Training Reminder and Thirst Thursday

Folks,


A quick reminder that TONIGHT (Monday) we'll be doing judo training in the Dockland Settlements building starting at 8pm. The building is at the far end of the arches. You can come to the clubhouse and change beforehand so we can startly promptly.

Thursday 3rd Feb, we're back down on Mudchute Farm's lower paddock starting at the normal time of 7:30pm. Some of us may head out afterwards to join the more social members of the club at the Thirst Thursday drinks at Byblos Harbour (map). We still expect to see as many of you as possible at training.

See you tonight.


Andrew B.

Club Survey

We want to know what you think!

Please take a moment to fill in our club survey.  If you leave your name at the end, we'll enter you into a draw to win £25 to spend at our bar* or on club merchandise.

Here's our survey for players, parents, youth members and social members:

Click here to complete our 5 minute survey now

*Over 18s only of course!

Charity Darts Match

Would like to thank everyone who came to the charity darts night at Millwall Rugby Club last night. We raised £122.76p for the charity Help for Heroes. Would also like to congratulate Andy Stevens and Ralph Bond who won the competition. Thanks again everyone.

RBS 6 Nations Tickets Available

We've got a very limited number of tickets available for England's matches in the RBS 6 Nations for our members to buy.

To find out more, please see the email sent out today or contact Edna Schweizer, Treasurer at treasurer@millwallrugby.com.

Player Representatives for the Committee

We're always keen to know what players think about the club and the way it's being run. You get the chance to elect a committee to represent you each May at the club's annual general meeting.

If there's anything you're concerned about in the club... here are the people you might want to talk to.... We've got player representatives in all the teams:

Representing...

• 1st XV Players: Randall Powell, Andrew Bates, Mike Beech
• Llamas Players: Roberto Pescador (Bobfish), Nigel Webb (Flex), Matt Shorrock, Mike Beech, Randall Powell
• 3rd XV Players: Mike Taylor, Andrew Hesselden, Mike Beech, Randall Powell
• 4th XV Players: Barry Gray, Andrew Hesselden, Matt Shorrock, Mike Beech, Randall Powell
• Venus Players: Lizzie Page, Andrew Bates, Mike Beech, Randall Powell

Randall Powell (Club Captain) to speak to about any training or coaching matters, but you're also welcome to talk to one of the representatives above.

Tell us what you really think

Your club is run by a committee of people you elect each year at the club's Annual General Meeting. Not sure who's on the committee? Take a look now.

We try to do our best to keep you informed about what's going on but it's really important also to understand what you, our players and members think.

One of our members told us today that it would be helpful for players and members to be able to send feedback anonymously to the committee. So we've added a "comments box" feature to our website that you can use whenever you want to tell us what you think. Unless you choose to leave your name, your comments will be anonymous.

Something bothering you? Want to let us know? Tell us what you think; good or bad.

Click here to send your comments anonymously

Andrew Hesselden
Communications Officer

Charity Darts Night

Friday 28th January - 7pm

Come along, have some fun and raise money for the charity Help for Heroes.

Everybody welcome; the more the better. Darts will be avalible on the night for people to use. Start time is 7pm on Friday 28th Jan.

Hope to see you there.

Dawn
Clubhouse Manager

New Casual Player Option £15 subs

In recent years, we've found it a challenge to collect membership from everyone. This makes it unfair for players who do commit to the club and support us financially and it wastes a lot of effort on the part of the committee just to collect monies due.

At the same time, some weeks it can be a challenge to fill teams entirely with paid up members and it's not good even for our paid up members if we have to cancel games because we are short of players.

So, we've decided to introduce a way for you to play casually for the club without being a paid up member.  From this Saturday 15th January, match day fees will be £15 for non-members (male and venus). This money is a contribution towards the costs of running the club, arranging transport, first aid, league fees, ref fees, shirt laundry, training, physio, refreshments etc.

Casual players are welcome to use our bar if signed in by a full member or by paying social membership.  Priority for team selection will be given to paid up full playing members ahead of social members.

New players to the club (male or female) will still get 1 match completely free, but will then pay £15 per game on a now unlimited basis until they choose to become a full member from which point they pay the subs appropriate to the membership option they've chosen.  

More information about full and social membership options which give access to the bar and voting rights at general meetings can be found on our website.

Bogged down in too much communication? Or think we're keeping you in the dark?

We know you are all busy people, so we've invested a lot of time recently installing a new email system to give you more control over the emails you receive from us. 

Now it is possible for you to decide what you want to receive and what you'd rather read on our website or Facebook feed.  You can change your settings yourself at any time.

