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The club Mini and Junior section have been extremely fortunate this season to have some amazing sponsors.
We’d like to say a huge thank you to Clarc recruitment for the sponsorship of 3 tackle rings – these will make such a difference to M&J teams allowing them to practice tackling on a moving target.
More info on M&J teams below!
Under 6’s
The Under 6s have been thoroughly enjoying our rugby this year with lots of running around, passing and catching and when the weather allows getting as muddy as possible. We have added two new coaches to the team with Big Stan who has joined post retirement to ensure the under 6s coaching team is the tallest and biggest in the club, coaching the littlest people (well nearly we do also have a pre school group) and we swapped one Cassell brother for another, with rumours that the 3rd Cassell brother is in the coaching pipeline for next year.
Sessions in the under 6s are focussed on the fundamentals of rugby, pass, catch and run through playing lots of games, often silly, and often that make no sense when the coaches explain them. More importantly we practice and coach the values of teamwork, respect, enjoyment, discipline and being sporting, more praise is given for a child who takes a knock or something doesn’t go there way and they get up dust themselves down and keep going, or for the teammate who puts their arm around someone how is upset or the player who looks after one of our new members.
The under 6s are for any child in reception or year 1 and are designed for all children, whether new to sport and would like to join their first club or for children who do something every night of the week, and what is more important is for parents there is a place for a warm brew while your children are out there in the cold and maybe a beer afterwards if 11.00 isn’t too early. The under 6s train every Sunday at 10am on The Hill, contact Dan Clark for more information.
Under 7s (Super 7s)
The Under 7s have seen an impressive increase in members this season. With the team now approaching 20 members, Sean and Luke continue to provide structured and fun sessions. All sessions promote inclusivity, ensuring all children are able to join in and have lots of fun. Out of all the teams, the Under 7s, must be the loudest! Not only do they express their enjoyment for the game through their great attendance but both coaches, Sean and Luke, are fantastic at getting the most giggles and pleasure out of the kids each week.
This season the Under 7s have focused on their passing and communication skills. These skills are enabling them to grow as a team, creating strong bonds and a passion for the game.
Under 8’s
U8s are heading to Huddersfield Minis Festival in March 19th and Preston Grasshoppers Mini Festival April 23rd. These are great days out where the team gets to experience playing against multiple opposition in one day.
Under 10’s
The under 10 is going from strength to strength showing great team work and spirit. Having sessions on Friday evening has opened up a new dimension to our level of play. What’s better is the friendship really evolving and manifesting itself on the pitch. The level of commitment to the game was evident with the turn out we had for a Friday night session in the Dinting Scout hut! We will always find a place to train no matter the weather.
Under 11’s
The Under 11s have had a fantastic season so far. Training sessions on a Wednesday evening have been consistently well attended, despite the wet and windy evenings. Coaches and parents continue to work together to promote; the importance of attendance, accountability, and to aspire to improve the team week by week.
So far this season the Under 11s have focused on running onto the ball and continually trying to improve their pass skills. The majority of the team have been working on their depth in attack. In defence, the team have been working hard on pressure without the ball and mastering the rucks.
The weather hasn't been on our side for a few weeks, however, it has not impacted on their team spirit and enjoyment of the game when the team comes together.
Under 12’s
Since November the u12’s have been working hard to build on their positional play and resilience. They have played many games were the opposition has had more player numbers but they have shown grit and determination. It has been great to see them coming together as a team and growing into a lovely bunch of lads. They have been very lucky to have such amazing coaches, and Coach Trig has been a great edition to the coaching team. Well done everyone let’s keep it going.
Glossop Junior Girls
The Glossop RUFC junior girl’s sessions are well under way, headed by Pip Gregory and supported by Glossop Amazone Kerry Hazeldine.
The girls have been getting stuck in and are developing and learning quickly, impressing the coaches with their passing and handling, tower of power, and attacking and defensive lines. We are really excited to see how the girls continue to progress week on week.
