It is with great honour and pride as first President of the newly amalgamated NUIM Barnhall Rugby Club that I welcome all visitors and supporters to our club this season. This is a bright new beginning for NUIM Barnhall as we begin our new season with our colleagues in NUIM, to secure a bright new future for our club. Already we can see the benefits, as the Rugby academy under the direction of Dennis Bowes is growing in stature from two scholarships in its first year to twenty two this year. We hope with the Academy set up and backed up with our own youth set up to create the playing structures to see our club prosper in the years ahead.
I wish all our Captains from Eoin Hogan our club captain down to our mini rugby players and not forgetting that our young mini rugby players will one day be the future of our club the very best in the season ahead.
I would like to thank our coaches and volunteers with all our teams for all their effort and giving so much of their time to the club. It is not easy in the present climate asking people to help out with club activities, fund raising etc, but every little bit of help is greatly appreciated, and it is that help and support that has brought the club to where it is today.
Relegation is the word we all hate to talk about but as there is no relegation this year it will leave the way clear to let the first team squad under the direction Dennis Bowes and his fellow coaches Eoin Hogan and Sam Cawley, the chance to bring younger players into to senior rugby and backed up by one our stronger under 21 squads under John Bagnel.
To our Director of Rugby Eddie Fitzgerald I wish to thank him for all his hard work in organising the coaching staff for all our teams and his new initiative with Eoin Burke to help with our youths. I would like to wish good luck to George Furlong as youth co-coordinator and Michael Waldron with the minis.
In these hard economic times I cannot forget our sponsors a very big thank you and please continue to support us. To all the people that support all our various events in the club, our golf day, business lunch etc, thank you and please continue to support us for the coming year.
We did a lot of work on our pitches this year which are in great shape for the season ahead, and are kept in pristine condition by Christy Dunne.
Last but not least our Ladies Team who were so unlucky to miss out in the final last season. I wish them well for the season ahead and with Kevin Sheils back coaching them we look forward to great success.
Like any other business or club we would be nowhere without our executive. I want to thank them for all their hard work. Sometimes we tend to forget the amount of paperwork etc that is required to run the club. Conor Anderson for his hard work with our Club Lotto, and his work as membership secretary. A club would not survive without its finances and it is vital to the running of the club to pay our membership and play lotto.
To all our volunteers albeit manning the gate for matches in hail rain or snow, to bar duty, cleaning dressing rooms, and to helping at the barbecue, a big thank you to one and all. It is my view that Rugby is for fun on and off the field so everyone enjoy your time in NUIM Barnhall and here’s to a successful season ahead.
CEAD MILE FAILTE.
Kevin Loftus
President NUIM Barnhall
