#throwbackthursday

Acquired in 2007, improvements to our Clubhouse under the arches have continued over the years with the generous help of our volunteers and sponsors.

You'll be sure to find it full of Millwallians on the weekends, enjoying drinks and playing games from Gaucho to Jenga as well as talking about the rugby action from that afternoon. We will also be showing a good few matches of the #RWC2019 live so come join us at the friendliest spot on the Island.

#nobootsintheclubhouse #rugby #rugbyunion #RWC2019 #canarywharf #isleofdogs #greenwich #eastlondon #throwbackthursday

- Mon 16th & Wed 18th: Training continues

- Wed 18th: Clubhouse open from 19.00, and Millwall Ladies Inner Warrior Rugby Session from 19.30.

- Fri 20th: Youth Event: Let's Kick Off RWC 2019 from 09.00.

- Sat 21st: Clubhouse Open from 08:00 - RWC Live

= Millwall I v Clacton (H) KO 14.00

= Millwall II v Harlow Rugby Club III (A) KO 15.00

= Millwall III v TBC

*PLUS* Opening Party: Season 2019/20 from 18:30 until LATE!

- Sun 22nd: Clubhouse Open from 08:30 - RWC Live.

= Millwall Lions Rugby Training (Minis 10:15 - 11:00 & Youth 11:00 - 12.30)

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

Strap yourselves in, because The Rugby World Cup is finally here. Time to see who's got what it takes to bring home the William Webb Ellis trophy.

Come join us at Millwall Rugby Club (Next to Island Gardens DLR, under the arches) as we show 21 matches LIVE from Japan. Opening early for the weekend games, our Clubhouse Officer Paul Fisher and his lively roster of Duty Manager’s (DMs), Bar Staff and Caterers will be on hand to welcome you to the Clubhouse with all manner of specials - including a Beer or Bubbles Brunch Offer - so that you can enjoy the RWC in the right way. 

If you’re a member, drinks are some of the cheapest you will find in London, with pints starting at £2.90 but note from 01 October 2019 non-members will pay approx. 20% more on all purchases from the bar. So whether you end up celebrating or commiserating during the tournament, that pint of Hophouse has now gone from £3.30 to £4.00 if you aren’t a member. You can sign up now by clicking here and don’t forget, we do also offer a social membership tier for those who are not regular players but still want to support Millwall Rugby and enjoy the various benefits of membership.

We will be open as usual on Wednesday evenings showing replays of the big games and also on match days through autumn as our own teams lean into the 25th season of Millwall rugby. Keep up to date with clubhouse openings, fixtures, events and more on the What’s On page but see below for our live listings for RWC 2019.

Youkoso. (ようこそ) welcome!; nice to see you!

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Live Matches // Replay

Sat. 21.09.19 - Bar Open  08.00am - France v Argentina // New Zealand v South Africa // Australia v Fiji // Japan v Russia

Sun. 22.09.19 -  Bar Open  08.30am - Ireland v Scotland // England v Tonga // Italy v Namibia 

Wed. 25.09.19 - Bar Open 19.00pm - Wales v Georgia // Russia v Samoa // Fiji v Uruguay

Sat. 28.09.19 - Bar Open  08.00am - Japan v Ireland // South Africa v Namibia // Italy vs Canada // England vs USA // Argentina vs Tonga

Sun. 29.09.19 - Bar Open  08.30am - Australia v Wales // Georgia v Uruguay

Wed. 02.10.19 - Bar Open 19.00pm - Scotland v Samoa // New Zealand v Canada // France vs USA

Sat. 05.10.19 - Bar Open  08.45am - England v Argentina // Japan v Samoa // Australia vs Uruguay // South Africa vs Italy // Ireland vs Russia // Georgia vs Fiji

Sun. 06.10.19 - Bar Open  08.30am - France v Tonga // New Zealand v Namibia

Wed. 09.10.19 - Bar Open 19.00pm - South Africa v Canada // Wales v Fiji // Scotland v Russia // Argentina v USA

Sat. 12.10.19 - Bar Open  09.00am - England v France  // Ireland v Samoa // New Zealand vs Italy // Australia vs Georgia

Sun. 13.10.19 - Bar Open  - 09.00am - Wales v Uruguay // Japan v Scotland // Namibia vs Canada // USA vs Tonga

Sat. 19.10.19- Bar Open  - 08.00am - Quarter-Finals 

Sat. 26.10.19 - Bar Open  08.45am - Semi-Finals

Sat. 02.10.19 - Bar Open  08.30am - Final

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Headed to the England v USA match this RWC? Then join us for an afternoon in Kobe as Kazu, the only Japanese Millwallian, shows us around a few bars in his hometown before we head over to Kobe Misaki Stadium for some ruuuuuugby. If you can stick around after, we will head back into Sannomiya for much of the same as before the game… maybe adding some karaoke. All welcome and make sure to rep that Millwall stash. Any questions, get in touch.

When: 15.00, Thursday 26 September 2019.

Where: Kobe City, Japan.

Meet: Outside JR Sannomiya Station Central Gate (4-chome-2-14 Nunobikicho, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 651-0097, Japan) 

Kate R