Blandford Rugby Football Club - Junior Announcements

27.06.2010		Message from the Chairman During the closed season Louis Minchella has taken over the role of chairman of the Junior Section, as Helen has moved on to manage the not insignificant role of Whole Club Development, the next stage on from Seal of Approval. Louis has issued a letter to introduce himself to those of you who do not know him, it is available to read here.

03.05.2010		Junior Section AGM This year the AGM will be held on Wednesday 09^th June 2010, with a 19:30 start in the clubhouse. Anybody interested in volunteering please contact a committee member or turn up on the night.

02.05.2010		End of Season Fun Day The 'End of Season' presentations photo album is available to view here. Presentations were made by Jay rampton, Chairman of the Senior Section. Also a combined Seniors team took on our U15/U16's in a touch rugby match.

27.04.210		Blandford RFC present An Evening with a Referee An Evening with a Referee is an informal evening with a Referee from the Dorset & Wilts Referee Society who will explain the basic rules of why the referee blows his whistle, stops play or gives the ball to the opposition. If you are interested in attending Please let Helen known by 2^nd May either in person, phone 01258 455413 or e-mail . Date: 25 May 2010 Time: 1930 Location: The Club House There will be a buffet supper for all. The cost of the evening will be £5:00 per person

29.03.2010		Bacon Butty Day Mandy and Claire will be running a bacon butty and cake stall on Sunday 11^th April. Cake donations are required from all parents to ensure a success. All monies raised will go towards the food for Presentation Sunday. Please support this venture as if it is a success we will be looking at running a more frequent service.

28.03.2010		Safeguarding Course Blandford RFC will be running a Safeguarding Young Persons Course on Monday 17^th May 2010 commencing at 19:00 in the Clubhouse. The RFU recommends all people involved with junior rugby attend this course. Click here for application form, completed forms should be returned to Blandford RFC Safeguarding Officer.

11.03.2010		Update on the EGM The format of the meeting has now been confirmed. The meeting is scheduled for 1845 with a 1900 start. Mr Bryan Burrows, Club President will give a short presentation on the proposal to relocate the Clubhouse to an area adjacent to the Leisure Centre which is owned by the Blandford Secondary Schools Foundation (BSSF), replacing the existing cricket pavilion. This will be followed by 5 more short presentations on this subject. On conclusion of the presentations there will be an opportunity to ask questions. This will be followed by a short intermission, after which a vote on the proposal will be taken. PLEASE Note: Only paid up members of the club may participate in the voting process. The definition of a "paid up member" is one of the following: Social Member, Senior Player, One parent of a junior player (this also includes families who have more than one junior player), Vice Presidents, Honorary Members, Player/Family and Non-Player/Family (Player/Family and Non-Player/Family will also only be entitled to one vote). The Bar will not be open for the duration of the meeting.

04.03.2010		Blandford RFC EGM A whole Club EGM is to be held on Friday 26^th March in the clubhouse to discuss the proposed Clubhouse move. The meeting is at 18:45 for a 19:00 start, expecting to finish around 20:00. This is your chance to hear the proposals and make your feelings known. If you are unable to attend then please email your comments/suggestions to either or

07.02.2010		Lost Propery. So far this season we have had a lot of lost propery handed in. This is held at the Tuck Shop on a Sunday morning for you to collect. If you are from a visiting team and think you have left something behind then please contact . Any items not collected by 1^st March will be disposed of.

20.12.2009		The Junior Section Christmas Party was a great success for all who attended. Thanks to Santa who made a special visit with gifts and to Alec for providing the disco. We were all well fed thanks to the efforts of some of the parents and plenty of refreshments provided by Pete and Mo behind the bar. A special thank you to Mandy, Claire, Sarah, Heather and Helen our chefs and everyone else who lent a hand on the day. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to everyone, see you all back on 3^rd Jan to work off the mince pies!

08.12.2009		Blandford Rugby Club is hosting an IRB Rugby Ready Course on Sunday 07^th February 2010 to help boost out coaching staff numbers. Time - 0930 to 1230. Location - Blandford Rugby Club Pitches. Cost to Individual - Nothing the club will pay. Clothing / Equipment - Just yourself. Attitude - be prepared to have some fun. Mick Solomons, the Coaching Coordinator, has managed to get the course on a sunday morning to hopefully make it as simple as possible for parents and players alike to participate. This course is the bare minimum you really should have to be assisting formaly with Rugby coaching and is the pre requisite to Level 1. It is a very simple, fun, hands on course that has no formal assessments, it is to introduce you to the principles of rugby coaching in an informal and relaxed manner. Please see this link for course details. We need a minimum of 12 people to run the course. The course is for both people who are already coaching but would like a refresher or to get themselves qualified and to those who are just begining their coaching career. Could I therefore ask that if you are interested in this course and can commit to attending or if you need more info, that you me by 23 Dec 2009.