It is a really exciting time for women’s and girl’s rugby at the moment with record numbers of viewers for the women’s world cup last year and the introduction of female referees in the premiership, and this all starts with junior girl’s rugby.
We are actively recruiting new team members so come down to the club for our fun and active training sessions which run on Thursday nights between 5.30 and 6.30 pm.
Liv comes to us with an impressive backgound with in the hospitality industry. If you would like to book a function no mater how big or small, please call Liv to discuss your requirements on 07858 243 300/01457 864553 or email grufcfunctions@gmail.com
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Prior to the AGM on Wednesday 8th May, 7:30pm, please see below documentation. To download them, please click on the buttons.
The proposed list of Club Officer nominees and vacant positions has been posted at the club in the foyer, prior to the AGM on Wednesday 8th May, 7:30pm Also a reminder that members must inform the Club Secretary, Toby Colbourne of any nominations for committee positions and AOB items they wish to raise by close of play Sunday 5th May. GRUFCsectretary@outlook.com
Glossop RUFC, like most other groups, relies almost totally on a vast array of volunteers and unsung heroes, who give what they can of their time and take responsibility for some of the many tasks and challenges of running a fast moving and successful club. There are hundreds of ways you can volunteer your time for the club and to give you an idea, some of the different ways are listed below: You can volunteer to… • become a member of the General Committee and have a direct say and input into key decisions affecting the running of the club as a members club and business • be a member of a committee sub group and share the decision making and tasks within a specific area of the club – such as grounds maintenance, social events etc • work alongside the sponsorship team to seek and maintain valued financial support from our general club sponsors and actively seek new opportunities • help to look for grants and wider support the club may be able to apply for and help with applications • offer to help the house and grounds maintenance team who meet regularly to take care of the general upkeep of the club, grounds and facilities and get involved in things such as cleaning outside areas, strimming the grass banks in the summer, maintaining the flower beds and water hanging baskets, help with groundwork projects, do small jobs within the clubhouse – the list is endless !! • be a helper on the gate to collect entrance monies on 1XV team match days • offer to help put parking signs and cones out on match days • help host sponsors and guests on match days and other club events • get involved in putting the annual club match programme together and collating articles and adverts ready for publishing • assist with the wide array of administrative tasks which are needed to keep the club ticking, such as creating posters for events, writing articles for newsletters, helping with changes to the website and updates to facebook and other social media platforms • offer skills and support to any member of the committee to help with a specific task they may need assistance with • help at one of the work parties held at the club to jet wash the changing rooms and outside areas, clean and decorate where needed, paint and touch up worn areas, tidy up notice boards, maintain internal furniture etc • help at any of the social events in a wide number of ways – from helping to set tables or arrange the room, sell tickets, help coordinate and run the event, clear up afterwards etc • sell raffle tickets for the scroungers mug and breakfast packs at match home games • get involved with coaching or supporting one of the teams and helping out with some of the general admin and running of the group The ways to help and support the club are endless and are in many cases unseen by many people, but without these fantastic volunteers – the club wouldn’t run !! Please get in touch with any of the current committee members if you think you might have some spare time and skills to offer – we will not turn any help away Thank you
