Ellon RFC Mini
ERFC JUNIOR SECTION NEWSLETTER: Website:
ellon-mini-rugby.co.uk We are looking for old photo's to put on the previous years reports if you have any please either call into the shop Senior Consultants on 113 Station road or send them to All fixture lists will appear here soon.
ELLON RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB JUNIOR SECTION NEWS RELEASE CONTACT: KATE YUILL 07734 162348
YOUTH rugby in the North-east has been given a major financial boost thanks to the generosity of two local businesses and sportscotland. Ardlethen Aggregates of Ellon and Aberdeen company Aquatic Engineering are providing a total of £2000 in sponsorship to Ellon Rugby Club's Junior Section, a sum which is being matched by a further £2000 by sportscotland's sponsorship scheme, Sportsmatch. Sportsmatch is an award scheme designed to act as an incentive to businesses to encourage them to sponsor sports development at grass roots level by matching sponsorship money on a £ for £ basis. It partners a wide range of businesses of all sizes in a variety of sports projects. It is funded by the Scottish Executive. “ This award is a massive boost to the club's funds and it will allow us to expand our core activities," said Sponsorship Secretary Phil Copland. "Our main project will be to increase the number of indoor rugby training sessions that we can hold at the Meadows Sports Centre over the winter. We feel these are vital to attracting new players and maintaining the interest of existing ones when the weather reduces outdoor sessions. “ We will also be able to provide new playing strips and training equipment for the players as well as funding two new fixtures in Dundee and Blairgowrie”. Junior head coach Derek Fraser added: “ The additional funds will also allow us to support the local rugby development officer’s scheme to introduce rugby at primary and secondary school level. "Rugby balls which will be left with the schools after the SRU coach has visited and we hope that these will get the kids interested in the sport at an early age.” Alastair Dempster, Chairman of sportscotland said: “ERFC junior section is one of more than 1,000 sports groups throughout Scotland to have benefited from Sportsmatch. Our thanks go to Aquatic Engineering and Ardlethen Aggregates for this sponsorship. This is great example of how businesses working in partnership with sports organisations and sportsmatch can make a significant contribution to community sports, enhancing the lives of many young people in Scotland.” ERFC's Junior Section is based at the Meadows Sports Centre in Ellon and has players from as young as P2 and 3 right through to players in the S2 age group. Its young squads compete regularly throughout Scotland, particularly in the Edinburgh and Glasgow areas. For more information on ERFC Junior Section, contact Convener Colin Tennant on 01358 723064. Details of Sportsmatch award schemes are available from Gill Borthwick on 0131 317 7200 or from www.sportscotland.org.uk
15/11/2003 ERFC JUNIOR SECTION NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 2003 Welcome to the pre-Christmas newsletter. It’s been a good season for all age groups although we continue to face problems because of the shortage of players in several age groups. We really need to build our squads up again so we are asking players to invite their school friends, who may not have tried rugby before, to come along and give it a go. The World Cup has raised the profile of the game so hopefully that will play a part in encouraging more youngsters to get involved in the game.
HO HO HO MERRY CHRISTMAS The Junior Section Family Night Christmas Party takes place on Saturday, December 20 in the Meadows. Dancing, carousing and eating will take place upstairs in the lounge and the Hall has been booked so the kids can run around and play games. In order to make the night a success, we urgently need volunteers to help out in various ways. This ranges from helping decorate the Meadows in advance to selling raffle tickets. We also need to set up a rota of supervisors for the Hall games – the more people who offer to help, the less time everyone will have to spend supervising. We would also like donations for the raffle – there will be two separate raffles for adults and kids, so please give generously. The Meadows will be supplying the hot food for the event, but we’d also like donations of cold food – if everyone brings something along it soon makes up a large table of goodies. If you can help out in any way, shape or form, please contact one of the party girls – June Mountain 01358 761778, Lorraine Gossip 01358 721792 or Marion Ross 01358 721472. They’d love to show you a good time – and hope you can help! Tickets will be available soon from Colin Tennant. Price has still to be determined, but they will be cheaper than last year. Please check your child’s kit bag over the next week or so for the (undoubtedly) wet, soggy note which will let you know when these are available. Please support the junior section by attending and donating food or raffles – we are looking for a big turnout to make it a landmark fundraiser but also to have a good time too. TRAINING & FIXTURES The last training day before Christmas will be Saturday, December 20. Training will recommence on Saturday, January 10. The P4-P7s last encounter of the year will be a series of home matches against Howe of Fife, Aberdeenshire and Garioch on December 7. Their first game of the New Year is at West of Scotland on January 18. The S1s and S2s are at Dunfermline on December 7 and at Grammar on December 14. They face Panmure at Dundee on January 25. As always at this time of year, the dates are weather permitting.