23.11.2009		A whole Club meeting is to be held on Monday 30^th November in the clubhouse to discuss proposals for the new location and build. This meeting starts at 19:00 and all members of both the Senior and Junior Sections are welcome.

22.11.2009		A Cake Sale will be held next Sunday morning, the 29^th November pitch side. All proceeds will go towards club funds for providing equipment for the children. If you wish to donate cakes please bring along individual small cakes or larger cakes (which must be sliced and pre-wrapped) to the tuck shop on the day.

22.11.2009		The Junior Section Christmas Social event will be held in the clubhouse on Sunday 20^th December commencing at 12:00. Food will be served from 12:30 and our special guest is arriving at around 13:30. Raffle will be held with a first prize of £50 cash, tickets available now from tuck shop or committee members. Attendance is by ticket only, these are on sale now from committee members. £4.00 for adults and £2.00 for children. If you wish to donate prizes for the raffle please contact .

13.09.2009		The Junior Section are still looking for additional coaches or parent helpers for this season. If you want to get involved then please contact .

15.08.2009		The Family B-B-Q was held today, 15^th August, and was a great success for all those who attended. The event was particularly memorable as we were presented with our RFU Mini & Youth Seal of Approval Award by Mr Ron Jones, the President of Dorset & Wilts RFU. The RFU press release for our achievement can be viewed here.

21.07.2009		The juniors will be hosting a Family B-B-Q at the clubhouse starting at 13:00. This event will include the presentation of our Mini and Youth Seal of Approval award by a member of the Dorset & Wilts RFU. The next committee meeting has therefore been moved to Tuesday 1^st September, 19:45 in the clubhouse.

28.04.2009		The Seniors are holding a bike ride on Sat 11^th July 2009. This event is being organised by Chris Kerley and Alex Ricketts, please check the seniors pages for latest updates for this event.

27.04.2009		The 'End of Season' presentations photo album is available to view here. Presentations were made by Lee Haim (1^st XV Team Captain) and Ben Ryan (2^nd XV Team Captain). Also a combined Seniors team took on our U15/U16's in a touch rugby match. You can view pictures here.

27.04.2009		I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the players and family members who have helped me with the Under 8's rugby this season. Having come into the game as a coach, it has really opened my eyes to rugby for children and I have seen a difference in the children I have coached thoughout the year going from being afraid to handle the ball to the last game of the season where we were tackling and having great fun. Hopefully, if you let me, I would like to be able to come back and participate in some of the training and even a game or two. A big thank you again from myself and my family for the friendship and your help for the last two years.

15.03.2009		We need your vouchers ! The Juniors are collecting Tesco for Schools and Clubs vouchers this year. If you collect vouchers and want to donate them please hand them to Helen or Joy on a Sunday morning.

10.03.2009		The U13's will be on tour 18/19 April. They need your support to raise funds for the tour so please support these events: Sunday 15th March have your car washed during rugby 11am - 2pm Sunday 22nd March cake sale plus raffle Sunday 29th March cake sale plus raffle

07.03.2009		Preliminary fixtures for the 2009/10 Season are now available to view here.

03.03.2009		The Seniors are having a series of events upcoming over the next couple of months. This includes a Golf Day on 17^th April, Cleanup of the Clubhouse grounds on 25^th April. Full details are available on the Seniors Whats Going On page.

01.03.2009		Following on from the very successful Summer Camp in 2008, Socious Sports will be holding a Summer Rugby Camp 2009 on our grounds with coaches from a number of southern hemisphere countries who are qualified at international level. Details of this popular event are already being advertised on their web site together with details of how to bid for a place. For further information about this event which is an excellent week for any child interested in rugby please visit the Socious website.

24.02.2009		Phil Vickery’s supporting Help For Heroes International Rugby – Dorset ’09 Are you? H4H International Rugby – Dorset ’09 is a two-day event held in Meyrick Park, Bournemouth to raise funds for Help For Heroes, a charity supporting servicemen and women wounded on operational duty. The event will include live rugby matches featuring a Combined Services XV, an International XV, the British Lionesses, and a Regional Returning Heroes XV. In addition, there will be displays and demonstrations from the Armed Forces, concessionary stands and children’s fairground rides. On the Saturday night, we will be hosting a Gala Dinner for 300 guests, which will feature a charity auction. Sunday evening will see the End Of Event Party, which has space for 400 guests. All of the profits from the event will go to Help For Heroes, with a massive turnout expected over the course of the weekend.