Sponsorship The 2023/24 season has been a busy one with all the changing challenges of a rapidly growing club. Support for our senior teams has been fantastic and the Mini & Junior section is extending provision and forming new teams as more & more young people want to see what rugby is all about. Our loyal and generous Sponsors have continued to financially support the club this season and allow the club to push forwards with projects, match kit & equipment and facilities that would otherwise not be possible. We are proud to say that this season, we have been able to provide match shirts for every one of our junior & senior playing members, thanks to the fantastic support from key sponsors such as RMD Contracts, Glossop Caravans, Plater Group and Forte Financial Group and we have been able to provide rugby post protection cushions shorts, pitch banners, gazebos, team pitch flags, tackle bags, touchline padded coats, kit bags, socks etc etc thanks to many of our other amazing sponsors. Sponsorship opportunities are being looked at for the coming 2024/25 season with a wide range of GRUFC packages to suit all budgets and requirements and if you are interested in any form of Sponsorship for the club, whether it be financial or practical support in the way of your time or a skill you may have, please contact Rob Kenworthy 0788 4266878 robert.kenworthy@hotmail.co.uk who will be pleased to discuss the various options with you further. We are currently, specifically looking for financial support to fund a joint venture with Glossopdale School to provide a dedicated rugby coach, who will introduce rugby to more young people within the school and also provide support and training at the club, thus ensuring a progression through the age groups and teams Please look around the clubhouse and grounds to see names of all our sponsors and take a closer look at names on match & training kit to see just how much support we receive. We are immensely grateful for this continued support, and in an ever-changing financial climate, cannot and do not take this for granted. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS SUPPORTED THE CLUB IN A SPONSORSHIP CAPACITY THIS SEASON Social & Fundraising Events Social events are legendary at Glossop Rugby Club and apart from getting together and having fun, are a vital way of providing fundraising for the club. This season, we had a “A bit of Lanky Panky” with Buzz Hawkins, tasted lots of new beers at the GRUFC annual Beer Festival, held a Celebration of the Ladies of the Club Lunch with the pink shirt raffle, felt festive at the Christmas Family Fun Day, with craft stalls, Santa and Glossop Band leading the Christmas singing, got in the St Davids Day spirit with Welsh Quiz and the PAPYRUS Hope Walks. Forthcoming Events for the rest of this season On Saturday 20 th April, we will celebrate St Georges Day at the club whilst the mighty 3s play at home. There is no cost to get in, there will be some food to purchase and fancy dress is only if you want to, but maybe wear something red and white to keep with the England theme. Captains Night and an Awards Evening is still to be arranged – dates to be confirmed Ascot Ladies Day will be held on Thursday 20th June, and tickets will be on sale soon. This is such a lovely event and lots of fun – tickets sell out fast so keep an eye out for the launch. The club hopes to plan several events during the summer, which may take the form of family fun days, Sunday lunches in the sun, quizzes and kids rugby events, so please keep an eye on social media and in the clubhouse for updates. The position of Chair of Social Events will become available at the AGM and the club is looking for volunteers to fill this vital role and other volunteers to help with the organising and planning of social events, within a larger sub-group. These events are the lifeblood of the club and so much fun to be a part of. If you are interested in getting involved or attending any of the events, please ask any of the committee members, ask at the bar or keep an eye out at the club and on the website for details. Please contact Jan Kenworthy if you want to find out more about getting involved in social and fundraising side of the club. Jan_kenworthy@yahoo.com 0744606 9480
Sunday 24th was the last run out for this awesome bunch of lads. While the result didn’t go our way, the rugby on display was top notch, the commitment of the lads couldn’t be faulted. I can’t express how proud I am of them all. Regarding the Glossop lads within the team, I have shared with Andrew, the pleasure to be part of their lives for more than 10 years. Some of them I have know since they were 5 year olds and started playing at the club. They have trained on every blade of grass around Glossop. This team have travelled throughout the Northwest, through Cheshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire and Staffordshire to find fixtures on Sundays and we are very proud to say that we have never, not been able to put a team out. Out of the 15 Glossop lads 9 have already played Senior rugby and 2 more will do so and carry on doing so. This rugby may not all be at Glossop, depending on their personal travels and university etc, however it is with pride that we have started them on this fantastic journey in sport and friendship. Over the past 4 years, they have played in an NLD semi final, a Junior colt final as u16s with Dave and Graham, a Junior colt final, presented with a league fair play