Chairman Elect - Noel O'Mahony
Its a great honour to be standing as Chairman for a club that has given me so much joy, entertainment, laughter and friendship over the past, dare I say it, 37 years. Whilst this position and that of other new Club Officers won’t be formally confirmed until the AGM on the 23rd September, I wanted to make this announcement now before the season is in full swing.
Firstly I wanted to say a huge thanks to Laurence who has done a tremendous job as chairman for the past five very challenging years. This is no easy task and I have witnessed first hand the amount of energy, time and relentless effort that Laurence, and his predecessors, have invested into this role on a pure volunteer basis. They have all done it for the love of the club and the next opportunity you get where you may bump into Laurence at the club, please buy him a beer and say thanks for all his effort, as he truly deserves it.
Our future is bright:
The club is currently in a really healthy state. Whilst the sport of rugby continues to struggle at professional and amateur levels, thankfully we are flying in many areas.
The rugby is thriving with our senior men sides excelling in their performances on the field under the guidance of Head Coach Russ Bolton. Both the 1st and 2nd XV finished in their highest league positions last season, we have large numbers at training and record numbers of ex mini and juniors playing senior rugby.
Additionally our Women’s team have played their inaugural rugby match at the end of last season and are embarking on their first league campaign this coming season under the guidance of both Poppy Cleall & Connie Powell, both England internationals. I honestly wouldn’t have imagined this when I first started at the club.
Our mini and junior sections continue to be one of the strongest in the region. For anyone who turns up on a Sunday to see so many young boys and girls running around with smiles on their faces, the energy levels and enthusiasm of the coaches, it is simply a joy to behold.
Whilst we live currently in a challenging financial environment all round, thankfully the club is also in a relatively sound financial position. Anyone who comes down on a Saturday will appreciate the match day experience, the clubhouse is being run really efficiently under the guidance of Clinton on the bar and Angie on the food. We have a number of sponsors whose support help make this all possible.
Five year strategic plan:
However we have more to do and we cannot rest of our laurels. On that I want to produce a strategy plan for the next three to five years. Clearly this is not to rip up everything we have but to add focus on some key areas that need improvement. Areas will include:
- Allowing us to better protect our 1st XV pitch due to its significant over use for training and matches,
- More emphasis on retaining our youth players into senior rugby
- Greater focus on improving our consistency and effectiveness of communications
- Continuing to improve our financial management to make these plans all possible.
Hopefully by end October/early November we will be able to share these plans with all members.
More Help Needed:
None of this is possible without volunteers and we are extremely lucky with the strength and depth of our volunteer pool. However its never deep enough and if you believe you could assist in any of the areas mentioned please please do reach out. One area in particular is on communications as I would love someone to assist with compiling a short weekly newsletter. If you can help please let me know!
Club President:
Post the AGM and hopefully the approvals required, we will publish all the new roles and committee members. However one key position is the new incoming Club President and I am delighted to announce Mike Hall as the President Elect.
Mike, known to many of you, is a former Captain and Chairman of the club, former Chairman and President of Buckinghamshire RFU and was on the Board at Wasps Promotions Ltd in the pre-professional era. I’ve known Mike personally for over 30 years and am looking forward to working with him.
Mike is filling extremely big boots following the 16 year tenure of our very own Mike Wood (Woody to everyone). Luckily Woody will still be around in his new lofty position of Senior Vice President of Bucks County RFU and will undoubtedly be down most Saturdays watching his grandson playing for the club. Woody is Beaconsfield Rugby Club through and through and we have been very lucky to have his, and his wider family’s, support over the decades.
Finally if anyone has any ideas, suggestions, want to help out, please do reach out.
Looking forward to the forthcoming season and our next stage of our journey
Noel