Chairman's Update (Aug 2020)
Fellow Millwallians,
I hope you are all well. In normal years I would be writing to let you know about pre-season fixtures to dust off the cobwebs after a long summer. 2020 is, of course, unlike any other year and the RFU has only recently moved to 'Stage C' of the return to rugby roadmap. This allows clubs to run training sessions with groups of up to 20 people, and intra-club games of 'Ready4Rugby' – essentially a 10 vs. 10 version of touch rugby. Details of training at the club are outlined later in this email, along with the results of the AGM and the 2019/20 award winners.
For a return to full contact matches against other clubs, we will need to be at Stage F on the return to rugby roadmap. This stage cannot be reached until there has been a full month of contract training (Stage E). Thus, the start of the league season remains months away.
The clubhouse bar also remains closed for the time being, although we will be taking steps over the coming weeks to investigate how we can open safely with a reduced capacity. As I’m sure you will all appreciate, our lack of an outdoor space is particularly challenging.
AGM results
Following the online AGM held last Saturday, all provisional results have been confirmed. If you would like to request a copy of the AGM minutes and/or Annual Treasurer report, please email secretary@millwallrugby.com
Those elected for the 2020/21 season are as follows:
CLUB MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE (CMC) POSITIONS
CHAIRMAN - Toby Sanders
SECRETARY - Seamus McGowan
TREASURER - Gareth Hargreaves
MEN’S CHAIR - Shek Palit
LADIES CHAIR - Megan Over
YOUTH CHAIR - Scott Vinnicombe
CLUBHOUSE MANAGER - Paul Fisher
DEVELOPMENT OFFICER - Daisy Gibbons
SPONSORSHIP OFFICER - Craig Shaw
GENERAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS - Seb Villard & Emily Grant
WIDER CLUB MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE (WIDER CMC)
VENUS MANAGER - Nathalie Deutsch & Harriet Lowe
FIXTURES SECRETARY - Mike Beech
DISCIPLINARY OFFICER - Mike Beech
SOCIAL SECRETARY - Alex Liddell & Elena Bunbury
The CMC role of Communications Officer, and the wider CMC roles of men’s 1st and 2nd team manager are currently vacant as there were no nominees.
I would like to place on record my thanks to Kate Roy, Kirstie Hargreaves and Rachel Castola, all of whom gave great service to the club as CMC members for the 2019/20 season.
Running the AGM via Zoom was a challenging experience and we hope to be back in the clubhouse for next year’s meeting. Although the CMC panellists were deciding which questions to read out so as to avoid repetition and inappropriate or irrelevant questions, concerns have been raised with me over the wording of a question which was not read out but was posted in the Q&A function and therefore visible to attendees. I must remind members that the club’s code of conduct applies just as much to online interactions as it does to behaviour in the clubhouse. Members should feel free to ask challenging questions of those standing for election at an AGM, but in doing so we must not deviate from the core rugby values of respect and discipline. In the interests of club harmony, think about how your words could be construed and avoid anything that could be taken as an attack against a fellow club member.
Training Info
As social distancing restrictions continue to relax more generally, this week has seen the return of touch rugby and larger group training sessions to Millwall Park for Senior Players. The maximum size of any training group is 20 people. Similarly, games of touch rugby must not exceed 10 per side. Contact training – which includes tackling, rucks, mauls, scrums and line-outs – remains strictly prohibited.
In order to be compliant with our legal and RFU obligations, there are guidelines we all need to follow as we return to training. The key principles are that players must sign-up for training in advance and complete a self-assessment form on the club website. Anyone displaying coronavirus symptoms must not attend training. You can find further information about the return to training on the Millwall website here. If you are planning on attending training in the coming weeks, please take a few minutes to familiarise yourself with this new process.
Youth Training
6-13 year olds - Sunday mornings from 11:00am from September on Millwall Park.
Minis Training (3-5 year olds) is likely to resume in October but this is TBC.
Contact Scott Vinnicombe (youthchair@millwallrugby.com) if you have any questions.
Venus Training
Wednesday evenings from 7:30pm on Millwall Park.
Contact Meg Over (ladieschair@millwallrugby.com) if you have any questions.
Men’s Training
Monday and Thursday evenings from 7:00pm on Millwall Park.
Note we will be training on Thursdays to begin with due to current space restrictions on Millwall Park. As the light fades and the mark gets less busy, we hope to return to Wednesday sessions.
