The RFU would like to find out more accurate information on the levels of participation in Veterans (35+) and Golden Oldies (50+) Rugby.
We are keen to help to consolidate existing Veterans/Golden Oldies Rugby events and also to help to build and expand the network of Veterans/Golden Oldies activity.
Veterans/Golden Oldies Rugby can:
§ Sustain/retain participants
§ Encourage ‘lapsed’ players to make a come-back
§ Recruit new participants
§ Help provide the network from which future administrators and volunteers of all kinds can be recruited.
If you are aware of any Veterans or Golden Oldies activities in your Constituent Bodies or clubs, then please let us know the key details of these events, by email to: beverleycollier@rfu.com.
So far we have received the following communications;
Tim Lewis - Under 10's Coach & Oldies Coordinator, Overton RFC
At Overton Rugby Club we are always keen to get more people involved in the game. We are now trying to bring back to rugger those who thought that their playing days were over and have started playing ‘Golden Oldies Rugby’. It has had a very good response and some are using this as way to get a little fitter and have access to good beer. With support we have found that the games can be made really good sessions with a chance to enjoy the legendary hospitality of Overton Rugby Club afterwards. The hope is that we can run sessions on a bi-monthly basis.
My club EGOR RUFC is the only one actually recognised by the RFU as catering for players over the age of 40. Many other clubs exist to do this, notably RAGs in Yorkshire and Sanatogents on the Wirral and , of course, most clubs can turn a suitably aged side out once or twice a year.
We have the oldest player still active in Des Pastore who is turning out (albeit for only 10 minutes at a time) at the age of 90. We were featured on Rugby Special a couple of weeks ago and I gather from the BBC people that there was a very positive response to the 'spot'
The club plays regular fixtures in the UK to keep its status and although we have not been abroad for a couple of years we have toured in Canada, Spain, Portugal, New Xealand, Fij and the far East.
The current problem is that when we first started some 27 years ago most players stopped playing at 35 and were glad of a run out with guys of their own vintage. We play for FUN - something that seems to have been forgotten in this proffesional age - but currently due to the shortage of players, many guys are playing for their original club sides until well over 50. The growth of second and third team leagues has increased this problem. Obviously as it takes longer to recover from a bang as you get older many people can't play twice in a weekend so we are suffering from player shortage. When we do get the guys who are turning out for their clubs with us they all say how much more they enjoy the rugby played with their contemporaries, but they obviously still have a loyalty to their 'home' club. So until this rumoured rise in the playing population that the RFU keeps talking about comes through into the club sides we are going to struggle.
Among the EGOR members are at least half a dozen who are, or have been presidents of their 'original' club, we have 5 members of the referees society, we have three holders of the Lancashire honours tie (Given to the person who has done most to promote the cause of rugby in Lancashire each season ) and most of us are somewhere involved in voluntary activities in the community outside rugby. (One guy works for Barnardos - another for Christies hospital - another teaches youngsters to swim in the evenings, I am a member of the Patients forum for my local hospital trust, etc)
Hope this gives you some idea of the good that us old f.... are to the community as a whole and rugby in particular.
Paul Groves - Sevenoaks RFC
With reference to the paragraph in the newsletter below, the Sevenoaks RFC has a very active and successful veterans group, the Acorns, that, apart from playing success and a full match and tour programme, plays a leading role in many parts of club development - marketing, fund raising, minis coaching, administration, etc. We believe that it plays a vital role in the success of the club and is supported at all levels.
I have always believed that the RFU should play a more active role in this area of development as it can have enormous brenefits to the game as a whole.
Please contact me of you wish to know more about this or want the contact details of the other veteran teams in the area that we play.
Also look at www.sevenoaks-rugby.org.uk - Senior Rugby/Acorns
Piers Butler - Buckingham RFC
We are planning our first vets game for a number of years next week (Sat 5/3).
The response has been really really good, with over 30 members up for a game and of which 5 are golden oldies (eldest is 70 and still going strong!). The majority are VPs, but we have also got a few coaches and mini's parents signed up as well.
The idea of this vets team was to a) to start running out 4 teams out on a Saturday and b) provide a good forum for our various elder members to meet in. At present the club is split into 2, one being the ladies, seniors and vps and the other being the junior / mini section of the club with their affiliated parents. The plan is to develop a number of events like this where the split can be addressed so that parents and coaches become more involved in the club and therefore become more likely to volunteer. It also forms part of our plan to maximise retention of junior players throughout their childhood and into the senior section of the club.
The plan is for us to play Bicester 3rds / Vets but unfortunately as yet we still haven't got this confirmed - but we are still hoping it pulls off.
Peter Sheen - Clems Pirates Vets
I play for an outfit, registered with the Durham RFU, called Clems Pirates Vets. WE formed in 2001 as a virtual side - we are drawn from numbers of different Clubs around Durham and Northumberlan.
We base ourselves at Durham City ROFC, playing under floodlights 5/6 times a year. We have toured to Edinburgh twice - Herriotts and Academicals, we went to South Africa last year - False Bay and Villagers, we are going to Berlin this year, and Argentina in 2006.
There are no Golden Oldoe set ups that I know about up here, though I am the oldest in our squad at 57 - very suave, sophisticated hooker. I have played for Durham City Vets - the cherry pickers, and Northallerton RUFC. Other clubs put sides to gether on a casual basis - Ryton, Sunderland, Haughton-le-spring, for example. We also play an outfit based on the Masham Pub on teeside drawing players from Billingham/Stockton. |
