Cleve RFC
Chairman’s message
I hope you are all well during this period and that you have found some positives to take from these unusual times. Cleve has remained closed since the beginning of lockdown, but the Treasurer Tim Sperrings and I have been very busy throughout this period. It has enabled us to speak directly to suppliers, in more detail than before, and has helped us make sure that Cleve can run more efficiently when we return.
From a commercial point of view, the club is financially stable and very much looking forward to being able to utilise the facilities again soon. We are currently working towards being able to use the patio and beer garden facility, if, as has been suggested, the governments guidelines are eased, from Saturday July 4th. We will use the period before then to ensure that the bar area conforms to all of the standards that will be announced. We will also look to our volunteers to help out with some of the basic cleaning and updating of the key areas. The recent fundraising effort managed to generate over £1600 and therefore the updating of the ladies and changing room toilets has already begun. Thank you to everyone who has contributed.
The RFU have been very good at constantly updating us about the shape of rugby over the next few months. The Senior squad has been able to have small 6 people fitness sessions, and the intention is to return to pre-season on July 7th. This will undoubtedly still be in small groups, but the new coaches, Ben Roberts and Dave Hilton (pictured) are prepared for this. Our Under 16's have also begun some small 6 sided fun sessions at the club on a Wednesday.
Looking forward, it seems inevitable that there will be a delay to the rugby season for all ages. The RFU have come up with a best and worst case scenario, and a plan for somewhere in between. At best, it appears as if community rugby could return in October time, but this is still a guesstimate. As soon as we are able to welcome back the minis and juniors, it would be our intention to accommodate every request from the teams.
The Mini and Junior Chairman Lenrie Sherriffe has held a zoom meeting with the coaches and team managers from the age groups. We have lots of points of action that have arisen, and I would welcome any further feedback or questions regarding Cleve matters. I have appointed Simon Wilstead as our Communications Officer, and this in turn will hopefully see an increased level of traffic through our social media platforms, and therefore a greater level of news emanating from the club. I would further encourage any parents, or team leaders to get in contact with Simon if you would like to help him, or if you would like to publicise any activities or news. I have also appointed John Andrews to lead the Sponsorship function of the club. This will transcend both the seniors, and minis and juniors. Trying to generate sponsorship for the junior kit and for the senior teams will be harder than ever before. If anyone would be able to help John, in whatever capacity, it would be fantastic.
The efforts of many go very unnoticed at Cleve. I recently announced the awarding of the junior clubman to Jack Sperrings, which was thoroughly well deserved. The work of Tim and Leanne Sperrings is also hugely appreciated. A club like Cleve is often considered to not require any volunteer help, due to the size and functionality of the business side. This really couldn't be further from the truth though, and I would be extremely grateful for any offers of help. This could be in a short term function, in operating a work party, or helping update the premises, or something more long term in a role to help the rugby side of the club. My focus is also on the minis and juniors where both myself and Cleve can make massive improvements, with the right input. Any suggestions are good suggestions.
Finally, an update about the AGM. This would traditionally have been held in April, but naturally this wasn't possible. All club memberships run until August 31st, and the intention will be to hold the AGM during the 2019/20 membership period. All of the current executive committee are standing again, and I look forward to the opportunity to lead and help develop Cleve in the 2020/21 season.
Kind regards,
David Partington
Chairman and Director of Rugby
