As your new Club Chairman, I would like to heartily welcome you all to the new 2023/24 season. In addition to the prospect of great rugby across our teams, whether seniors, colts, youth, girls and minis, we have the added spectacle of the Rugby World Cup starting in early September. To make the most of this, here are a couple of key dates for your diaries:

Saturday 19th August - 1st XV vs Rochford RFC KO 2pm in their Pre Season Friendly Opener with the Ireland vs England game shown live in the club from 5.30pm - all support welcome with the bar and BBQ open from 12.30pm.

Saturday, September 2nd from midday: The senior league season starts with a bang, 1st XV hosting Dagenham RFC and 2nd XV hosting Romford & Gidea Park RFC. We are celebrating this with a family fun day, with BBQ, side stalls and a bouncy castle - something for all the family so please come and support.

Friday, September 8th from 5.00pm: The Rugby World Cup kicks off with a mighty match-up, France v New Zealand. We will be running a special welcome training session for the minis beforehand, with a BBQ to follow, so please come and celebrate the RWC kickoff with us. There will be further social events planned as the RWC progresses, so keep an eye out!

On behalf of all, I want to issue a huge thanks to all the volunteers, who are so vital to the smooth running of the Club. These members kindly give immense amounts of their time and effort to enable our players to perform on the pitch and our supporters to cheer them on in such a friendly social setting - thereby creating the wonderful rugby community that we have here at BRFC. For any others that are able to help further throughout the season, there will be ample opportunity - just speak to your year-group coaches or a member of the Executive Committee.

Also huge thanks to our sponsors who continue to make a meaningful difference to the Club’s ongoing operation. Opportunities remain open for more sponsorship so if you or associated businesses are able to help, please let me know. We made great improvements last season to the clubhouse, but there is more that needs to be done so any assistance, sponsorship or donations, would be greatly appreciated.

Here are a few important messages for you to note:

Subs: All New Membership Fee's have been sent out via Pitchero to your associated email address so please read the email to understand the new subs structure for the 2023/24 Season - if you have a direct debit set up you will not need to do anything as the system will take the new amount from around the 1st September but if you are paying by cheque or cash you will need to understnd the new amount and pay in the same way as last year but if you have any questions please contact one of your coaches at your respective age group. As always the club is always here to help anyone that may need some financial assistance so please make contact with anyone on the Exco Committee

Behaviour: In the rugby community, we pride ourselves on maintaining high levels of discipline and respect, whether player or supporter, to ensure the game remains enjoyable for all. Please play your part in ensuring that BRFC continues to be a safe and enjoyable setting for all.

Safeguarding: ensuring that the children in our Club are protected from harm and able to take part in sport in a safe, positive and enjoyable environment remains a key focus for us all. Please be vigilant and escalate any concerns as needed to our Child Welfare Officer, Mandy Adams.

Parking: we are currently working with Brentwood Council to finalise the parking arrangements at King Georges for the season and hope to confirm the outcome in the next fortnight.

Girls Rugby: having started 4 years ago, we now offer rugby at all girls ages plus U10’s, with several girls now representing Essex. BRFC is hosting the Essex pitch up and play date for April at U12’s and U14’s, so please speak to Harry Adams if interested.

Player Registration on GMS: it is vital that all of our players are registered on the RFU’s GMS system - this season, the RFU are requiring all players to re-register. Please ensure that you (or your child’s) registration is up to date. If you have any queries, please speak to your age-group coaches.

If you have any queries or can help the Club in any way, please reach out to me, Richard King (our President), Steve Killington (our Director of Rugby) or any other member of the executive committee - details on the website.

In summary, let’s all enjoy what promises to be an enthralling and successful season of rugby for BRFC with the added spectacle of the RWC.

Terry Dunleavy
 Chairman, BRFC

Terry Dunleavy
Contact Terry Dunleavy