Thursday 30 May 2013

Vote for Millwall in NatWest RugbyForce Competition!!!


Millwall Rugby Club has been entered into the RFU’s Pride of the Nation competition sponsored by NatWest. 


How to vote?


Click here
www.rfu.com/prideofthenation and submit your vote by 12noon on 7th June!!!


What is it and what do we get?


The winners of each region will be named the ‘Pride of their Region’ and will win other great prizes to make our NatWest RugbyForce weekend a success!  The winners of the 4 regions will be entered into a national competition to be judged and the ultimate winner will receive the prestigious “NatWest RugbyForce Pride of the Nation” plaque AND an exclusive visit from an England legend to their club over the 2013 NatWest RugbyForce weekend on June 15 and 16, as well as a brand new BBQ – up to the value of £250 – plus five RBS 6 Nations match balls from a match played at Twickenham to auction off over their NatWest RugbyForce event, helping them to help raise vital funds for the club.


Why vote?


This would be great publicity for the club and will help us to raise much needed funds and to rejuvenate our youth section along with getting more players and members!  We are currently 2nd in the London & South East Region!  Come on everyone!  Let’s win this!
 

 

 

How to help?


1st - Vote!
2nd - Please ask non-Millwall work colleagues, friends, and family along with Millwall friends to vote!  You can do this in 3 different ways:

  1. Forward this email and ask others to vote.
  2. Send a personal email asking others to vote and supplying them with the link.
  3. Sharing the link on Facebook and asking others to vote. 

You can track the standings by liking the NatWest RugbyForce page on Facebook.
Free on June 15th & 16th?  Look at the blog and/or Facebook and see how you can help the club out by going down and doing your part!

Friday 17 May 2013

Millwall Xceptionals vs Pershire RFC (Team)


Millwall Old Xceptionals Vs Perthshire RFC

Saturday May 18th

Meet Location\Time:  Millwall Clubhouse, 11am

We have a visiting tourist side coming on Saturday from Perth in Scotland. They are on the A-Z of clubs, its taking them a while (23 years) and they'll be with us on Saturday, cunningly knowing that we are known as  Millwall Xceptionals when playing off-season in Barking...We still have a few places available and the game is at Barking (District Line)

The team is on the normal team sheet, accessible here

More details on Facebook


Tim


Wednesday 15 May 2013

Millwall's Clubhouse Opening Hours & Events!

Millwall’s Clubhouse Opening Hours & Events!


Hargreaves Hump Day, Wednesday 15th of May 7:30 pm


Fisher will be the replacement DM this Wednesday and Sheridan will be whipping up dinner.  Come on down and make sure that you get your orders in early.


Clubhouse Open, Friday 17th of May  19:30

Sheridan will be opening on Friday night.


Heineken Cup & Eurovision Party, Saturday 18th of May 16:00


The Heineken Cup starts around 5 pm and Eurovision begins around 8 pm.

Since we all had a good laugh last year, we thought we’d do it again!

Laughing at others is never quite as much fun when done on one’s own, so why not join us all shouting abuse at BBC1? Maybe you’re from an actual European country and get your kicks from venting spleen back at Little Englanders? We have the event for you. Or maybe you just have an insatiable appetite for all things camp ‘n’ kitsch and fabulous darling? Well, put down those power tools & join us you sequined superstars. Or maybe you genuinely just love the music and the oh so shiny lights & sequins.

Whatever the case, there’ll be party games & a fancy dress competition (with prizes!!) to help you cheer on your country of choice; stagger home; and somewhat inevitably forget who actually won the damned thing, just like every other year.

Should you wish to join Wiggy, he’ll be dusting down his Dutch milkmaid’s outfit & opening the clubhouse.


http://www.eurovision.tv/page/malmo-2013

Clubhouse Open, Sunday 19th of May - Special Opening, Return of the Gumps


Fisher will be opening and it may be around 4:30 pm/5 pm on the safe side.  Check Facebook for definite times on the day!

