Presidents Message 15th April 2021
Dear fellow Accies,
I hope you and your families all remain fit and healthy I’m sure a large number of you will have had 1 or both of your vaccines and the rollout is going really well- light at the end of the tunnel, at last!
First of all I would like to thank all of you who have continued to support the club through this difficult time by continuing to pay the membership subscription. It would have been very easy just to stop this given you have been unable to use the facilities, so a big thank you once again.
As I intimated above, we finally have some light at the end of the tunnel. We hope to open the bar on the week beginning 26th April, which is tremendous news. Given the current guidance, it will be outdoor drinking only, but hopefully the weather will be good and we get a bit of warmth. It will be good to see you all and get a catch up.
We do, however, have to wait on announcing the decision for definite until we have the new boiler installed. Unfortunately the boiler broke a couple of months ago and we have been getting quotes to undertake the work. James Frew Ltd will be undertaking the work and we are very hopeful work will be completed and all cleansing that is required will have been done by the 26th. Big thanks to Mick McFarlane and the sub-committee for their help with this.
The youth section have been back training and continue to train in good numbers, which is fantastic. We hope this continues and plans are afoot in preparing fixtures for next season, which I am optimistic will go ahead.
The Ladies section have started back too, but with restrictions, given the SRU guidance. The ladies section also took part in a fitness challenge through the month of February. Well done to all those who took part. It’s super to see new people coming along to try rugby and a big welcome to them. Callum Smith and Shelley Main have agreed to continue to coach, which is fantastic. Keep up the good work.
The senior men also took part in a couple of challenges throughout January and February. A team challenge versus Irvine Vics Amateur Football club, which I’m delighted to say the Accies boys came out on top in, and a team challenge within ourselves, which was fun. Some hard work was put in and it certainly kept up the desire to win and be competitive.
I’m really hopeful that touch rugby can restart 17th May and see a return to training. I know a number of the boys are enthusiastic to get back. It is also hoped that the club will have touch rugby again for all on Friday nights, so keep your eyes open for information on that and come along. Even if you have never tried it before, it’s a good, fun evening.
Mark Senter has agreed to return this season to coach the senior men which is great, and he is very enthusiastic about it. Mark never really got a chance last year and hopefully this year will be better. The boys certainly enjoyed the input that Mark had, and look forward to the coming season.
As regards next season, no decision as yet has been made on the look of next season. It is hoped that a competitive league will take place but this will be dependent on restrictions on social distancing and travelling in buses etc. The SRU are conducting a survey and the results should be back in May.
As you may know, it is our Centenary year next year. Plans are underway for the Centenary dinner and we will look at other ways of celebrating the year. Should anyone have ideas, please contact marketing@ardrossanrugby.com. A few members have volunteered to help with coordinating these and we will meet later this year to discuss. Thanks to those who have volunteered so far.
Financially, it has been tough, especially given the requirement for the new boiler. The sub- committee set up to look at the floodlights, continue to work on that. A big thanks to them, and to Sandra Bale and Ali Cairns for their help in applying for grants. We also would hope that functions can restart at some point in July/August which will bring much needed revenue into the club. Brian Campbell continues to do a superb job monitoring the finances.
Finally, my 2 year stint as President is coming to an end and I’d like to thank Dougie Tyler (VP), the committee, the volunteers and all of their members for their support and hard work over the last 2 years. It’s been greatly appreciated and the club would not be sustainable without it. I’ve enjoyed the experience of it and I’m sure Dougie will too.
The date for the AGM will be Monday 31st May and it would be great to see you all in attendance.
Please keep a look out on the website and social media for continued updates.
Please take care and I hope to see you all soon,
Peter Gossman
President AARFC