Howdy fellow unicorns,
As most of you are probably aware I have spent the last couple of weeks recovering from a bout of Malaria, which was asouvenir of a trip to the Kokoda track. This has given me some spare time to reflect.
The first thing that struck me was just how much the words that are inscribed on the Kokoda memorial at Isurava are applicableto our great game.
Courage, Sacrifice, Selflessness and Mateship all relate as much to Rugby as to the spirit of Kokoda. The next thing Ireflected on was how lucky I am to be able to lead the Melbourne Rugby club and to be able to enjoy my Rugby in the companyof so many fellow enthusiasts. I felt humbled and proud reflecting on just what a great club we are all fortunate enough tobe involved in. With that thought in mind, as we reach mid season, I thought it appropriate to give you an update onwhat’s been happening around the club.
First to the ladders! All of our teams are sitting within the top four in their respective grades: 1st Grade are third, 2nd Grade arethird, 3rd Grade are fourth, Colts are second, Under 12’s are fourth, and our pathways teams (Under 10’s and Under8’s) are also doing well. All bodes well for a long finals season! Well done Greg and the coaching staff.
Financially we are doing well, apart from being slightly behind budget on subscriptions, largely due to player numbers being less than we estimated.Our bar income is quite respectively ahead of budget – thank you to everyone for your patronage and Mark for his efforts inkeeping the bar ship shape.
Sponsorship and fundraising activities are all looking good, with initiatives such as the 1st XV Jersey Club and our seasonend Mega Raffle being well supported to name a few. Speaking of the Mega Raffle it is gaining good momentum with thenumber of prizes on offer; however there is always room for more.
It is quite evident when you look around the crowd at both home and away games and see a sea of blue, our merchandiseactivities and sales are going well.
The sense of community and camaraderie that has developed both on and off the field to date this season is great to see,and is due in no small part to the efforts of our social committee, the President’s Club organisers and junior co-ordinator. So farthis season we have had no less than half a dozen social functions, with more to come, so check checking the ’what’shappening’ section of the newsletter for more information.
Looking forward, the Romanis lights project is progressing well. Council is currently working on the project plan tohave the lights available for pre-season next season. Our relationship with the Council continues to improve and hasallowed us for the first time to utilise our home grounds from 9.00am so that our juniors (under 12’s so far) can play realhome games this season, and in addition we will actually be hosting some pathways games during the second half of theseason, culminating is a club gala day at Romanis on 19th August. This day will also feature our first Lady’s lunch, whichwill run in a similar format to the President’s Club.
Rugby in Victoria is bigger than any one club, in recognising this we have offered our support and assistance to help in anyway we can to the VRU, to ensure that our great game continues to thrive and grow within Victoria and that Melbourne is at theforefront of this growth. Further to this, in a couple of weeks we will host a briefing to Presidents from the VRU on the new National competition. I will of course pass on any news in the newsletter. In all, we are progressing well this seasonand will continue to improve in all areas.
Thank you all for your support to date this season, it is far from over but things are looking good and I look forward to chattingwith you all at the club or the games!
Go Unicorns.
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