Friday 10 May 2013

Clubhouse Closed Tonight.

All,

Just a quick note to say the Clubhouse will be Closed this Evening.

Thanks,

Ryan,
Clubhouse Officer.

Tuesday 7 May 2013

Millwall RC Annual Awards - Vote now!

Hi guys,

With the HoC dinner approaching it is time to put in your votes for the Awards this year!

Please note that you can only vote if you are a member (social and playing) 

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2BQJMY3 

Cheers, 

Caroline

Sunday 5 May 2013

Chairman's Report - AGM 2013


Chairman's Report  2012-2013 Season


Summary

Recent years have been difficult for several reasons and when we as a Committee came into this season, we had one main aim - stabilise the club. I feel we went a long way towards doing this though some work remains.

On the pitch, our 1s started well and finished well but struggled mid-season and "the elephant in the room" is the threat of relegation for our mens 1st team to Essex 2. Regardless of whether this happens, I'm confident in the club's ability; relegation is a consequence of leagues and it often gives teams a breathing space to re-structure and come back stronger. Our Women had an excellent season, building on the previous one and were really only held back by lack of opposition. Our 3rds were also hampered by this and for me the stars were the mens 2nd team, the Llamas. From playing with them, I was proud of how they merged together through the season and showed true grit in many matches eventually getting to the Plate final. Our Youth Section suffered like many clubs from a lack of numbers but the re-launch bodes well.

Off the pitch, I thought the performance was excellent in many areas; the atmosphere in the clubhouse, the many social events we had and the willingness of people to take on roles. On the latter point, everyone (players especially) needs to keep in mind that, unlike other clubs, we don't have a backroom of old boys\girls who can take on roles to help the club. The biggest group in the club are the players so if we want things to be better, the only people who can do this are us.

The VIP visits from Stuart Lancaster, Prime Minister David Cameron and Lord Coe, were exciting events for the club and show the level of confidence the RFU, both Twickenham and Essex County Board, have in us as a rugby club.

Financially, we've finished strongly though rigorous cost control, increased sponsorship and bar revenues and have money to re-invest in making Millwall Rugby Club stronger.

There are challenges ahead of us next season but also huge opportunities. We've a good base of male players now, the Women are going from strength to strength, we have floodlights for training on the Park and we have the buildup to the World Cup in 2015.

Highlights

Playing


  • The fact that we had the men's 1s and 2s out almost every weekend. The Women and Thirds were limited mainly by a lack of opposition. 
  • 2nd best year in % increase in players from start to end of season. About 1200 player appearances, 31 weeks played with average 37 players\week (men and women)
  • 2nds getting to Plate Final
  • Retention - we retained a lot of the new players but lost old ones
  • Recruitment - open days etc, stats show brought us new players
  • The Open day, Matt Shorrock's testimonial. Great kickoff to the season. Rocky's Testimonial and Enland v ROW great finish to season
  • Rest of World Day - Men more competitive than last year indicates England's relative strength
  • The various women's games through the year and the progress in numbers and the benefit this had on the club in terms of social and also club togetherness.
  • Venus team nominated for Canary Wharf Sports Awards
  • New women's kit
  • Getting the floodlights
  • Numbers at training both for men and especially for women
  • Getting transport sorted out pretty well during the season
  • Coaching - we'll have done two RugbyReady courses. We'll have a new Level 1
  • Women's Tour
  • Fixtures - this seemed to go well for 1s and 2s in particular
  • Contract signed to be an O2 Touch Partner bringing in £5000 over 3 years to develop Touch Rugby in Canary Wharf and East London


