I hope you're enjoying the summer holidays and the sunshine, it's always a bit magical when the Olympics comes around and Team GB are on good form. This is a rather exhaustive update but there's been a lot happening and I wanted to keep all members, new and old, up to date with preparations for the 2024/25 Season. This focuses on the Club, the Championship and our Community programmes.

Club:
◦ AGM Headlines
• Thank you to everyone who attended this year’s Club AGM following an all-round very successful season. We are a members owned and run club, so this remains a key meeting.
• Due to being promoted to the Championship and to enable interfacing with other clubs easier to navigate we made some changes to our structure. To this end, Simon Vickers stepped down as President and will now be the CEO, focused primarily on our Championship campaign; Tom Dean becomes COO, charged with running critical operational matters. Jerry Austin-Smith was elected Club President. Briony Harris was formally elected to the Board as a Non-Exec Director, responsible for Mini & Junior rugby. Emma Canter continues as a non-Exec Director responsible for Community and Women’s Rugby. Mike Hughes and I were re-elected as Treasurer and Chairman respectively.
• The Player’s Bar will be renamed The Mike Pearman Bar, following the passing of our much loved and respected original Club Steward who passed away recently.

◦ CRFC Vision & Philosophy
• Chinnor RFC Thame is at the heart of a diverse and passionate community and seen as setting the standard as the pinnacle of rugby across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Berkshire. We promote an active life for a healthy life. A combination of exercise and social interaction are vital for a positive experience for ALL. Members are bound through shared rugby values and are inclusive by nature.
o Teamwork, Respect, Enjoyment, Discipline, Sportsmanship.
Rugby is a game for all ages, shapes, and sizes. Irrespective of gender, race, religion, or ethnicity. We aim to grow the local interest, engagement and participation in rugby and develop a sustainable young player pathway into adulthood upholding these values, fulfilling their potential, and growing the game.
• All players, members, parents, staff, and volunteers are expected to uphold these values and the highest of standards.

◦ Membership
• New 2024/25 Membership is now available for the forthcoming season. Please note, there are some important changes to our systems and the mechanism for member discounts and topping up, these are all to improve speed of service at the busy bars. Please look out for a notice regarding these changes as they will affect all members.
• Thank you to Tim Proctor, our Membership Secretary for all the work on membership this season. For membership queries please contact Tim on membership@chinnor-rfc.com

◦ Team News
• We have bolstered the coaching teams across the club. With Nick Easter remaining as DoR and Craig Hampson as Head Coach we’re excited to welcome current Northampton Saints star hooker Curtis Langdon as Forwards Coach. He is joined by Bill Beaumont County Cup winning coach Greg Goodfellow as Skills/Attack coach plus ex-1st team stars Ben Manning and Mark Darlington, as they begin their coaching career as set-piece specialists. Warwick South joins as Head of Performance. The medical team under the stewardship of Kieran Yon is joined by Amanda & Callum. Greg will continue to head up the Falcons (2’s) and work with Nick and Craig to ensure we have a positive connection and pathway to the 1’s. Tom Clifford and Archie Hunter highlighted the importance of this last season.
• We’re delighted that James Cathcart, ex 1st Team promotion winning player and county coach, joins as Head Coach of the Wildboys (3’s) and Outlaws (4’s). Similarly, James will be working closely with Greg to ensure that pathway continues throughout our senior men’s teams.
• Joe Pegg joins us as Head Coach of the Kites after being heavily involved with London Irish and setting up their community programme. Joe will work closely with Fran Ronan, Lisa Fincken (Head of Girls) and Stu Mc (U18’s) to maximise our talent and develop the Kites of tomorrow.
• The Oxen, our Vets side, not long after their County Cup win have voted in a new captain after Richard Nobby Warner resigned after his successful stint leading the formidable squad. Ex-1st team player Trevor Powell was delighted to be sworn in after a particularly exhausting and liquid bike ride. Trev is already on the recruitment drive and has the vowed to play more than 3 games this season.
• The season kicks off in early September for most senior teams and our wonderful minis and juniors officially get underway on Sunday 8th Sept, although many of our older juniors have been keeping fit over the summer.

◦ Facilities & Pitches
These are primarily focused on ensuring we are fit for purpose for the forthcoming season. Many improvements will benefit all members and visitors to Kingsey Road. It’s one thing having the ambition but another to secure the funds to kick start the works. The monies expected from the RFU are not at the level expected and, therefore, after an initial lull whilst fundraising there’s now been a huge amount of activity to improve the infrastructure.
We’ve raised funds through members loans and the VP Ambassadors Club memberships some £60k and that is enabling us to make a big dent in the to do list.

A 350-seater temporary stand has been purchased and the base has been put in for that in the place of the former Connect stand and erection starts shortly. We will prior to the season start, receive a new kitchen section to the marquee, plus a large pitch-side beer service station with a media unit above it. There will also be additions to the Try Line Terrace to make that a more marketable proposition for corporate and private hirings. Our thanks indeed to James and Qdos for their fantastic support.

We have pressed the button on hard standing pathway around three sides of the ground to ensure safe pedestrian movement. Thank you to Farol and Helpful Hirings for their continued generosity. There will be more AgriPower Astro turf installed by the clubhouse and all soft areas will be replaced between the club house and the pitch. This should be complete within the next few weeks. We have commissioned a new gantry to replace the old filming one to meet minimum standards. This will have an extra storey with the filming gantry at the top, two DoR platforms at first floor level and the dug outs below. The base is in, and erection starts next week. Our thanks to Connect Scaffolding for their invaluable assistance on this.