21.02.2009		The junior Section took delivery of it's new Gazebo from www.dorsetcanopyhire.co.uk today. Richard from Dorset Canopy Hire was extremely helpful in assisting us in selecting the right gazebo. We now have a 3m x 4.5m green and white structure with detachable sides (on velcro) which can easily be erected by two in very quick time - so at last somewhere for the kit bags etc to be kept on match days. Noel is happy because he no longer needs to stand out in all weathers running the shop !! Thanks to 'Pasty' for researching a suitable supplier.

11.02.2009		Triangular match against Weymouth and Dorchester. The venue for these matches is the sports pitches of Blandford Camp NOT our usual location at the school. For those of you who have already provided car registration details a special events pass has been issued. If you have not supplied these details and intend to come please either phone or e-mail Joy (details on admin contact page) at the earliest opportunity. Last chance for pass applications is Thursday night. The passes will be available for collection from Joy on Sunday morning at the lay-by outside the school at the bottom of Black Lane which is the access road to camp between 09:30 and 10:30 only. If you have not collected your pass by the end of this period it will be available from the police post at the camp gate. Anyone who has not applied for a pass but wishes to attend after the deadline will be required to undertake the normal camp booking in procedure which will require production of a recognised photo ID document (photo card driving licence or passport).

07.02.2009		Due to the weather conditions the U11 & U12 Festivals have been postponed until Feb 15. Please contact your respective coach for timings for these events.

07.02.2009		All matches and training cancelled due to weather conditions.

04.02.2009		Three of our coaches are playing this Saturday in the Raggy Dolls Charity Match so come along and support them or just come a long for a good time. Kick off is at 1.00pm on our playing fields. Any and all proceeds are going to the Help for Heroes campaign.

29.01.2009		The Senior Club have wristbands, car stickers and key rings, all for £2.00 with lapel badges at £3.00 - all the proceeds go to Help for Heroes. They will be fundraising outside the club again on Saturday from 10 and on Sunday will be fundraising outside Morrisons. If anyone fancies coming down in their club colours to help for a little bit that would be great. For more information contact or .

24.01.2009		The Under 7 to Under 12's away fixture on Sunday 25 Jan 09 has been cancelled due to waterlogged pitches. Training will take place at home.

14.01.2009		This year's Raggy Dolls match has been confirmed for Sat 7 Feb 09, kick off time 1.00pm on the sports pitches behind the Blandford School, continuing in the Clubhouse afterwards. The teams are Raggy Dolls v Blandford Select XV. Come along to add your support and raise money for this worthwhile cause.

07.01.2009		This year the Raggy Dolls charity match will be in aid of Help for Heroes. The Raggy Dolls team is made up of wives and girlfriends of the Senior Section players, they are coached by members of the Senior Section and their opposition is drawn from the First and Second teams. To give the girls a fighting chance the opposition are required to play in fancy dress, this is usually a worthwhile event to come along and support. The match is planned for Sat 7 Feb 09, full details will be published nearer the time.

13.12.2008		The Under 7 to Under 12's away fixture on Sunday 14 Dec 08 has been cancelled due to waterlogged pitches. Training will take place off pitch at home but please check with your coach as the session may be cut short, particularly younger age groups.

05.12.2008		Following consultation with Steve Powell, Head Groundsman, at the School it has been decided to cancel all training sessions and games this weekend due to the grounds being waterlogged. This decision was not easy but in order to perserve the pitches and surrounding areas for the rest of the season it was felt that it would be beneficial to postone this weekend to allow the ground time to recover.

26.11.2008		The away fixture for the U7 to U12 age groups at Warminster has been postponed - date TBC

05.11.2008		Under 13's to Under 16's will be wearing the new strip from the end of November. The modern design and fabric has gone down well with the players and some have also ordered their own personal shirts. Despite economic downturn, local businesses have been very generous with sponsorship, including Homebase, Isis, Dorset Life and Southfield Veterinary Practice.

09.10.2008		Would you like to advertise every Sunday in Blandford and the surrounding area in the run up to Christmas and beyond? We will shortly be purchasing a number of new team strips for our teams. It is an ideal opportunity to get your company logo on the shirts to advertise. If you are interested in this sponsorship opportunity or would like more information then contact Paul Flavell

14.09.2008		A visit from the Diplomat House Dental Practice was held today to make gum shield moulds for our young (and not so young) players. We were again lucky with the weather this year and it was a great success. More details can be found here.

