Dear fellow Millwallians…

The days are drawing shorter and the London heat has finally died down, which can mean only one thing: the rugby season is upon us.

The youth section, Millwall Lions, began training again on 1 September, and this coming Sunday is their registration day. Players from the senior sides have been involved in the training sessions alongside parent coaches and the response has been positive. I hope this will continue throughout the season and provide a pathway into coaching for those who, like me, are in the twilight of their playing days.

Millwall Venus have already played their first league game of the season, losing away at Chesham on Sunday with an injury-depleted squad. Their next fixture will be in early October but this coming Wednesday (18 Sep) Venus is hosting an Inner Warrior session in collaboration with the RFU. The event, starting at 7.30pm, will cover the basics of rugby along with enjoyable fitness routines

As for the men’s sides, the league program begins on 21 September, when the 1st XV plays host to Clacton (2pm kick off). There are bound to be a number of new faces in the line-up: we have recruited some very talented players over the summer who have performed well in friendly defeats against challenging opposition. As ever, we could do with more players to fill our teams so if you know anyone moving to the area please encourage them to come down to training on a Monday or Wednesday.

Membership
Our new membership structure came into effect on 1 September. Full details are available on the club website:www.millwallrugby.com/membership. Thank you to all who have set up their membership payments in the new LoveAdmin system. I’d also like to thank Gareth Hargreaves and Seb Villiard who have put in a great deal of effort implementing the new system and dealing with the inevitable teething issues.

Membership cards are being prepared and will be available to collect in the clubhouse ahead of 1 October, when we introduce different bar prices for members and non-members (who will pay approximately 20% more). Social membership is available to those who are not regular players.

Sponsorship
Our new Sponsorship Officer Craig Shaw has been hard at work over the summer, and we are excited to welcome as our newest partner Convedo, who will be the primary sponsor of both the Men's 1st XV and the Millwall Lions youth programme.

Carrot Cars are showing their continued commitment to Millwall Rugby Club by sponsoring a new Venus change strip (in the same delightful orange and green combination as the Men’s change strip) in addition to the Men's 2nd and 3rd XV home kits.

Rugby World Cup 2019
We are just a week away from the opening day of the Rugby World Cup in Japan. As outlined in my last email, Millwall Lions will be hosting a hosting a taster session for over 500 school children on Millwall Park on Friday 20 September 2019. The event is important to raising the profile of the game in Tower Hamlets, and we could do with more volunteers to help out with some basic coaching on the day. Please contact our Youth Chair, Scott (youthchair@millwallrugby.com) if you can assist.

The next day will see the clubhouse open early to show the World Cup games before the Men’s fixture against Clacton. Following that match will be the season opening party, with a Japanese theme and prizes for best dressed fan with a twist of Japan. Show us who you will be supporting and make sure to add an item or two in honour of the host nation.

A number of Millwallians are lucky enough to be travelling to the World Cup and a meet-up is being organised in Kobe for the day of the England v USA fixture but if you aren't able to make it out to Japan, we have now released the full schedule of matches that we will be showing LIVE in the Clubhouse. Click here to find out more.

Keep up-to-date
Our new communications officer Kate Roy has been doing fantastic work in the last couple of months, with her Instagram stories from the pre-season friendlies a particular highlight.

You can keep a track of what’s going on at the club on the following channels:

• Website - Check out the News tab as well as the What’s On calendar that is up-to-date to Dec 2019 with training times, fixtures and CH openings. www.millwallrugby.com

• Facebook - Updated regularly, it is the place to keep track of any last minute updates. @millwallrugby / @venusrugby / @millwalllions

• Instagram: Want to see the adventures of Millwall out on the pitch and in the clubhouse, follow our IG accounts. @millwallrugby / @millwallvenusrugby And whether you are playing, supporting from afar, or cheering from the side-lines, don’t forget to tag us.

Let's go to work,
Toby Sanders