2019 has been a year of change for our club, but thankfully most of it for good. For me, it was a personal honour to be elected as Club President at the start of the new season.
Firstly, the performance of the senior team has been superb this season. Promotion last season was a real highlight, but to win six league games on the bounce and now sit within touching distance of the league summit is phenomenal.
Special mention must go to our new head coach Jimmy Samuel and his coaching team of Nick Martin, Mark Reilly, Nick Cram and Iain McEwan. Jimmy has been a fantastic addition since formally coming on board this year. The senior team are performing exceptionally well and boys are training with a smile on their face (mostly!).
As well as bringing in new players, Jimmy and the coaches have put a lot of work into refining our overall game strategy as well as upskilling the team in both the basics and the finer points. Our lads are without doubt better players than they were at the start of the season, and we’re on the right course.
The Juniors section also had a busy year with numerous events, tournaments and matches, and it’s great to see young people of many ages playing and enjoying the sport we all love.
We’ve had some big wins off the park. Our social events – such as Fireworks Night – were well-attended and have definitely boosted the club’s reputation in the local community.
Huge thanks should of course go to our sponsors, funders and partners for their continued support of our club.
The addition of our new portable, rechargeable floodlights is a game-changer for our teams. Having the flexibility to train when and where we want – especially during the winter months – will benefit our club for years to come.
And on that point, fundraising is still absolutely vital to our club’s long-term survival and progression. We need absolutely everyone involved with our club to help out, whether through finding new sponsorship, helping at our events or otherwise.
While our finances are stable, we cannot rest on our laurels.
Our clubhouse bar has also seen a bit of a change, with James and Amanda coming in as managers, and it’s in a good place financially.
So where next for Bannockburn? The committee has a clear vision in that we want to make our club a great place for all ages to play rugby and enjoy the social side. We want to maintain our progression on the pitch – and a seconds team is still high on our agenda.
Finally, I would like to put on record the Bannockburn RFC’s gratitude and appreciation for the work done by our volunteers. Without their help, we wouldn’t have the great teams and club we have today. 2020 promises to be even better.
Mark Wetton,
Club President
So who’s doing the work?
Chairman: Martin Kenny
President: Mark Wetton
Vice-President: Kevin McCormack
Treasurers: James Jaffray and Colin Alexander
Secretary: Ronnie McGown
Fixtures Secretary: Nick Martin
Seniors Head Coach: Jimmy Samuel
Minis Head Coach: TBC
Minis Section Manager: Martin Kenny
Midis Head Coach: David Grainey
Midis Section Manager: Steve Balfour
Club Captain: Bob Conway
First XV Captain: Calum Bruce
Comms, Marketing and Media: Stuart McGown and George Vekic
Welfare Officer: Iain MacAskill
Sponsorship Manager: Fionnlagh Campbell
Food and Beverage Manager: Fionnlagh Campbell
Discipline Secretary: Ronnie McGown
Safeguarding: Colin Alexander, Fiona McDougall-Aitken, Rachel Keenan
International Tickets: James Jaffray