10.08.2008		Twickenham Stadium will be hosting a challenge rugby union match featuring rugby stars from around the world aimed at raising over £1m for Help for Heroes, the charity that provides support for the Servicemen and women wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq. Help for Heroes is raising money to help improve facilities and services at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre, Headley Court and the NHS Hospital, Selly Oak. The match, to be played at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday, September 20th will feature two teams, a Help for Heroes XV and an International Select XV who will play a challenge match at the home of English rugby. Full details including ticket booking can be found on the Help for Heroes Website

09.08.2008		The Socious Sports Summer Camp was held over the last week. It was a great success with all our young players and more details can be found here.

29.04.2008		Due to unforseen circumstances, the RFU Non Award Coaching Course on Building a Safe Scrum & Lineout on Wednesday 14th May has had to be postponed. It is hoped this course will be run mid July, check announcements page for any updates.

27.04.2008		Upcoming Diary Dates to note: 13 May 08 - Committee Meeting, 7:45 in the Clubhouse. 2 September 08 - Committee Meeting, 7:45 in the Clubhouse. 6 September 08 - Entry for Blandford Carnival. Contact Helen if you want to take part. 7 September 08 - First session of the 2008/9 season, 10:15 start. Watch this website for announcements during the off season for summer events.

27.04.2008		The Presentation and Fun Day was held today. A trophy for the most improved player and best team player was awarded for each age group. Every player was awarded with a medal and certificate for taking part during the season. Presentations were made by Mr Brian Burrows, the Club President and Mr John Gillingham, Adult Section Chairman. After the presentations the AGM was then held in the Clubhouse where the raffle was drawn. A number of prizes remain unclaimed, if you hold one of the following tickets then please contact Helen: Yellow Ticket - 748 White Ticket - 93 Yellow Ticket - 794 Yellow Ticket - 784

20.04.2008		To round off the season, a Fun Day will be held on Sunday 27th April at the club pitches. Players should remember to bring their Blandford Shirts for Team Photos, parents should be prepared to 'get involved' in fun games. Presentations will then be made by the Club President. This will be followed by the AGM & hog roast in the Clubhouse, where the raffle will be drawn.

19.04.2008		Blandford RFC are pleased to offer an RFU Non Award Coaching Course on Building a Safe Scrum & Lineout on Wednesday 14th May @ 6.30pm (start) lasting 2 to 3 hours, covering all aspects of scrummaging & lineout play. Cost will be £5.00 per person to cover costs and is open to coaches, parents & players and anyone interested in starting coaching.

23.03.2008		End of Season Raffle will be drawn at the AGM on Sunday 26 April 2008. First prize donated by the Junior Section is a cash prize. Anyone wishing to donate a prize should speak to Helen, Jackie or Joy.

14.03.2008		Blandford RFC are pleased to offer an RFU Non Award Coaching Course on CONTACT & TACKLING SAFELY. To be held on Saturday April 5th at Blandford RFC grounds (Blandford School) starting at 10.00am. Arrive at 9.30am for introductions & coffee. Course will cover major aspects of contact & tackling and will last between 2 & 3 hours. Cost will be £5.00 per person to cover costs and is open to coaches, parents & players and anyone interested in starting coaching.

03.02.2008		Blandford RFC Charity Raggy Dolls Match will be held on Sunday 10th February 2008. Kick off will be at 12:15 on the pitches behind the Milldown school. This is a Boys verses the Girls match with a twist. Girls should contact Sylvia Fife on 07912 425 579 and Boys to contact Angus Rodgers on 07704 434 744. Training has started for the ladies and is being held on Sunday's from 11:30. On the day of the match Teas and coffee will be available on pitch side. Please come along and support this charity match in aid of “Breathe On UK”.

27.01.2008		A Local Company, ISIS Water, based in Charlton Marshall have today presented the Under 13's Team with a complete set of tracksuits for all team members.

12.01.2008		Thanks to the help of some of our younger players and coaches, the new tuck shop has now been completed. This will be available pitch side during matches and Sunday morning training sessions. Parents and players will be able to purchase hot and cold drinks along with a variety of foodstuffs.

11.01.2008		Blandford have been successful in our application to Socious Sports and this company will be holding a Summer Rugby Camp on our grounds with coaches from a number of southern hemisphere countries who are qualified at international level. Details of this popular event are already being advertised on their web site together with details of how to bid for a place. For further information about this event which is an excellent week for any child interested in rugby please visit the Socious website.