GET YOUR KIT ON Second Hand Kit - After many years' service, Jean Eley is hanging up her black bin bags and “retiring” from active duty as the Second Hand Kit co-ordinator. The club would like to thank her for all her hard work over the years, not only with the kit, but for the many hours she spent slaving over a hot Hotpoint washing all the grubby socks, shirts, shorts, towels etc etc etc which players, both junior and senior, lost with unfailing regularity.
Micro coach Lindsay Fraser has now taken on the task of 2nd hand kit co-ordinator. He has compiled a list of what is currently available to buy. If there is anything you would like to purchase, please contact Lindsay on (01358) 720844. Lindsay is available most Saturday mornings at the Meadows but can also be contacted on lindsayfraser@lineone.net We desperately need more kit so if there is anything you have that could be passed on someone else in the club, please bring it to training, give it to Lindsay it will be added to the list. All monies raised will go to ERFC junior section funds. New Kit – If you would like to buy new kit, it will be in stock or can be ordered via Anne McCavanagh. See her at the Meadows on Saturdays or call 01771 644874 Lost Property - As always a large number of lost property items remain unclaimed. Due to space limitations these can only be kept for one month; after that they will be sold off as second hand kit. It is absolutely essential that you label all clothing (socks too) and footwear - this includes not only the rugby kit but also T-shirts, sweatshirts, trousers, boxer shorts and anything else your child may wear to rugby.
USE YOUR LOAF A plea and a reminder to all parents to collect Kingsmill Bread Tokens. We have signed up for the Kingsmill promotional deal which offers kit in return for tokens. We have until August 2004 to collect them and we need thousands to get some kit for the kids, so get eating. Ask friends, families and colleagues to collect these too. There is a collection box in the Meadows for tokens. RUGBY WORLD CUP Thanks to all who came and enjoyed the World Cup final on the big screen at the Meadows - It raised £109 for funds. If there is enough interest, we may run the big screen again for some of the Six Nations games. BEHAVIOUR A general reminder that behaviour at all times is important. We all represent the club and it only takes a few minor incidents to tar everyone with the same brush - that means on the bus, when visiting other clubs, when training or generally in and around the Meadows - take pride in being a member and set an example for others.
The S1/2s are
playing at Mackie, Stonehaven on Saturday. Meet at the top Meadows car
park at around 9am, return appox 1.30pm In order to save the club some
money, we are proposing to travel to mackie by car - can any parents
help out with lifts for the boys? SHIRT SPONSORSHIP Ellon RFC Junior Section has come up with a novel way of inviting local businesses to sponsor its teams – and they won’t lose their shirts over the deal. The aim is to raise funds to sponsor shirts for their six teams from Primary 4 right through to S1. Promoter Phil Copland said that shirt sponsorship is a difficult area. “A set of strips for a rugby team costs in the region of £500. This is beyond the reach of most of the local businesses in Ellon who are traditionally the bedrock of our fundraising,” he said. “We are introducing a 25 Club scheme which gives companies the opportunity of getting their name on the shirt fronts for a single payment of £25. This gives them a one in twenty chance of being successful in a draw to decide who has the privilege of being the team sponsor. “The response so far has exceeded our expectations and we are well on the way to the first draw, having only started the scheme a week ago,” said Phil. “In the past our shirt sponsors have been larger companies, often from Aberdeen, but the section is looking forward to having more local businesses involved which will make the boys more aware of their local identity and support. “Ellon businesses have continual requests for funds for many deserving charities and clubs but the novelty of this scheme seems to have caught the imagination of the business community who seem to like a little bit of a flutter. “It could be said that it’s an each way bet as all participants in the scheme will be mentioned in the section’s home tournament programme in April. We hope to continue the scheme until all the junior teams are sponsored in this way.” Further information on the scheme is available from Phil Copland on 01224 295361 or by email at p.copland@marlab.ac.uk
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