Starting with some sad news this week. It is with a heavy heart that I have to inform you of this news today. With great sadness Richard Maddrell one of our under 9s parents and father to Brodie Madrell sadly passed away on Tuesday 19th September. It has come to us all as a massive shock to our rugby family as you can imagine.
Richard was a larger than life character and always brought brightness and a big smile on those grey rugby days to our under 9s. A passionate Aussie that supported the club and coaches you will be dearly missed our friend. Our prayers are with Chantel, Brodie and the family at this time.
When one of the pride is hurting we all come together so please join us in a 1 minute clap this Saturday before the match.
It seems that training has been going on forever this month with our mini teams and from next week it’s going to be exciting to see what the Mini teams have been putting into practice as we head away for the next 3 weeks. The U9s have achieved a lot since the start of the season as they continue their journey into contact and I’m also witnessing some excellent rugby across all age groups.
There feels like a genuine buzz around the Y&M this season so far and what I’m seeing in terms of TREDs (Teamwork, Respect, Enjoyment, Discipline and Sportsmanship) is music to my ears. The Youth teams (13-16) have been hard at work in training and several fixtures. The U13 had a tri-fixture last week against Dorchester and Oaks. You can certainly see what the coaching team have been working on in terms of inclusivity, a key ingredient in our Y&M mandate. In addition we’ve seen some great results from U14, 15 and U16 all done in a competitive but fair spirit. Let’s keep the momentum up and roll onto next week.
We’ve had some challenging conditions over the last few weeks including the Armageddon the other week of 4 inches of rain. I’d like to thank BU grounds team for preparing the pitches and ensuring we stay open for training and our Sunday sessions.
There are areas we want to develop though. Girls Rugby recruitment across our age groups is low and we are driven to offer an outstanding coaching product. The Y&M team are also working on how we define girls rugby at BRFC and how we can engage with our affiliate partnership with Bath Rugby to drive this forward. More exciting news coming soon!
This year we’ve been listening to our players and one of the areas we want to ensure we deliver is the fun factor of rugby so in October we are running a Super Hero Sunday (1st) and a Halloween Rugby Zombie Apocalypse Special. Watch out for the pictures on social.
We are also looking for sponsorship this month with our cash for kids fundraising. If you would like to donate please come and see me. We are also looking for sponsors to get involved with Y&M. Our April 2024 festival is in need of a primary sponsor. Again, come and speak to me if this is something you can provide.
And finally, I’d like to thank the new Steering Group team for their commitment last month (Chris Gould, Sian Reid, Andy Taylor, Simon Hortrop, Catherine Robers, Greg Reid). Their passion and commitment mirrors the culture we are building within the Y&M squads.
Until next time… Enjoy the rugby.
Jamie Shanks
Y&M Chair