Clubhouse


  • Substantial progress on getting the rent on the clubhouse sorted out, will save thousands in cash each year
  • De-cluttered the clubhouse, sold items  (pool table sale £75, suitcase sales £115, scrap metal £50) Money raised HSBC £ for £ - £500, HSBC private hires - £600. Grand Draw £837, RugbyForce £500,  totalling £2,667+
  • Increased DMs and Bar Staff. Now have 8 active DMs and a further 5+ trained - Rota in place to share the load.
  • Record taking day in clubhouse for Rocky's Testimonial (over £2700)
  • Extra storage area constructed
  • Clubhouse open earlier and on more occasions
  • New CCTV equipment and storage, DIY


Press and Sponsorship


  • Stuart Lancaster's visit and RugbyForce' launch where we made national papers and had a live Sky TV broadcast from the clubhouse
  • Prime Minister David Cameron and Lord Coe's visit with attendant large number of kids (40+) enjoying themselves and the further press coverage and live BBC coverage
  • Sponsorship - doubled/extended the current sponsors, added a new sponsor for the Women, Canary Wharf Construction Group
  • Match reports, weekly coverage in local papers. I'm coming across people all the time now who hear of Millwall rugby through this year's coverage.


General


  • The general good atmosphere around the club and the feeling that we've turned the corner and we can grow again


Community


  • Poppy Collection in November raised £1900 - good engagement from club, positive exposure in the Community, made people aware of the club
  • Good feedback from local residents, local groups e.g. AICVC and Millwall Park Users Groups


Social

  • The Christmas Party, St Patrick's Night party, the Boys v Girls night, all the 6 Nations games, England v Rest of the World


Youth


  • Re-launched, 40-50 secondary school kids at the RFU linked events, 40 at the Prime Minister's visit


Other

  • Financial strength increased - see Treasurer's report. 
  • Sorted out membership fees for next season
  • Maximised profit to club on International Ticket sales
  • Incorporation - we've got to the stage where we can put it to the members 


Development Items Next Season\Committee

  • Rugby Force weekend on June 15/16
  • Getting a Vet's team out for a game or two
  • Paddock Floodlights - we might\should remove these


Areas of Improvement\Challenges

Didn't go so well

  • Men's First Team - obviously getting relegated or at least coming very close to it was not what we planned
  • Youth - alongside many clubs, our numbers dropped, in our case to zero for some of the year.
  • Give it a Go - we didn't really maximise our chance here
  • Discipline - we gave a lot of penalties away and continued to speak with multiple voices to refs
  • Farm - this relationship came to a conclusion from our use of the paddock
  • Tower Hamlets - They did well on the clubhouse rent and floodlights but could have done more on the pitches.
  • No Men's Tour
  • Sub-committees - across the board, these were more limited or non-existent than other years
  • First Aid - we didn't get the numbers and the courses organised intra-season

Challenges we overcame


  • We had no home pitches for the early part of the season
  • We lost our men's training at the start and the women's after Christmas, having to then train on a hard surface
  • We lost established players when they returned home last season


Challenges for next season

  • Coaching - Finding a new Head Coach 
  • Continuing the momentum in the Youth Section
  • If in Essex 2, getting promotion. 

Finally, many thanks you all of you who have helped me during the year, those on the Committee, those volunteers and everyone else in the club.


Tim


Tim McDonagh
Chairman
Millwall Rugby Club
75 Manchester Road - London - E14 3DN
+44 7795 436715- www.millwallrugby.com
Follow us on Twitter @millwallrugby - Find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/millwallrugby


Friday 3 May 2013

Pre and Post-Party for End of Season Dinner!!!

The Annual Dinner Pre-Party & Post-Party Announcements!!!


Date:   May 11, 2013


Pre-Party, The Ferry House 3-5 pm

Why not start the evening a little earlier? We are going to be gathering before the evening at The Ferry House where our member and host will be having some hors d'oeuvres/canapes and some beverages to get ready!

Let's begin the party early and we can all take the Thames Clipper to the houses of Parliament for dinner!

Ferry times: 17:11 or 17:31 from Masthouse Terrace

http://www.thamesclippers.com/routes-times-prices-booking/timetables-prices.html

Feel free to come on down even if you're not coming out with us...