We have recently begun advertising for a second men’s coach. A copy of the advert is attached to this email in case you know anyone who might be interested.
Contact Shek Palit (menschair@millwallrugby.com) if you have any questions
Season 2019/20 Annual Award winners
In the absence of our usual end-of-season dinner, I announced the club award winners at the AGM. For those not present, the winners are as follows:
Best Newcomer Men's - Erik Woolcott
Erik has been an absolute godsend for the 1st XV this season with his dominant play up front. With his work rate and physicality around the contact area, he makes an impact every time he steps on the field. His technical scrummaging ability has even helped to revive a rare sight on a few occasions this season... a Millwall scrum going forwards!
Best Newcomer Venus - Bolade Alake
Bolade has proved herself to be a fantastic asset to Venus. Despite having not played rugby before, she quickly picked up the rules and skills and proved herself to be a natural at rugby! She demonstrates tenacity and fierceness on the pitch, making her a worthy winner for Best Newcomer this year.
Most Improved Men's - Peter Nieves
Peter has always showed potential and has made great strides this season when given the opportunity. Developing into a regular 1st team player, his strong ball carrying abilities have set him apart, and usually put fear in the hearts of the opposition on the few occasions he played for the Llamas. Buy this poor man a well-deserved drink on the Wetherspoon’s app!
Most Improved Venus - Suz Franks
Suz has demonstrated great commitment to the Women's team and shown eagerness from the 'get go' to learn and develop as a new rugby player. She has made fantastic progress playing number 15 for most of the season and we look forward to continuing to see her grow as a player next season.
2nd Team Player of the Year - Ed Rothery
Ed has been an absolute workhorse for the Llamas this season with strong carries, strong tackles, and putting himself around the park at the breakdown. He put in impressive performances when he was called up to the 1s. He’s also really stepped up this year with his leadership on the pitch and his commitment to the club, volunteering off the pitch.
1st Team Player of the Year - Andrew Fraser
Andrew has made a massive impact on the pitch in his first year at the club. He has shown his all round talent in every aspect of the game and was equally dependable with ball in hand and in defence. He was one of the first names on the team sheet at selection every week. As a Scotsman, silverware will be a foreign sight to him, but it is well-earned.
Venus Player of the Year - Jackie Esono
Jackie has been key player for Venus this season. As captain and number 10, she has been a great leader for the team on the pitch keeping a cool head in the toughest of situations! She has not only played a key role in matches but also at training and off the pitch. She is well deserving of this award!
Player's Player of the Year - Seamus McGowan
Over the last 12 months Seamus has shown great leadership on the pitch and made significant contributions off it. He is a player who can regularly be seen sweating buckets during and after matches, who plays on through the pain barrier, and who can always be relied on to give teammates a slap on the backside if they are walking between rucks.
Club person of the Year - Shek Palit
Shek has had a tough year with injuries: first a shoulder, then a knee. We have certainly missed him on the pitch, but off it he has been a great leader. He has run training sessions, driven the bus and been behind the bar pulling pints in his fetching Millwall dressing gown. A true club man.
Youth Volunteer of the Year - Martin Griffiths
Martin’s commitment to the youth section has been vital in its development over the past few seasons. It’s been great to see how Martin’s coaching has developed since first stepping in to help out, he now leads the sessions for the u11s who enjoyed another successful season. He is always available to help with any youth section events and does it with a smile.
Unsung Hero of the Year - Mike Beech
Mike put in a huge amount of effort behind the scenes this year to ensure that fixtures got played. When the council cancelled our pitch bookings at the last minute, he made great use of his contacts across Essex rugby to find us alternative venues. When the men’s teams had enough players for a third team fixture, he found us opposition on short notice, and when members of the committee needed sage-like advice, he provided it.
Chairman's Award – Chirantha ‘CJ’ Ulapane
I thought long and hard about this award, as there are so many people whose efforts this year deserve recognition. CJ is someone who has not played much rugby in the last two seasons due to injury, but has nevertheless been a regular presence at Men’s and Venus fixtures, offering full throated support. He has stepped into the breach to become a coach of the Venus, a role in which he has shown all the passion and determination which I previously saw from him as a teammate.
When the clubhouse has reopened, we will hold an awards ceremony to hand over the much-coveted tankards to all the award winners. Hopefully none of them will get left on the DLR this year!
I will write again with an update in September, and you should also be hearing from the club soon about membership prices for the forthcoming season.
Best regards
Toby Sanders
Chairman