As we approach what would normally be the start of the new season in this continuing period of uncertainty, I would – in my position of interim Club Chairman – like to let you know a few things about our club of which you may not be aware and also to provide you with an update on our plans for the coming season.

As it stands, due to the ongoing global health crisis, the RFU has correctly held back from reinstating grass roots, full contact competitive rugby. In fact, currently, we remain at Phase D of the RFU Return to Community Rugby guidance. This means that subject to our adherence to several stringent conditions although both the Senior and Mini and Juniors Sections have returned to training, which is great news, neither is permitted to participate in any type of competitive match-play rugby. The same is also true for the ‘Vets’. The RFU continues to review its stance in light of the current rate of infection and government guidance and we will continue to update you as this develops.

During these troubled times, it’s more important than ever that, as a club, we not only secure our survival but that we continue to take the club forward. Sadly, we have already seen several community rugby clubs disappear during 2020 due to a lack of funds. With this in mind, to help both our club and our members for the 2020/21 season, we have created a special “Pandemic Membership” which will be available to all members of the club. This one-off membership payment will be set at £50, though you will also have the option to provide an additional voluntary donation if you so wish. With such a challenging year ahead, the hope is that all supporters of CRUFC will rally round to not only pay this membership but also add a donation, to help support the club and to steer us through this difficult period. This is a one-off payment, but a concession has been made for families with several members, and who will have the option to pay over consecutive months.

To help facilitate membership payment and donations, the club has invested in a new fundraising platform called “Enthuse”, previously known as Charity Checkout. This online portal is very intuitive and simple to use and will provide a much-improved focus on our fundraising efforts. As our income from annual membership payments will be greatly reduced this season, we are looking to our members to help generate a total of £30,000 via an array of fundraising efforts. Each section within the club will be set individual targets, which will take the place of the usual annual budgets and membership payments. Any voluntary donations will be included in these targets. In addition, a special thank you goes to Andrew Jones who has been working over the summer months to help secure funding and grants from local government and national sporting bodies.

To pay your membership, simply click on the link provided on the club’s webpage and follow the instructions.

In other news, it’s no secret that the club has been working on a relocation programme for several years, with a number of members working tirelessly to help facilitate this. However, due to planning permission issues and now the COVID-19 pandemic, these plans have unfortunately stalled. The current club house has been a great servant and is known and well liked for its uniqueness by opposition and visiting teams. But it has suffered over recent years and has reached the stage where it needs major repair. The club has recognised this position and, while we have this unfortunate, enforced period of suspended play, a package of financial support had been agreed to undertake a a programme of full refurbishment of the existing facilities, with the aim of creating a clean, safe and welcoming environment for not only Congleton members but also visiting teams and officials alike. We want to bring back the rugby family feeling to Congleton RUFC and, once again, make it a true players’ and members’ club, where we can celebrate hard fought victories once the final whistle has blown. Please bear with us while this programme is ongoing; regular updates will be provided as we progress.

Like most clubs, Congleton RUFC is run via committees made up of its members and volunteers who very generously give their own time to ensure the club functions well and moves forward. I’m delighted that during the summer there have been a number of new appointments in various positions throughout each of the sections, with more and more people getting involved. It’s particularly pleasing to see younger members of the club and playing sections are also starting to become involved in key committees. I’d like to say a huge thank you to each and every one of you as, without you, we could not exist.

We are delighted to announce that a replacement for the vacant role of M&J Director has been appointed and a separate communication will be posted on the club website in the next day or so providing full details. Funding for this role has been secured for a further 3 years, which will help the club’s commitment to develop the M&J Section further by growing our numbers and developing the players of the future.

I’d like to thank our Director of Senior Rugby, Wynand Van Zyl, for the work he has done over the summer with the Senior section. Working within the RFU’s strict guidance, Wynand has designed and delivered a fantastic pre-season training program for the Seniors, ensuring that the players’ fitness, skills, engagement and focus on rugby is enhanced, while also keeping them safe, healthy and well.

This also needs to be said for the M&J section and specifically for Paul Berridge, who has taken on the role of M&J Vice Chairman, working directly with me on the Mini and Juniors return to rugby and also Anne Moore, who is our newly-appointed COVID Compliance Officer. Both Paul and Anne have done a phenomenal job working within the RTR guidance and in ensuring our players’ and members’ safety.

During the off season, the Senior section returned to a democratic process voting for each team captain for the coming season. I can, therefore, confirm that Greg Wood was reinstated as 1st team captain, and Andrew Simms was reinstated as 2nd team captain. Congratulations to both players and I sincerely hope we get to see you both captaining the teams out on the pitch at some point this season. I’d like to thank the other candidates who stood for selection; it was fantastic to see how the Senior playing section were invested in this process, which will become the standard approach each year.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to say a very special thank you to Ken and Alison Williams. Ken and Alison have been involved in the club for many years and have been an integral part of the success we have enjoyed. As many of the you know, Ken has unfortunately not been in the best of health over the last twelve months, but I am delighted to say that he is now on the mend and getting back to himself. That said, Ken has advised the club that he will not be able to continue to be as active as he has been over the years, and Ken has chosen Chris Gledhill as his replacement as the Head of the Facilities section. Ken will remain an active member of the club and all at Congleton RUFC would like to thank both Ken and Alison for the immense amount of work, sweat, toil and love they have given over the years. Thank you…

As a reminder, this year’s AGM will be held as a virtual forum on Monday 5th October at 7.30pm. The full agenda can be found on the posts that were released on the club social media platforms earlier this month, but this is your opportunity to have your say on your club.

The AGM is open for all members of the club, but this does mean that the ‘pandemic membership’ fee will need to have been paid in order for you to attend.

I’d like to finish by saying that it’s great to see the amount of people getting involved in the day to day running of the club, and I’d like to thank all of the committees and those who have helped as outlined above. But I would also appeal for more of you to step forward and help. We are always looking for people to get involved so please, if you could give a bit of your time to help your club, then do get in touch.

Lastly, I wish you all good luck for what there may be of the 2020/21 season, but more importantly I sincerely hope that you and your families stay healthy and well.

Kind regards,

Chris Brady
Interim Chairman
Congleton RUFC