Post-Party, The Walkabout 11- ?

Don't want the party to end? Not able to make it to the Annual Dinner itself? Well, come on down to the Walkabout in Temple where we have free entry until midnight!!! (For those not coming to the dinner, feel free to go to the After Party Earlier.

Just give the name of Millwall Rugby Club at the door and have free entry!

They will also be providing us with wrist bands that offer £3 promo drinks. These are:

Striongbow
Carling
Snakebite
Single Vodka + Mixer
Single JD + Mixer
Jagerbombs

Let's get a fairly accurate amount of people on here and I can get you wrist bands even if you're not coming to the dinner!!!


PLEASE NOTE:  Either RSVP through Facebook or email socialsecretary@millwallrugby.com to let me know if you will be attending the after party (if you are not coming to the dinner).  I can make sure that I get enough wristbands and have enough room on the guest list for everyone.  Also, I can ensure that I get you your wristbands on Friday so you’ll have them ready for Saturday!

The End of Season Dinner is One Week Away!

Tickets on Sale for the Annual Dinner

at the House of Commons


The dinner is only one week away!!!!               



Date:  11th of May 2013, 6 pm on…


Please note:  Although, non-members are welcome this event isn't open to the general public and this will help us ensure that we know the affiliation of everyone attending. Please have a member book your ticket or email annualdinner@millwallrugby.com if you need any assistance.  Please email us if you have any questions or issues.


We are going to be holding our annual end of season dinner at the House of Commons again this year. This is sure to be a great time and one that you won't want to miss! The dress code will be smart, a majority usually wear black tie.

The event starts with a tour by our local MP and President, Jim Fitzpatrick, and then we'll have drinks on the veranda overlooking the Thames and then onto a 4 course meal.

Members and non-members alike are all welcome to this event.  Tickets can be made payable by either a direct bank transfer or Paypal.   The ticket prices are as follows:



Late Booking:

Members - £80.00
Non-Members - £95.00

 

Details to order tickets can be found by visiting: www.millwallrugby.com/annualdinner
 

The Menu for the event:

Starter:  Seared rainbow trout, olive oil and tomato dressing with streaky bacon, gem lettuce salad


Main: Roasted English rack of lamb, pistachio crust with rosemary polenta, purple sprouting 
 broccolis, sour cherry jus 

Sorbet:  'Apple pie' with Bramley apple sorbet, cinnamon shortbread
  

Dessert:  Banoffee cheesecake with chocolate crumb, banana ice cream

Keep in mind that there may be a pre-party and definitely a post-party. Details to soon follow! If you have any questions, please feel free to email annualdinner@millwallrugby.com.            

Wednesday 1 May 2013

England v Rest of the World Videos on You Tube

For anyone who hasn't seen the England v Rest of the World Videos on Facebook, here they are on You Tube in versions that are perhaps more phone friendly.

They are abut 6 mins long and contain the highlights

  • Andrea's 5 tries
  • Shaun Cook's ball carrying technique and positioning of the arms as Ash found out
  • Scott's bundling into touch and Jack Rowland's try, slightly off camera
  • Interesting scrum techniques especially the use of hooking in uncontested scrums
  • A gross injustice being landed on the Chairman who was sin-binned very unfairly 
  • Longey's mazy runs around the RoW players
  • Michelle G's run with RoW desperately trying to stop it
  • Amy's conversion record
  • Our referee Mr Gossip in action

Women's Game

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQV8JIy6iGs


Men's Game






Minutes of the 2013 AGM

Please find the minutes of the 2013 Millwall Rugby Club Annual General Meeting via the link below.

2013 Millwall Rugby Club AGM Minutes

Copies of the Treasurer's Report are available upon request to treasurer@millwallrugby.com




Sophie Morris
Development Officer & Press Officer
Millwall Rugby Club

sophiemorris@millwallrugby.com