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2024-2025 Membership Details
John Dawson21 Jul 2024 - 14:57
New Season Membership Details
Dear Friend/Member,
As we look forward to the coming 2024-2025 season, we at Sandal RUFC would like to express our thanks for your support through last season and look forward to your continued support, it’s your club and with your input we will continue to thrive.
We will start the new season on a very positive note from a rugby angle with the retention of the senior squad who impressively came together in the second half of the season and shifted from bottom of the league to finish in 8th place.
Also, with the 2nd XV playing some great rugby and winning their league after a very strong season, this gives us good strength in depth going forward and as the Ladies Senior team is now established the future looks very promising.
We also look forward to continued success in a perennially strong MJ section which culminated in our U16 girls taking the National Champions trophy once again! with our U18s girls ending up very brave National Champions runners up on a great day for Sandal Girls at Worcester Sixways Stadium. We look forwards to seeing all our MJ teams go from strength to strength with the much-appreciated great support, on and off field, provided by mums/dads/coaching staff.
As far as the club finances are concerned, we are in a safer financial position than at any time in the recent, or distant past for that matter. This is thanks to all our sponsors, old and new, who continue to see the value of supporting our club and the team behind promoting our facilities as a revenue stream.
We are seeing the benefits of our investments in the club infrastructure with room hire etc showing a marked increase, both the Castle and Milnthorpe lounges are proving to be popular venues for both corporate and social bookings. We ask all our friends and members to spread the word about what Sandal has to offer the local community in this respect.
Having said this, we still face significant financial challenges with increases in staff costs coupled with energy costs at well over £25K/Annum and increasing water charges etc. As such energy saving remains one of our top priorities, ensuring the big energy burners such as water heating, space heating and pitch lighting are controlled and used sensibly.
We can’t afford to take our ‘eye off the ball’. Continued increased investment in the fabric of the club and playing areas is an ongoing requirement, we can’t afford to stand still and ‘pat ourselves on the back’. To remain viable, competitive and achieve our goal to make Sandal a premier sports club we must stay on top of the drive for continuous improvement.
The club has been a busy place through the closed season. We have continued to invest in our facilities to the tune of £54k this financial year. The Milnthorpe Lounge refit was completed and the Chevet Suite has just undergone a full scheme of redecoration, Female toilets total refurbishment, major changes in the upper floor hot water system are just some of the works completed. Details are available on our website. https://www.sandalrufc.co.uk/
We have just completed the purchasing of our own grounds maintenance equipment which has cost the club an additional circa £24k, this is to enable us to provide a better level of care for our pitches which is much needed with the increased pressure on them, a £7k program of works has been completed on the playing areas and further works are planned as weather permits. Improvements to the back field parking capability is also in line to be completed, hopefully before the winter weather hits us again!
New appliances are to be installed in the kitchen prior to the start of the season in what will be Phase1 of a kitchen refurbishment, we will also have a new food outlet available adjacent to the front entrance way to the club, these works are ongoing as I write. ‘Near future’ project plans to the tune of circa £200k, which include as a priority a much-needed revamp of our changing facilities, are in the initial planning stages and we have a team actively working on this now with a view to delivery in the next 9 to 24 months. We are also looking further ahead with 5-year and 10-year plans being compiled.
We look forward to welcoming all past, present and of course new members back to the club for what I’m sure will be an exciting and entertaining new season.
John Dawson
As we look forward to the coming 2024-2025 season, we at Sandal RUFC would like to express our thanks for your support through last season and look forward to your continued support, it’s your club and with your input we will continue to thrive.
We will start the new season on a very positive note from a rugby angle with the retention of the senior squad who impressively came together in the second half of the season and shifted from bottom of the league to finish in 8th place.
Also, with the 2nd XV playing some great rugby and winning their league after a very strong season, this gives us good strength in depth going forward and as the Ladies Senior team is now established the future looks very promising.
We also look forward to continued success in a perennially strong MJ section which culminated in our U16 girls taking the National Champions trophy once again! with our U18s girls ending up very brave National Champions runners up on a great day for Sandal Girls at Worcester Sixways Stadium. We look forwards to seeing all our MJ teams go from strength to strength with the much-appreciated great support, on and off field, provided by mums/dads/coaching staff.
As far as the club finances are concerned, we are in a safer financial position than at any time in the recent, or distant past for that matter. This is thanks to all our sponsors, old and new, who continue to see the value of supporting our club and the team behind promoting our facilities as a revenue stream.
We are seeing the benefits of our investments in the club infrastructure with room hire etc showing a marked increase, both the Castle and Milnthorpe lounges are proving to be popular venues for both corporate and social bookings. We ask all our friends and members to spread the word about what Sandal has to offer the local community in this respect.
Having said this, we still face significant financial challenges with increases in staff costs coupled with energy costs at well over £25K/Annum and increasing water charges etc. As such energy saving remains one of our top priorities, ensuring the big energy burners such as water heating, space heating and pitch lighting are controlled and used sensibly.
We can’t afford to take our ‘eye off the ball’. Continued increased investment in the fabric of the club and playing areas is an ongoing requirement, we can’t afford to stand still and ‘pat ourselves on the back’. To remain viable, competitive and achieve our goal to make Sandal a premier sports club we must stay on top of the drive for continuous improvement.
The club has been a busy place through the closed season. We have continued to invest in our facilities to the tune of £54k this financial year. The Milnthorpe Lounge refit was completed and the Chevet Suite has just undergone a full scheme of redecoration, Female toilets total refurbishment, major changes in the upper floor hot water system are just some of the works completed. Details are available on our website. https://www.sandalrufc.co.uk/
We have just completed the purchasing of our own grounds maintenance equipment which has cost the club an additional circa £24k, this is to enable us to provide a better level of care for our pitches which is much needed with the increased pressure on them, a £7k program of works has been completed on the playing areas and further works are planned as weather permits. Improvements to the back field parking capability is also in line to be completed, hopefully before the winter weather hits us again!
New appliances are to be installed in the kitchen prior to the start of the season in what will be Phase1 of a kitchen refurbishment, we will also have a new food outlet available adjacent to the front entrance way to the club, these works are ongoing as I write. ‘Near future’ project plans to the tune of circa £200k, which include as a priority a much-needed revamp of our changing facilities, are in the initial planning stages and we have a team actively working on this now with a view to delivery in the next 9 to 24 months. We are also looking further ahead with 5-year and 10-year plans being compiled.
We look forward to welcoming all past, present and of course new members back to the club for what I’m sure will be an exciting and entertaining new season.
John Dawson
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