Welcome to the first edition of the SWF RFC monthly newsletter. This will be used to keep everyone informed of what is going on in and around the rugby club. If there is anything that you would like to see added to this, please let me know by email and I will try to add it for the following month. Please send any ideas to Chris Bowers (Club Chairman) at chrisrugby27@gmail.com.

RUGBY CLUB COMMITTEE
The rugby club committee has been voted in at the recent AGM as below:

Club President – Derek Lyons
Club Chairman – Chris Bowers
Hon Sec – Paul Morgan
Treasurer – Alan Kicks
Youth Chairman – Liam Murphy
Coaching Coordinator – Marc Jiggins
Senior Membership – Neil Gittos
Junior Membership – Samantha Bowers
Safeguarding Officer – Gary Croker
Junior Fixtures – Brian Thompson
RSSP Secretary – Liam Murphy
Social Media Officer – Warren Duggan
Ordinary Members – Keith Sefton, Paul Gregory, Alan Matthews, Sam Sambell, Joan Murphy

RUGBY CLUBHOUSE
Now we are once again starting to move away from Covid, and life is slowly coming back to normal, the rugby clubhouse is once again open for business. The normal opening hours for the clubhouse are:

Friday – 5pm to 8pm
Saturday – 2pm to 8pm
Sunday – 10.30am to 3pm (when the season restarts in September)

The clubhouse has had some work done during the off season, with a new coat of paint inside, new lighting, roof repairs, and toilets revamped. We are also looking at a couple of other things to make the clubhouse look shiny and new.

The clubhouse and bar survives on its members’ custom, so please come along and have a drink and a chat with your friends. The park is just outside the door so the kids can run about on the grass, and if the weather is nice, it is a perfect way to spend a few hours sitting in the sun.

Live rugby is put on the TV whenever it is on, both Sky and BT sports. This makes it the perfect place to watch England, or whichever club or country you may support.

Our current bar manager Christina is stepping down after many years of service on August 28th, and we thank her for all the hard work she has put into the running of the club house bar. We are busy looking for her replacement, so if you know anybody that may be interested in a bar manager's job, or some basic bar work, then please let me know.

RUGBY TRAINING
Senior training is now back at Saltcoats Park on a Tuesday and Thursday evening from 7.30pm. If you know of anyone that wants to come along and play rugby at the club then please let me know. We welcome anyone from 18 upwards, and everyone is welcome, whether it is the odd Saturday game, or they wish to try out for a regular first team spot.

The junior teams have been training at various times throughout the summer and will all return from Sunday 5th September. Each team coach will update everyone as to what pitch and what time they will be training on.

If you know anyone that wishes to come along and try Mini / Junior rugby at the club then please let me know, and I will direct them to the relevant age group.

SENIOR RUGBY GAMES
The first senior rugby matches will start in September, with the below dates to put in your diaries:

1st team
Saturday 18th September – Wanstead away – kick off at 15:00
Saturday 25th September – Chelmsford home – kick off at 15:00 (There is a rugby club VP dinner at the clubhouse prior to the game. The cost is usually £25 for a meal and some drinks, so please let me know if you would like to attend)
Saturday 2nd October – Diss away – kick off at 15:00
Saturday 16th October – Stowmarket away – kick off at 15:00

2nd team
Saturday 18th September – Southend 3s at home – kick off at 15:00
Saturday 25th September – Thames away – kick off at 15:00
Saturday 2nd October - Upminster 2s home – kick off at 15:00
Saturday 16th October – Woodford 3s away – kick off at 15:00

Please come along and support either of our teams when they are playing at home, and perhaps have a drink in the clubhouse bar while you are here.

Support is always appreciated for the away games, and for some of the further games we hire a coach, so seats are available for a fun day out. Please let me know if you are interested.

SOUTH WOODHAM FERRERS RFC SURVEY
The rugby club will be sending out details of a survey early in September. It will ask your opinions about the rugby club, what we do, and how we do it. Please take the time to complete this survey, when you get it, and let’s see what we can do to improve the future of the rugby club for everyone.

Many regards,

Chris Bowers
South Woodham Ferrers RFC
Club Chairman