O.W.R.F.C – 10 YEAR PLAN (2008/2009 season)
Compiled by Dan Harrison – O.W.R.F.C School Liaison Officer
Contents
· Year 1 – 10 Outline –Opening Statement
· Benefits – School/Club co-operation
· Youth System
· Coaching
· Representatives
· Advertisement Inc Rugby Coaching School
· Expenses
O.W.R.F.C – 10 YEAR PLAN (2008/2009 season)
1) Year 1 – 10 Outline
Opening Statement
This plan has been designed for the purpose of prolonging the life of the Old Williamsonian’s Rugby Football Club by way of developing a talent base, at an early a stage as possible, nurturing that talent and finally providing continuous generations to take over from the players of today.
It is a well known fact that the Old Williamsonian’s Rugby Club have struggled to field a 1st XV side in the past decade. In the past few years there has been a revival at the club and many former school players have returned to continue the legacy of the club. The club was on the brink of internal collapse and this is a situation that we cannot afford to be put in once again.
Three fundamental areas hold the key to success of this plan. All three need to be acting in cohesion and if one is to fail then success will become unachievable.
These areas are the following:
1) Success of the current 1st XV and 2nd XV squad.
2) Co-operation of the School and the O.W.C (in particular the Rugby Section)
3) Development of a youth system through all secondary school year groups
To some individuals this may seem like a ludicrous idea but the foundations are already in place to make this dream a reality.
O.W.R.F.C – 10 YEAR PLAN (2008/2009 season)
2) Benefits of School/Club
Co-operation
The most obvious benefit to the O.W.R.F.C is the prolonged vitality of the senior rugby section, but there are a number of other benefits that can be achieved.
1) Coaching – As part of school/club co-operation members of the school population in the older years can benefit. Certain School packages like the Duke of Edinburgh Award and the Junior School Leader Awards (JSLA) can be of benefit to Physical Education students in their GCSE and A Level qualifications. Students can take on leadership and coaching roles within the Youth System as part of their award programme. This is a unique opportunity that would be open to Rochester Mathematical School pupils.
2) Paid Work – As part of school/club co-operation an individual from the Rochester Mathematical School is “employed” to work for the O.W.R.F.C on home match days. The job role includes putting out equipment including flags and roping off pitch sides. This has proved a success with individuals playing for the club through this role. Possibly a similar role could be established within the Youth System’s catering arena if volunteers are not forthcoming.
3) By producing a Youth System we would be nurturing talent of the future. In the off-season we would be continuing rugby practice as well as providing continued rugby support for the school in the rugby season. The school’s rugby calendar does not usually start until late Autumn so this would be a great opportunity to accelerate those individuals within the school teams who were not presently at a club and have only just been introduced to the game of rugby.
4) Finally in present day society when the news is regularly updated with the socio-economic problems that are occurring the out reach of rugby can be far greater than just a competitive sport. The underlying themes of cohesion, decision-making and leadership are fundamental within the make up of rugby. It provides children with the opportunity to strive for targets and benefits them in more ways than they could presently fathom. Respect, not only to the officials but also to your opposition is key today when we are surrounded by the mindless actions of our so-called football role models.
Rugby is a game of definition. It can sculpt sporting talent through multi-skills, deliver individuality as well as cohesion through decision-making and define the youth of today into the generations of the future.
Looking back on it, we did not do too badly. What we were fortunate to have was the opportunity, the guidance and the support to stand in this position of thankfulness not only for the game but also for the institution that gave it to us. Long live Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School and all that it stands for. All we now ask is that we can be of benefit to those that do not yet know their full potential but in years to come will do so and know who they have to thank for it. We must strive for beneficial co-operation. Knowledge is a path that all must tread but duty is a steep that few may climb. Climb it we have and now it is the time for us to mould others.
O.W.R.F.C – 10 YEAR PLAN (2008/2009 season)
3) Youth System
If the wheels are firmly in motion for a Youth system to be set up by the year 2008/2009 by the end of the 10 year plan (2018/2019) the O.W.R.F.C would have a squad for every age section ranging from U12’S through to a 1st, 2nd and even the possibility of a 3rd XV side. It would not be possible to have a team for every year group in the first year but to rather build upon, one side at a time, year by year.
Year Group / Year of originU12 year 7 / 2014/2015
U13 year 8 / 2013/2014
U14 year 9 / 2012/2013
U15 year 10 / 2011/2012
U16 year 11 / 2010/2011
U17 Colts - sixth form / 2009/2010
U18 Colts – sixth form / 2008/2009 – original U12 squad
It is proposed that the first youth squad (U12’s) be set up in 2008/2009. By the time this year group have progressed through school they will have reached the sixth form by 2014/2015. When they are in season 2009/2010 they will be the U13 squad and there will be a new U12 squad. This pattern will continue and as word spreads membership of the club will be strengthened by friends of children at the school from out of the local school community. This is a practice that has already worked for Medway R.F.C who have no attached school to select talent from but rather rely on the fact that they are the only youth rugby section in the Medway area. What Rochester needs is a bit of competition and what the Rochester Mathematical School needs is a source of continued rugby practice for their pupils. This would enable continued healthy lifestyles in the off-season as well as improving the standards of rugby at beginners level and providing more opportunities for practice. As we know practice does not make perfect, but makes permanent and experience is essential in continuing success within the school sides as well as through the O.W.R.F.C sides.
