Starting a new rugby club an insane idea? Gippsland, Vic.

[wilful]

I live in West Gippsland, not the ends of the earth, a pretty civilised place really. Except that the nearest rugby club is Endeavour Hills, an hour or more drive away. Foolishly I have encouraged my boys to love rugby. I've told them that no good will come from this, that they live in footyville and should just get with the footy program, but they go to a Rebels game and see the little walla rugby kids runnign around at half time and demand to know why that can't be them.

So the only solution would be to start a club in west Gippsland (Warragul). But this would be just insane as a practical idea wouldn't it? I'm really just not the club president/founder kind of person. if there was a club in town I'd go along and do my bit as a clubman/parent, but I wouldn't be on the committee, I wouldn't be talking to the local Council and the VRU and all that. How hard would it be? I'd have to convince the Council to put up rugby sticks, I'd have to find a coach (couldn't be me), I'd have to beg the VRU for a grant for some gear, this really is a crazy idea isn't it? You'd have to be driven to think of it, you would really have to commit wouldn't you?

now if someone could only reply and say "hey i want to start a club in Warragul why don't you help", that would be full of win...

 

[Sully]

It always takes one crazy parent to start something. You don't need sticks. Just try and get some parents together and let the kids run around. Who knows what will become of it.

 

[grievous]

Go for it. Im attending a wedding there in March, know nothing about the place, can I say its rugby friendly??

 

[Empire]

I would get some solid ideas onto a document - name of team, expected numbers, rationale etc, and perhaps do a letter drop and try and rouse some interest, with the aim of having a meeting and forming a committee. From there, approaching the powers that be, and garnering some support.

Best of luck, sincerely hope you manage to get a 'Warragul Warriors' (or something!) running around and letting kids experience the joys of Rugby..

 

[MajorlyRagerly]

I had some flatmates in London from Warrugul/Trafalgar. You are going to need all the luck you can muster in that area. They were pretty extreme on their sporting views. It was AFL, Cricket, F1 (when in town)... and nothing else existed.

I remember going to kick a footy around with them, I put on a rugby jersey & no shit at all, one of them asked me what sort of jersey it was & what sport used it.

 

[Rugby Central]

Don't know the area much but if you're keen and you can muster enough kids then go for it. For all their faults...and there are many, the Community page on the ARU website (http://www.rugby.com.au/tryrugby/Administration.aspx) is not a bad starting point. It will guide you in what you might need. I would suggest that the VRU would also be quite supportive as it would be a win for them to find somewhere to expand outside Melbourne.

Good Luck

 

[Redsfan]

Try emailing these people at info@vicrugby.com.au

Michael Motu, Development Officer
Chris Evans, Community Rugby Officer
Bree Hill, Community Rugby Officer

You never know, they might help out?

 

[wilful]

Thanks for the encouragement folks.

But I suspect that this is a mountain too high to climb.

 

[wilful]

Go for it. Im attending a wedding there in March, know nothing about the place, can I say its rugby friendly??

No you cannot.

 

[Prodigy]

Try emailing these people at info@vicrugby.com.au

Michael Motu, Development Officer
Chris Evans, Community Rugby Officer
Bree Hill, Community Rugby Officer

You never know, they might help out?

Definitely get in contact with Bree Hill - she does an amazing job at Vic Rugby. She brought a team up to Sydney for the National Exchange in the Under 12's last year, and they did well. She is very knowledgeable and definitely wants to build the game down south.

 

[Benm80]

Finding this thread actually prompted me to Join. We are in pakenham so endeavour hills is actually a little closer to us. However I am thinking of starting the journey to look into creating a club/team through my daughters school which my son will be going to in another couple of years as he is only 3 at the moment. I am looking to see whether it may get some traction through the GIS ( Gippsland Independent Schools) pipe dream for now but have to start somewhere. I am also looking at getting my Level 1 and 2 rugby coaching accreditation as well as level 1 and 2 Strength and conditioning accreditation. Hopefully looking to start something with a bit of a future out this way

 

[barbarian]

That's great Ben, welcome to the forum. I wish yu the best of luck with it all, and please share the progress here!

 

[Benm80]

Yeah sure it wont be a short journey but will start making enquiries and try to put all the pieces together.

 

[Joe Mac]

I live in West Gippsland, not the ends of the earth, a pretty civilised place really. Except that the nearest rugby club is Endeavour Hills, an hour or more drive away. Foolishly I have encouraged my boys to love rugby. I've told them that no good will come from this, that they live in footyville and should just get with the footy program, but they go to a Rebels game and see the little walla rugby kids runnign around at half time and demand to know why that can't be them.

So the only solution would be to start a club in west Gippsland (Warragul). But this would be just insane as a practical idea wouldn't it? I'm really just not the club president/founder kind of person. if there was a club in town I'd go along and do my bit as a clubman/parent, but I wouldn't be on the committee, I wouldn't be talking to the local Council and the VRU and all that. How hard would it be? I'd have to convince the Council to put up rugby sticks, I'd have to find a coach (couldn't be me), I'd have to beg the VRU for a grant for some gear, this really is a crazy idea isn't it? You'd have to be driven to think of it, you would really have to commit wouldn't you?

now if someone could only reply and say "hey i want to start a club in Warragul why don't you help", that would be full of win...

Surely G&GR must be itching to become a sponsor for your team! G&GR across the front of the jersey for some shameless promotion and help with contacts to get it up and running. Not sure how they will go with funding but i would throw in a few bob to pay for equipment/jerseys etc if the other members were also keen to get involved... A G&GR donation page?

