Jim McKenzie, as executive director, has been tasked with developing a five-year plan that will take us from where we are now to a position of strength.

The plan will include our rugby aspirations, growing the membership of the club, developing our interaction with the local community and understanding how we can work together, developing and exploiting our facilities to the full and growing our income streams to maximise our potential worth. Jim will be assisted by other directors, but he is also asking for other volunteers to get involved in this unique opportunity to influence the direction of the club. Please contact Jim to get involved.

There are many demands on our finances not least of which is our rugby budget. Last season this amounted to around £47K. This is largely funded by subscriptions of around £30K and sponsorship. As you know we will be at Vauxhall’s for another season and this leads to more expense without the benefit of income from the bar.

In last season’s accounts we just about broke even but this season we will not have the luxury of part of the season at our clubhouse. So, we are forecasting a loss. To try and mitigate against this loss we need everyone to pay their subs on time. We want all players to ensure they get their subs paid on time. In the past we have suffered a huge loss of income.

Do you know that if you do not pay your subs that you are not insured against injury?
The best way to pay this is by direct debit. Please get in touch with Tony McArdle to make your payments and help out not only the club but yourself by having the peace of mind.

You can also pay online on the Club's website.

What about the clubhouse development I hear you ask? Well, we have good news! We have now got most of the formalities sorted and we can announce that our preferred supplier Lockwoods have been given the green light to mobilise their resources with a view to starting the works in early August. The build time will be around 35 weeks.

The pitches have also been seeded and an access road will commence in the next few weeks.

As I mentioned earlier, sponsorship is vital to enable us to provide all the facilities, kit etc for all players at every level of the club. Although we have some sponsorship in place it is never enough. We desperately need more in this crucial year of the club’s history. Do you know anyone in business? Please get in touch with Jim and give him a name so he can pursue the possibility of getting sponsorship from them.

Rugby is what we are about and we look forward to the start of the new season. The building blocks are in place for the senior sides and we look forward to more children and their parents getting involved and registering for the club on 7 September.

Club life is about people and about people doing things to ensure that future generations of children can develop their rugby ambitions and to live the rugby values through adolescence and adulthood.

We are all striving to make Anselmians a successful club both on and off the field. The clubhouse development will enable us to reach these ambitions but without volunteers we will not be able to achieve our aims. As you know many hands make lite work! So, I ask again please put yourself forward to lend a helping hand and get involved in some of the essential work of the club. This, for example, can be helping to meet and greet the referees, helping with RFU club accreditation or to join the committee who again desperately need volunteers to steer the club through its programme of work. Please contact Jim. (jimmckenzie1@sky.com)