The Hockey and Cricket Sections of the O.W.C have, in recent years, utilised the mass pool of talent that the Rochester Mathematical School has to offer. They have set up several youth teams and in doing so have popularised the sport within the school and club. It is not out of sorts to see former pupils and current starlets participating for the Club on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. There is no reason why this cannot be the same for the rugby section. The success of this has been largely due to the full co-operation of the club and school as well as the drive and ambition of certain individuals to enable that sport reigns true and the Old Williamsonian’s Club benefit.
The final point in identifying success for the future rests on the shoulders of today’s players. As a group we have come a long way in the past few years and there is now a strong ambition within the club to succeed. Former school leavers are regularly getting in contact with the club through practice, our website and other mediums. This has meant that in the past two seasons we have been able to produce a 2nd XV squad as well as a 1sst XV squad who became Kent Division 3 Champions this year. The status of the club has become a talking point within the local community and anticipation of continued success is running high. It is these individuals who need to continue there on pitch triumphs off the pitch. To make the plan possible the players and members must show commitment to the cause and play an integral role in putting the theory into practice.
Lets Continue the Rugby Revolution.
O.W.R.F.C – 10 YEAR PLAN (2008/2009 season)
4) Coaching
The senior section has revelled in the past season with the help of a 1st XV coach. The enthusiasm, new ideas and direct communication have done wonders on the field for the O.W.R.F.C. The 2nd XV are still in finely tuned development and as so will be able to function (this season at least) without a coach.
The issue of coaching really only affects the situation should a Youth System be established. As already mentioned the development would be on a scale determined by membership numbers and on a year-by-year basis. To begin it is anticipated that two coaches will be needed to form the Youth System Coaching Team. Preferably a back’s and a forward’s coach. This is ideal but not essential. What is essential is that for the establishing years, voluntary action by the club in terms of coaching, occurs. With ongoing development, membership increase and word of mouth it is proposed that the roles of the coaching staff will revert to other individuals who at this moment in time are not affiliated with the O.W.R.F.C e.g. member’s parents.
If the worse case scenario were to occur then after the ten-year phase, 20 O.W.R.F.C individuals would be taking part in coaching roles. This is not however likely to happen and has not been the case at other clubs.
O.W.R.F.C – 10 YEAR PLAN (2008/2009 season)
5) Representatives
As previously outlined for this ten-year plan it will only become a success if it is well supported by both players and members of the O.W.R.F.C who now their playing days are over, can look to other pastures to support their club. It is not going to be possible for one or two individuals to put the wheels in motion but rather a handful of organised, passionate people to keep the momentum forward driven and continue to expand and promote the O.W.R.F.C.
As the Senior Section has a sound set up with a Selected Committee and also the Mother Club above in the hierarchy it is essential that if a youth section is to be formed then a Committee of Representatives needs to be established.
It is proposed that the following voluntary positions are founded.
· Youth Section Chairman
· Youth Section Treasurer
· Youth Section (Social) Secretary
· Youth Section School Liaison Officer
· Youth Section Coach(es) U12’s – It is proposed that there will be two.
· Youth Section First Aider
· Youth Section Press Officer
· Youth Section Fixture Secretary
· Youth Section Catering – It is proposed that there will be two.
· Youth Section Bar Staff person.
This may at first glance look like a task too far but a member of Representatives can take it upon themselves to hold down multi-roles. It is also proposed that once the Youth Section is up and running the parents of the children will take a vested interest in their child’s development and like that witnessed at other clubs will take it upon themselves to become involved in the day to day running of the club and lighten the workload of the original founders. Success will be through concise, well-thought delegation.
O.W.R.F.C – 10 YEAR PLAN (2008/2009 season)
6) Advertisement including Rugby Coaching Week
At present The O.W.R.F.C benefits from the financial generosity of Incaforce Engineering. It would be an impossible feat to expand the rugby section without other financial avenues being looked into. We have unfortunately been regularly “overlooked” in the local Press a problem that we cannot amend due to a lack of contacts within the local press. Therefore I propose that we look to “sell the club through other means.
As has been previously tried we can use the “press” of the Rochester Mathematical School. Each year they have a termly newsletter as well as the Williamsonian Magazine (annual). We can give a progress report and leave contact details for would be players within the pupil’s rank and file.
We are fortunate to have contacts within the school in particular the Physical Education Department. The problem arises with vested interests to other clubs from certain individuals but with the backing of the School Hierarchy and the benefits of the youth system to the school I feel the school will offer full co-operation even if this only lies with the youth system rather than the senior sides.
A second avenue that could be pursued is the formation of a Rugby Coaching Week. In principle this would work along the lines of soccer schools. Open to the public at a set venue over a period of 1-2 weeks. Within this time children are introduced to the game of rugby along with the laws of the game in theory and then through practice. Drills and skills are taught and developed and then game situations are performed. Along with this introduction children will get a taster of what is to come within their forthcoming years within their secondary school physical education. Ideally this could take place a week at a time for two consecutive weeks within the summer holidays preceding the new school term in the Autumn. Both weeks being for a new set of students dependent on interest with the rugby week. This would also be an ideal opportunity to exploit a niche in the rugby development market at a young age especially with the impending youth system establishment.