 

[wilful]

Finding this thread actually prompted me to Join. We are in pakenham so endeavour hills is actually a little closer to us. However I am thinking of starting the journey to look into creating a club/team through my daughters school which my son will be going to in another couple of years as he is only 3 at the moment. I am looking to see whether it may get some traction through the GIS ( Gippsland Independent Schools) pipe dream for now but have to start somewhere. I am also looking at getting my Level 1 and 2 rugby coaching accreditation as well as level 1 and 2 Strength and conditioning accreditation. Hopefully looking to start something with a bit of a future out this way

Benm, go for it! St Pauls and Gippsland Grammar would be your first two targets.

I'd travel to Pakenham.

 

[en_force_er]

As a Victorian I would be so behind this it's insane. Victorian rugby's only way forward is to have new clubs, especially junior ones.

In order to start a Junior club in Victoria you would probably need:

• Either 8-10 kids in the U6 Age group, 10-12 kids in the U8 age bracket, or 12-15 kids in the U10 age bracket. Ideally you'd be able to meet all of these requirements but any will do.
• 1 completely committed or 2 half committed coaches an age group. They'd need only have a basic understanding of the game as well the ability to get working with children check and a smart rugby qualification (a 3 hours course). Rugby is really general and quite positionless at this age so they can be a forward or back.
• An administrator who can get the funding to pay the club fees and who is a good communicator (adversiting the club, making people pay subs, liaising with the council, ect)
• A small patch of grass to use on 1 training night a week and weekends occasionally. This patch would need to be the size of half a rugby field and wouldn't need to have posts.

I honestly think it would be perfectly achievable for anyone but it would be much more complicated when U14, 16 and 18 age groups come into the equation.
Perhaps you could look to Endeavour Hills for help, strike a deal with them where you are a feeder club. Tell them that you'll point any players with higher ambitions in their direction when they come of age and agree to merge teams with them if you ever don't quite have the numbers for an age group.
Thoughts? You can contact me and I'll help you in any way I can but I could only be an ideas man, nothing more.

 

[ellabroz]

Starting a club in Gippsland isn't really an option. Sure, across all of Gippsland you could probably find enough players and interested people to create a club with numbers at juniors and seniors. The problem is that they are scattered over too large an area. Warragul in West Gippsland is a 45min drive to Endeavour Hills. Bairnsdale, in East Gippsland is about a 3 hour drive. It's simply too far for people to try the game. Those who are committed will likely go to Melbourne each weekend.

About 10-15 years ago there was a league comp with teams from several Gippsland towns. However, much of the Pacific Islander population has moved on from the Latrobe Valley region (Central Gippsland and largest population centre) and the Kiwis here either work offshore in Bass Strait, shift work in a power station or don't hang around long enough.

Last year a Gippsland team based in Morwell was created in the Victorian Gridiron comp. They have been relatively successful already. However, the overall strength/weakness of gridiron in Victoria may be a significant factor in this. Nonetheless, they have about 60 players or so.

And the other thing...Aussie Rules. It is the King here. Even towns without any shops or a pub have a team.

 

[en_force_er]

Starting a club in Gippsland isn't really an option. Sure, across all of Gippsland you could probably find enough players and interested people to create a club with numbers at juniors and seniors. The problem is that they are scattered over too large an area. Warragul in West Gippsland is a 45min drive to Endeavour Hills. Bairnsdale, in East Gippsland is about a 3 hour drive. It's simply too far for people to try the game. Those who are committed will likely go to Melbourne each weekend.

About 10-15 years ago there was a league comp with teams from several Gippsland towns. However, much of the Pacific Islander population has moved on from the Latrobe Valley region (Central Gippsland and largest population centre) and the Kiwis here either work offshore in Bass Strait, shift work in a power station or don't hang around long enough.

Last year a Gippsland team based in Morwell was created in the Victorian Gridiron comp. They have been relatively successful already. However, the overall strength/weakness of gridiron in Victoria may be a significant factor in this. Nonetheless, they have about 60 players or so.

And the other thing...Aussie Rules. It is the King here. Even towns without any shops or a pub have a team.

An interesting read.

Why not try for a team in Morwell? Or you could have a club in Bairnesdale and Warragul?

It needn't be a Gippsland team, you could have a couple of clubs in the area and they could exchange resources in a way that benefited one another.

I've seen some of the smaller clubs around Victoria and I refuse to think that it's be impossible to start one of your region. You could start with U8s, U10s, and Seniors and fill in the gaps as you go.

 

[ellabroz]

An interesting read.

Why not try for a team in Morwell? Or you could have a club in Bairnesdale and Warragul?

It needn't be a Gippsland team, you could have a couple of clubs in the area and they could exchange resources in a way that benefited one another.

I've seen some of the smaller clubs around Victoria and I refuse to think that it's be impossible to start one of your region. You could start with U8s, U10s, and Seniors and fill in the gaps as you go.

I understand what you're saying, but I'm unconvinced as to how it could work. At the secondary school I work at in Sale, we have almost 1000 kids. I reckon only a handful could tell me the names of the two professional rugby teams in Melbourne. Could they tell me their respective codes...unlikely.

For me, I'd rather continue to play masters grade for my old club in Melbourne rather than attempt to start a club in Gippsland that will attract little support or interest. Even if we got a team up, how many people will be willing to drive for hours every second week to play?

 

[ACT Crusader]

I had some flatmates in London from Warrugul/Trafalgar. You are going to need all the luck you can muster in that area. They were pretty extreme on their sporting views. It was AFL, Cricket, F1 (when in town)... and nothing else existed.

I remember going to kick a footy around with them, I put on a rugby jersey & no shit at all, one of them asked me what sort of jersey it was & what sport used it.

That would be Warragul and Traralgon MR

I think there may have been attempts many moons ago to try and get a team in Moe. But I know that is Aussie rules heartland. Had a few mates from High School that moved all the way out to Moe just to play VFL.