December 12, 2007

Whitstable RFC received an official Seal of Approval from two of the most senior figures in English rugby at the weekend.

The club's president Pat Todd and chairman Adrian Hyner were handed their accreditation award by the Rugby Football Union's chief executive Francis Baron and chairman Martyn Thomas after the Kent Cup game against Thanet Wanderers.

The RFU's senior management were in Kent on a three-day visit to take the temperature of the grassroots game and receive feedback from clubs, schools, players and administrators.

They were grilled for two hours during a question and answer evening at Gillingham Anchorians on Friday evening, visiting a school game at Chislehurst and Sidcup the following morning before their visit to the coast and completed the stay by returning to South East London and watching youth development work at the Old Elthamians club involving the host club, Old Colfeians, Vigo and Westcombe Park.

Whitstable’s year two Seal of Approval award formally acknowledges the club’s status as one that delivers a safe, high-quality youth rugby programme that follows an approved development plan.

And the 26-year-old club is pushing ahead with further improvements to its facilities.

Twickenham’s head groundsman Keith Kent is among the advisers they called in before starting work on improving the playing surface at their Reeves Way home this week.

And stage two of the project will see £36,000 spent on new floodlighting for their second team pitch to increase the number of teams that can train and play on the ground.

"The application for planning permission for the new lighting is in at the moment and together the two projects will make a major difference to the club," said Hyner.

"We've been here since the club started 26 years ago and drainage has always been a problem. Some of the existing channels have collapsed and we're spending £12,000 on improving our main pitch with money from our own funds and from sponsors.

"Verti-draining work starts this week and the next phase will be sand slitting and seeding in the Spring."

Whitstable received a grant of £18,000 from the Rugby Football Foundation - a charitable trust established by the RFU - for the new floodlighting.

ends