award, finished 2nd in the league and played in the Cheshire Bowl semi final, and league cup 1/4 final. While the silverware wasn’t present, I can assure you they always proudly represented the club and gave their all, they have shed blood, broken bones, torn ligaments, got stitched up, glued up, operated on or just gone down.... but always, always got back up to continue with fight. In short they are the future of Glossop RUFC and will hold the fort while the younger kids join them. I present you with the following brilliant team players: Dan Mellor Hayden Meigh Fraser Davies Oscar Lane Camron Anker Ross Baddeley Colman Leo Gradwell-Spencer Rowan Whitehead Ryan Broadhurst Will Thompson Joe Carney Josh Bailey Jack Robert Makepeace Joel Lioux Henry Higginbottom. None would have been possible without all the parents, grandparents and carer whom over the years travelled with them. A big thank you for your unconditional support. Thank you also to all the boys who have played over the years: Joe Dylan Owen Luke Jack D Wingy Sam Bish George Matt Anthony Harry Jack Jack L Thomas Alex Ellis Adam Ben Tom G Tom Kaden Alfie Greg On a personal note I would like to thank Sean, Bazz, Coz, Kelvin, Jonathan, John, Mark, Paul, Danny, George F and George H, Kit, Liam, Connor, Al, Dylan, Cole, Gabriel, Hannah, James, Kath and Gino, DT, Matteo and Louise. Thank you, Emmanuel Lioux
Work on the 3rd the pitch side shed is now complete, which means that the tackle bags and tackle doughnuts can now be securely stored pitch side. This means that now only the tackle shields need to be stored in the container. Over the summer we will try and make more improvements to a make the area around the sheds dryer and tidier. BPG the contractors who carry out the annual pitch maintenance works for us are going to donate two 12m long rolls of 3G type carpet to us, which we will probably use to create another technical area on the left hand side of pitch 1 and technical areas between pitches 1 and 2. We had planned to have started pre-annual pitch maintenance works by now, such as chain harrowing, however due to the terrible weather conditions that we have been experiencing the pitches have been too wet to enable us to do this. If the weather improves, we will try and get this work done before the end of April. We plan to start annual pitch maintenance works at the beginning of May. Set out below is our proposed schedule of works, and approximate timings and dates. As always progress will be weather dependant. ANNUAL PITCH MAINTENANCE WORKS 2024 1. GRUFC to scarify (chain harrow) both pitches prior to annual maintenance works commencing once a week if weather conditions permit. This helps to break up any organic matter, which helps to improve the germination of new seed 2. Prior to the commencement of overseeding, Vertidraining will be carried out to both pitches. This process forms 30mm diameter 450-500mm deep holes in the ground. This process helps to break up and aerate the upper layer of the pitches, helps to oxygenate the upper layer which aids grass growth, and improves drainage 3. Prior to the commencement of overseeding, Groundbreaker type treatment is to be carried out to both pitches. This will be done on a slight angle and helps to aerate the upper layer and improve the interface of the upper layer of the pitches with the sand slit drainage and lower land type drains. 4. Prior to the commencement of overseeding herbicide will be applied to both pitches. This kills the weeds that may be starting to try and establish themselves. This is done prior to overseeding so that the new and already established grass does not have to compete with the weeds for nutrients and water. 5. Contractor to commence annual maintenance works to both pitches Tuesday the 7th of May – see below for requirements and approx dates: • Overseed both pitches - 7th May • Additional overseeding to worn areas – 8th May • Once the seed is established apply fertiliser to both pitches – 28th May approx • Once the new grass is established apply fertiliser to both pitches – early/mid July • Once the new grass is established GRUFC to top dress/infill any areas of dishing or unevenness on a weekly basis – mid to late July approx • Vertidrain both pitches – mid September. • Apply slow-release fertilizer to both pitches – beginning of October Our plan is that pitch 2 will be released for use to the senior sections of the club in the first week in July, with M & Js being given access to pitch 2 from the first week in August. If necessary limited use of pitch 1 will also be available to the senior sections of the club from the first week of August. This is all dependant on how things progress and is therefore weather dependent. Information concerning proposed maintenance and improvement works to the club house and car park etc will be set out in our end of season update.