The old Servery next to marquee has been relocated to the far-left corner of pitch 1 and that will be the new match day XT bar. The shop has been turned 90 degrees to remove a pinch point. This has enabled an expanded pitch-side wheelchair viewing area. We will be installing a new pedestrian entrance for match days with a ticket office as you turn off Tythrop Way.

Utilities:
We have put water and a new power supply all around the ground to serve the new bar, gantry try line terrace and scoreboard. There’s been significant upgrading works to our electrical system to enable the marquee to be safely supplied without trip outs and to safely supply the other areas of the pitch including power to the gantry.

We will need to make repairs to the surface of the track going down to the show ground as this will be our main vehicular access for cars to park. Also, our thanks to the Friday Club for their assistance on helping facilitate this. As many of you know these tracks need a lot of work and require significant investment. Please shout if you have any experience or contacts in this area.

We have things like a roof for the grandstand, whole ground PA, proper security fencing, some rain and sun cover in front of the clubhouse by the Nest bar, a breakout area with stretch tent, more signage directing traffic and inside the ground, improvements to surface water outside the clubhouse etc still very much in our sight’s funds permitting.

Once again, many thanks indeed for your support that has enabled us to create a much enhanced spectator experience which hopefully will encourage people to return make us more sustainable in the second tier of English Rugby.

Pitches:
All four main pitches have undergone an extensive reseeding and improvement programme over the summer months. If we can keep the irrigator in action and water from the borehole will provide a better platform for the high demand throughout the season. We could do with some fresh help for a few hours a week if anyone can help please contact me.

The Championship:
◦ Fixtures & Season Tickets
• The Championship league fixtures are out and are scheduled around the two major international series, The Autumn Internationals, and the Six Nations.
• Disappointingly we aren’t in the Premiership Cup; it will be 5 groups of 4 teams. Cambridge and Chinnor are the 21st and 22nd team and therefore we are looking at ways to fill those gaps. This is critical for both players conditioning and commercially to enable us to compete at this level. Watch this space.
• Pre-Season sees us playing Rams on Bank Holiday Monday 26th July. We will be remembering 1st team physio Lauren Cyster and collecting for Oxford Hospitals Charity. This is going to be a Mega Family Day and we’ll be pulling out all the stops to make it a day to remember for all the family.
• On Friday 13th September we play Coventry at the Butts Arena. This is sure to be a test against a fully pro side but one that excites the whole squad.

◦ Players
• Most of the Nat 1 promotion winning squad have been retained. In addition, you will have seen some new signing announcements including Scott Hall. Scott started his rugby life at Chinnor as an U6 mini and returns to his boyhood club after a successful time at Nottingham rugby. Harry Dugmore signs from Ealing Trailfinders and increases the competition in an already dynamic backrow. We’re pleased that live-wire scrum-half Callum Pascoe joins from DMP. Nathan Chamberlain, who got some game time at the end of last season at fly-half has also signed after impressing the coaching team with a near fault-less winning performance up in Darlington.

◦ Minimum Operating Standards (MOS)
• We’ve received a comprehensive catalogue of minimum operating standards that if we want to be in the 2nd tier of English rugby in 2025/26 that we’d need to adhere to, mandatory levels as well as aspirational. The mandatory levels have been driving our planning and prioritization for investments. We will be working with the RFU to identify gaps and plans to close them. It’s fair to say that some are more strenuous than others.

Community:
◦ In conjunction with Stoke Mandeville Marauders we’ve held two taster sessions for junior wheelchair rugby at Lord Williams’ with the aim of helping youngsters keep active and learn new skills. Paul Corris has been leading this initiative and many thanks to him and all involved for starting this longer-term project.
◦ Walking rugby has started and runs on a Friday evening, this is a great way to stay active and connected with friends at the club. Contact rugby isn’t appropriate for everyone so this is a great alternative, and we need to get behind this initiative as part of the overall rugby offer at the club. Touch Union rugby continues every Friday evening and numbers suggest a real appetite for this format from players of all ages.
◦ Summer Camps are ongoing, and numbers are on the up. Many thanks to Fran and the coaches for improving the experience for the young players and HAF guests.
◦ We are seeking Commercial Partnerships to help us develop the offerings in schools including literacy through learning which takes some upfront funding to get off the ground.

Volunteering:
◦ RFU Honda Recognition Club Volunteers – congratulations to all who were highlighted at the AGM for being recognised for your contributions. It’s appreciated by the club, county, and the governing body.
◦ Standards & Qualifications – we expect high standards of coaching and welfare and there’s courses and qualifications to help maintain and improve those standards. These are available to all coaches and medical teams.
◦ Why volunteer? It’s a good question and one that may depend on your perspective. For me, it was about giving back, raising standards, developing players and enjoying the friendships and experiences along the way. Volunteering is rewarding but it’s fair to say, sometimes it can be tough and challenging. Like a hard training session or match – you get knocked down, rise up on your feet, you learn, take a step forward and face up to the next challenge. Volunteers have a wonderful opportunity to set great examples to groups of youngsters and help them develop into adulthood with a strong sense of the values that underpin rugby.
◦ Volunteering opportunities are numerous and changing every season.

Club Socials, Events and Fundraising:
These events are critical to the success of the club and enable us to grow, make investments and improve the experience for all at the club. Please get behind them and whether it’s a social occasion with friends or a great business opportunity to host clients, the events team won’t let you down.

◦ The Chinnor Rugby Club Picnic Ball Saturday 28th September - open to all age groups and guests.
◦ Big Business Lunch Friday 4th October - superb networking opportunity for local businesses, members and sponsors.
◦ Bingo is back with a Back to School special on the 7th September and a Xmas special on the 14th December.

Thank you for your continued support.
Hope to see you soon.
Kind regards,
Nick

Club Chairman