Back
Christmas Newsletter
Ben Moore16 Dec 2022 - 10:31
Season's greetings from Boston RFC
Dear Members,
As we move towards the Christmas break and to the mid-point in the season, we wanted to update you all with the current news and of the progress made within the club, much of which was communicated to us via last year’s Club survey.
Firstly, and I’m sure you’ll all agree, we wish to thank our new(ish) Facilities Manager, Molly. She has settled into the club effortlessly and made a real impact in her short time in the role. Often having to improvise, she has met every challenge and succeeded in reorganising our real estate to the benefit of all, establishing routines to ensure the playing membership have the necessary tape, ice packs and off field support to allow them to play. Her stewardship of the annual Fireworks Night was exemplary, resulting in a superbly successful evening. Her flexibility in serving up the match meals direct to the tables, a suggestion in the Club survey, has improved access to both the bar and the food hatch to supporters and players alike, a much more relaxed post-match environment. So, from us all, thank you and well-done Molly and all your staff.
Senior Rugby has experienced a very successful season with, as we write this report, the Senior Men’s 1st XV sitting 3rd in the League, historically their highest position ever; having played 12 games and been victorious in 9. There has been a fantastic spirit within the squad both on and off the pitch, indeed anyone who went to watch England take on South Africa at Twickenham would have saved themselves a fortune, by being at Boston to see our 1st team win a tight fought game with local rivals Kesteven, this being just one of several notable results this season so far; other notable squad successes have seen Boston Colts transition into the first team, perfectly illustrating the player pathway Boston RFC has to offer; we look forward to seeing the squad build on those successes in the second half of the season.
The Senior Women have developed beyond all expectation this year with now over 60 playing members on the books, an increase in 40 over 18 months. On the field the Women remain unbeaten in all competitions with 9 wins on the bounce. They currently sit second in the league and remain the only unbeaten side, with a game in hand. They are halfway through a two-leg semi-final in the Lincolnshire Cup against Stamford with a 36 – 10 advantage; the away leg comes in February. Finally, they are through to the last 16 in the National RFU Junior Cup, a tremendous achievement.
Off the field, we congratulate Senior Women and Boston Youth prodigy, Sophie Lorenz who has now left the club to dual register with Allianz Premier League Champions, Saracens Women and Championship side, Old Albanians Women on a permanent basis, to develop her game at an elite level, we wish her all the best and thank her for contributions to the club over the years. Sophie will continue to be involved with the Women in a coaching capacity.
The Mini and Juniors section continues to grow, with more players joining each week and some great results on the pitch as well as off it. A big thank you to Gemma Powell, for setting up our kit exchange and making sure that in these difficult financial times the club is doing all it can to help. A big thank you also to all those from the mini and juniors’ section who helped on fireworks night.
We’ve had some great away trips with the mini’s travelling far afield to Peterborough, West Norfolk, and Lincoln to name a few, here looking forward to the new year when most of our fixtures are at home!
Great league wins for the colts securing the home and away double over local rivals Spalding, and our U14’s defeating Stamford in the NLD cup, narrowly losing to Scunthorpe in the quarter finals with a performance that best describes just how far the group have developed as a team.
The Junior Girls Section, recently taken over by Senior Women’s player, Emma Fletcher, who, with Rachel and Catelyn Etherington and Lottie Dack, have established the first all-female Junior Girls coaching team in Lincolnshire. The impact seen immediately with the numbers of Junior Girls increasing on a week-by-week basis and 25 girls now training regularly on Tuesdays and Sundays; From the Girls Section, well done to sixteen-year-old Aleisha Marsh who has been selected for this season’s U18 NLD squad. Also, to Lottie Dack, who was recently elected to the NLD U18 Youth Council as a force attempting to increase and improve the participation of females, of all ages, in Rugby.
The club has also hosted, for the first time in some years, RFU sponsored courses. First Contact, First Tag, Rugby Coaching Award, First Aid and Principles of the Scrum course have all been successfully delivered here at Boston RFC. In addition to this, several of our coaches, including three colts have attended refereeing courses and it is now intended that these colts will referee our junior fixtures. All the courses run here at the club have attracted positive feedback from both RFU instructors and out of area attendees, show casing the facilities Boston RFC has to offer.
Off the field, the bridge café area has now benefitted from improved access with the carpeted access from the club, significantly reducing the slips and dirt caused by the mud in previous years. Whilst still not perfect, we will endeavour to improve this access and extend it over the bridge direct to the patio area.
