devote as many resources to the Section as possible to ensure that not only do we have age groups playing rugby at all levels, but that as soon as possible, we develop teams at the higher age ranges so that such players start coming through to compete for Senior Rugby places.
We have done so in the past - very successfully. We can do so again, and we must succeed!
We simply have to start producing our ‘home grown’ players if the Club is to survive.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Perhaps you will understand and accept that within the confines of this report, it is not possible to name every individual who has contributed to the Club throughout the past twelve months.
Omission of people’s names and a suitable acknowledgement of their work on behalf of the Club is therefore not deliberate.
However, it would not be right on my part to close my final Secretary’s Report, by not paying tribute to, and thanking a few people who have helped me personally to administer the Club, and whose work on behalf of the Club has assumed so much importance.
President Alan Pentelow has given more than full support to the Club over his two year reign in office. Ably supported by Christine, Alan has not had an easy time, but we thank him most sincerely for all his hard work.
The Management Committee, under Chairman Grayham Smith have had many problems to face, and they have succeeded admirably. In particular Treasurer Chris Mellor, Finance Director John Lister, Rugby Chairman Graham Allan, and House Chairman Frank Halford have got through a tremendous amount of work, far above of what is expected of them. We thank them.
The General Committee, similarly, have met regularly and their wise counsel has prevailed on many occasions. It is important to recognise and acknowledge the work Archery Representative Geoff Taylor has contributed to the Club. Geoff resigned from the Committee during the past year, and he will be missed. He has worked hard over many years to fully integrate the Archery Section into the Club as a whole, and this has been hugely successful. It is also worth noting at this point the magnificent help the club receives from the Archery Section, who whilst relatively small in numbers are always willing to fully support our activities.
Before closing, I would like to pay tribute and thank three other people who have been at the ‘sharp end’ of our rugby activities for a few years.
Fixture Secretary David Pickles has once again been as diligent as usual in carrying out his duties.
First XV Kit Manager Simon Gelder has also performed miracles from time to time, and his decision to stand down, is a blow to the Club. Simon has worked very hard for several seasons, under much pressure at times, yet his enthusiasm and attention to detail has been marvellous.
Last but not least, John Metcalfe, who has reported every game for the First XV, both home and away, deserves much praise not only from the Club, but also from me personally, as he has helped me enormously, in what has been a most difficult season.
John has never said no to any request I have made of him, and his dedication to the Club has been first class.
NEXT SEASON
The First XV Fixtures for Season 2008-2009 can be found on the Fixtures and events page:
First XV fixtures 2008-2009
Two important changes are also to be introduced by the RFU. First the ELVs (Experimental Law Variations) have now been approved for use in all games, and NCA clubs will also be able to name five replacements instead of four - again in all matches.
M. S. Smith 31.07.2008
Juniors Report 2007/8
The Season saw the consolidation of the U12s and the undoubted progression of the U14s.
In a season that has seen few clubs provide opposition at U12 level, numbers have stayed constant with numbers at training being particularly encouraging. With next season progressing to 15 a side on a full size pitch, the closed season will be taken up with recruitment at this age group. The coaching staff of Richard Conway, Stuart Taylforth and Steve Hunt have been joined by Ian Morris from the Third team. This helps to provide a link within the club at another level.
The U14s have had their most successful season so far. The growing numbers and progression on the field has been wonderful to see, with 5 players being chosen to represent West Yorkshire and 2 for the Yorkshire squad providing a barometer for their progression. Again the coaching staff of Ian Clarke and Dan Solomi being joined by Jason Stubbings with the valuable input from Kevin Macallion, as both coach and "Referee", provides a formidable coaching presence. All bodes well for next season.
Off the field the section is also progressing. The addition of dynamic duo Jane Richardson (Treasure) and Maggie Pollard (Secretary) has had an immediate impact on the section. A successful Race night and Presentation evening being the highlight of the social calendar.
The new season sees the introduction of a Colts side led by Ovenden Park old boy Barry Noble. This will provide a stepping stone between the junior section and the senior sides, Good luck Barry!
Seasons Honours:
| U12 | U14 | |
|---|---|---|
| Player of the year | Nick Rawsthorne | Elliot Fletcher |
| Most Improved Player | Dan Cawthorne | George Robinson |
| Sportsman of the year | Tom Barraclough | Ben Maxwell |