We'd welcome some extra volunteers and players but our rugby club has NOT folded
A well established rugby club is out to quash unfounded rumours that it has folded or is on the brink of collapse.
Blackpool RUFC, which plays home matches at Mossom Lane, off Fleetwood Road in Norbreck, recently put out a message that it was on the lookout for some extra players and volunteers.
The non-professional club needs a few more team members and behind-the-scenes helpers to ensure it can continue to run smoothly in the face of another challenging new season.
Many sports clubs at grass roots level do face challenges, as shown on Freddie Flintoff's grassroots TV sports series, Field of Dreams, including difficulty retaining players and the need to adapt training for beginners.
But the club’s message has led to some people - even ex-players - to think that the game is up for the club, which has been running for more than six decades.
George Bagot, an ex-player and a long-standing honorary life member, is keen to put the record straight about the club, which plays its matches in the NOWIRUL Wayne Lord Plumbing Division 2 League and is able to field a 15-strong team for all its fixtures.
He said: “We would love to have some extra players and I think the same could be said of most grassroots clubs in all sports.
“We certainly have enough players to honour all our fixtures, playing teams from Greater Manchester, Lancashire and south Cumbria, home and away.
“The club put out a message on our Facebook page inviting Rugby Union players across this area to give us a try. We are a great club and there’s a fantastic camaraderie in the team.
“We are also on the lookout for any volunteers who’d like to get onboard for things like pitch maintenance, repairs to the clubhouse, preparing food in the kitchen for the players and helping man the bar.
“Unfortunately, this message may have led to the unfounded rumour we have either folded or are about to.”
George, who played as a second row lock until he was in his early 50s, says he was shocked when he met a fellow ex-player for the club recently who expressed sadness about the club shutting down.
George said: “We were chatting and he said it was such a shame the club had folded. I asked him what he meant and he said he’d heard the club had gone.
“I was really taken aback - especially as this was coming from an ex-player.
“So our message is loud and clear - we are still going strong. Yes we would still like some extra players, it would be fantastic to strengthen our squad. And yes, we would love some extra volunteers to help us behind the scenes.
“But we are not about to fold. We have the infrastructure in place to grow - our ground and pitch, our clubhouse and bar, our coaching staff, our regular fixtures in the league and more than sixty years of history behind us.”
Blackpool RUFC is one of three surviving Rugby Union clubs on the Fylde coast, the othrs being Fleetwood RUFC and Fylde RUFC,
The club’s ground is owned by Blackpool Council and the authority has been helping the club by creating a smooth asphalt surface for the car park.
The club’s vice chairman, Russell Woodward, said: “We deeply value the role our rugby club plays in the heart of the community.
“Since 1959 this club has been a source of pride, unity and identity in our town and has brought people together from all walk of life.
“We want to raise awareness of what we stand for and what we have to offer.
“if anyone out there would like to join us, either on the pitch or behind the scenes, they would be most welcome.”
This Saturday, it’s business as usual the club - Blackpool entertain West Lancashire side Tarleton at Mossom Lane.
For further details about the cub, visit Blackpool RUFC on Facebook.