Pitch 1 and 2 have now recovered from the drainage work carried out over the summer and seem to be much more robust in the wetter conditions. The banks of earth you will all see lining the western side of the pitches are soon to be landscaped and planted with a screen of trees, which will hopefully act as a windbreak over forthcoming seasons. All these developments come as a direct consequence of your survey feedback, thank you all.
Internally, a sound system, with a decent PA incorporated, has been purchased and has been installed into the club, music is now available around the bar and on the patio. TVs have also been purchased and have been fitted around the club to allow live games or events to be visible to more areas of the club. New furniture has also been purchased for the bar area, new tables for post-match meals will hopefully improve the seating and the post-match experience. We have also identified further changing areas for our use; these will need a little self-help with volunteers within the club but should alleviate the congestion sometimes felt on Match days.
We are again delighted with the continued support from all our club sponsors which has allowed us to make significant investment in new kit and equipment for the club. The Senior Ladies new away kit, Subs coats, the scrum machine purchase just some examples of how the sponsors directly support our players.
As always, we are looking to forge new partnerships with local businesses. If you are interested, please contact Bob Willis at bostonrugbysponsorship@gmail.com to discuss the range of benefits we can offer in return for the financial support you generously supply to both club and individuals.
We are looking for volunteers from our members to assist Bob in increasing the sponsorship to the club, if you are interested in becoming part of the Sponsorship Team, please make yourself known to any of the committee members or any of your coaches.
We are also looking for a new Treasurer to replace Joe Delaney, if any of you are good with numbers or come from an Administration/Financial background, you do not need to be a qualified accountant, again please come forward. This is a committee position and will allow the successful candidate an opportunity to shape the future of this amazing club. We would like to thank Joe for all his hard work over the years, the club, unlike so many others, has survived the COVID-19 years in a relatively healthy financial state, largely because of Joe’s stewardship.
There will, no doubt, be many busy days for all as we head toward Christmas with Rugby in full season flow, the usual Christmas functions, and the many training nights still ahead and the committee look forward to meeting you all over the next few weeks to wish one and all a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year, both on and off the pitch.
Boston RFC Committee.
Dates for the diary
Sunday 18th Dec - Presidents Christmas Party, including a visit from S. Claus esq.
As we move towards the Christmas break and to the mid-point in the season, we wanted to update you all with the current news and of the progress made within the club, much of which was communicated to us via last year’s Club survey.
Firstly, and I’m sure you’ll all agree, we wish to thank our new(ish) Facilities Manager, Molly. She has settled into the club effortlessly and made a real impact in her short time in the role. Often having to improvise, she has met every challenge and succeeded in reorganising our real estate to the benefit of all, establishing routines to ensure the playing membership have the necessary tape, ice packs and off field support to allow them to play. Her stewardship of the annual Fireworks Night was exemplary, resulting in a superbly successful evening. Her flexibility in serving up the match meals direct to the tables, a suggestion in the Club survey, has improved access to both the bar and the food hatch to supporters and players alike, a much more relaxed post-match environment. So, from us all, thank you and well-done Molly and all your staff.
Senior Rugby has experienced a very successful season with, as we write this report, the Senior Men’s 1st XV sitting 3rd in the League, historically their highest position ever; having played 12 games and been victorious in 9. There has been a fantastic spirit within the squad both on and off the pitch, indeed anyone who went to watch England take on South Africa at Twickenham would have saved themselves a fortune, by being at Boston to see our 1st team win a tight fought game with local rivals Kesteven, this being just one of several notable results this season so far; other notable squad successes have seen Boston Colts transition into the first team, perfectly illustrating the player pathway Boston RFC has to offer; we look forward to seeing the squad build on those successes in the second half of the season.
The Senior Women have developed beyond all expectation this year with now over 60 playing members on the books, an increase in 40 over 18 months. On the field the Women remain unbeaten in all competitions with 9 wins on the bounce. They currently sit second in the league and remain the only unbeaten side, with a game in hand. They are halfway through a two-leg semi-final in the Lincolnshire Cup against Stamford with a 36 – 10 advantage; the away leg comes in February. Finally, they are through to the last 16 in the National RFU Junior Cup, a tremendous achievement.
Off the field, we congratulate Senior Women and Boston Youth prodigy, Sophie Lorenz who has now left the club to dual register with Allianz Premier League Champions, Saracens Women and Championship side, Old Albanians Women on a permanent basis, to develop her game at an elite level, we wish her all the best and thank her for contributions to the club over the years. Sophie will continue to be involved with the Women in a coaching capacity.
The Mini and Juniors section continues to grow, with more players joining each week and some great results on the pitch as well as off it. A big thank you to Gemma Powell, for setting up our kit exchange and making sure that in these difficult financial times the club is doing all it can to help. A big thank you also to all those from the mini and juniors’ section who helped on fireworks night.
We’ve had some great away trips with the mini’s travelling far afield to Peterborough, West Norfolk, and Lincoln to name a few, here looking forward to the new year when most of our fixtures are at home!
Great league wins for the colts securing the home and away double over local rivals Spalding, and our U14’s defeating Stamford in the NLD cup, narrowly losing to Scunthorpe in the quarter finals with a performance that best describes just how far the group have developed as a team.
The Junior Girls Section, recently taken over by Senior Women’s player, Emma Fletcher, who, with Rachel and Catelyn Etherington and Lottie Dack, have established the first all-female Junior Girls coaching team in Lincolnshire. The impact seen immediately with the numbers of Junior Girls increasing on a week-by-week basis and 25 girls now training regularly on Tuesdays and Sundays; From the Girls Section, well done to sixteen-year-old Aleisha Marsh who has been selected for this season’s U18 NLD squad. Also, to Lottie Dack, who was recently elected to the NLD U18 Youth Council as a force attempting to increase and improve the participation of females, of all ages, in Rugby.
The club has also hosted, for the first time in some years, RFU sponsored courses. First Contact, First Tag, Rugby Coaching Award, First Aid and Principles of the Scrum course have all been successfully delivered here at Boston RFC. In addition to this, several of our coaches, including three colts have attended refereeing courses and it is now intended that these colts will referee our junior fixtures. All the courses run here at the club have attracted positive feedback from both RFU instructors and out of area attendees, show casing the facilities Boston RFC has to offer.
Off the field, the bridge café area has now benefitted from improved access with the carpeted access from the club, significantly reducing the slips and dirt caused by the mud in previous years. Whilst still not perfect, we will endeavour to improve this access and extend it over the bridge direct to the patio area.
Pitch 1 and 2 have now recovered from the drainage work carried out over the summer and seem to be much more robust in the wetter conditions. The banks of earth you will all see lining the western side of the pitches are soon to be landscaped and planted with a screen of trees, which will hopefully act as a windbreak over forthcoming seasons. All these developments come as a direct consequence of your survey feedback, thank you all.
Internally, a sound system, with a decent PA incorporated, has been purchased and has been installed into the club, music is now available around the bar and on the patio. TVs have also been purchased and have been fitted around the club to allow live games or events to be visible to more areas of the club. New furniture has also been purchased for the bar area, new tables for post-match meals will hopefully improve the seating and the post-match experience. We have also identified further changing areas for our use; these will need a little self-help with volunteers within the club but should alleviate the congestion sometimes felt on Match days.
We are again delighted with the continued support from all our club sponsors which has allowed us to make significant investment in new kit and equipment for the club. The Senior Ladies new away kit, Subs coats, the scrum machine purchase just some examples of how the sponsors directly support our players.
As always, we are looking to forge new partnerships with local businesses. If you are interested, please contact Bob Willis at bostonrugbysponsorship@gmail.com to discuss the range of benefits we can offer in return for the financial support you generously supply to both club and individuals.
We are looking for volunteers from our members to assist Bob in increasing the sponsorship to the club, if you are interested in becoming part of the Sponsorship Team, please make yourself known to any of the committee members or any of your coaches.
We are also looking for a new Treasurer to replace Joe Delaney, if any of you are good with numbers or come from an Administration/Financial background, you do not need to be a qualified accountant, again please come forward. This is a committee position and will allow the successful candidate an opportunity to shape the future of this amazing club. We would like to thank Joe for all his hard work over the years, the club, unlike so many others, has survived the COVID-19 years in a relatively healthy financial state, largely because of Joe’s stewardship.
There will, no doubt, be many busy days for all as we head toward Christmas with Rugby in full season flow, the usual Christmas functions, and the many training nights still ahead and the committee look forward to meeting you all over the next few weeks to wish one and all a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year, both on and off the pitch.
Boston RFC Committee.
Dates for the diary
Sunday 18th Dec - Presidents Christmas Party, including a visit from S. Claus esq.
Further reading