Over the coming weeks we will also try and reduce the number of emails that we send out, letting you choose to read the news yourself by visiting our website (or by subscribing to one of our RSS news feeds, if you're into that kind of thing).

Sign up or check your settings now.

Regards

Andrew

Communications Officer

Players on the bench

Following a meeting of the selection committee tonight, a point was raised as to whether a player selected for the  bench should be entitled to game time, or whether if a game is tight, it might be acceptable for someone to be kept on the bench.

The club's policy was clarified and it was agreed that all players selected for the Llamas, 3rd XV or 4th XV will be guaranteed a reasonable amount of game time and players on the pitch will be rotated with players on the bench to ensure that everyone gets game time who wants it.  This has always been a core part of the ethos of Millwall Rugby club and helps ensure that all club members feel motivated to make themselves available and turn up to play even if they've been selected for the bench.

In the interests of competing at the highest possible level, this policy will not be applied strictly for the First XV, but Coach Dave still anticipates that it will be possible to give most players game time, given the currently high standard of players selected for the team and the bench.

So please always makes yourself available if you want to play and we will do our best to ensure you get a good period of time on the pitch.

Focused, busy people sought

We're on the lookout for a few more volunteers to help run your club!

Busy Socialites

Ever wanted to work in marketing or event management?  At the moment, we're looking for someone to help out organise a few social events.  We've got the big ones covered off already (like the end of Season dinner), but we need someone to organise a few smaller club social events in our clubhouse, in local bars after work, a few recruitment events to get more venus or male players or even something like paintballing or a trip to watch a game.

Very busy but friendly & persuasive people

We're also looking for someone to help track our membership and make sure that all our new players get encouraged to join the club.  If you're into recruiting players, you could really help us grow our club and bring in much needed revenue.

Team Manager

We need an extra team manager too.  You don't need to be a player, but you are the man or woman who just makes everything work on match day.  You help our club captain to make sure we have a team, some transport and take water bottles, a ball, a first-aid kit etc.  You make sure everyone on the team sheet has paid the right membership & subs and you even get to stand on the touch line and substitute players!  We're happy for a team of two to share this stuff out; just as long as all the important stuff happens... we don't care how you do it.

"Get on and do it" people

Contrary to popular belief, you don't actually need to be unemployed to volunteer at Millwall!  But you do need to be organised, committed and open and honest enough just to ask for help if you're busy one week.  In fact we like busy people because they usually get things done quickly and tend to have a lot to bring the club.  If you are working a lot of hours at work, it is perfectly possible to help us out too, but you'll probably find you need to manage your time and be able to focus on the just the things that really matter.

Some of our past volunteers have even told us that the experience that gained from volunteering at the club has helped them make a career change or land a promotion!

If you're interested in helping us out, please drop Larry, our chairman a line by email at chairman@millwallrugby.com

Touch Rugby Today

We'll be playing touch rugby today on the park from 2pm until 3.30pm.

See you there!

Andrew

Clubhouse Opening Friday and Saturday

The clubhouse will be open tonight, Friday from 5.30pm onwards for drinks.

Tomorrow (Saturday), it will be open from 3.30pm after the games and we'll be showing rugby on TV

Rick
on behalf of the Clubhouse Management Team
www.millwallrugby.com/club/clubhouse.html
clubhouse@millwallrugby.com 

07941 176874

Book now for the Men's Tour 2011 to Sardinia

UPDATE 14th Feb 2011 - Please click here to read this update message before booking flights.

It is that time of the year again when we are inviting you to join your clubmates on "The Journey of the Year" and come on Tour with Millwall Rugby Club!

When & Where

This year we'll be flying off to the sunny city of Cagliari, capital of the Italian island of Sardinia. We'll fly out on Thurs 28th April and return on Tues 3rd May.
Situated right at the heart of the Med, Sardinia is one of the world's finest holiday destinations and offers

• Fantastic weather; averaging 22 °C in late April / early May.
• Sun, Sea and Sand
• Surfing, Kite Surfing, Snorkelling, Boat Trips, Scuba-diving
• Cagliari - not too big or small: a perfectly formed city - ideal for our tour.
• Great italian cuisine
• Cheap/affordable booze; forget about the myths of Sardinia being expensive: this is not the Costa Smeralda; this is Cagliari, the capital city, where life is much more affordable.
• Italian women, for those of you free to roam
• Festival weekend: we'll be in Cagliari for the Festival of Sant'Efisio, so you can expect plenty of atmosphere and nightlife

Now, for more good news:

• The Royal Wedding on 29th April means that this year if you are doing the full Tour, you only need to take 2 days off work: Thursday 28th April and Tuesday 3rd May.

  

 

What it will cost

We believe the cost of this year's tour will be among the lowest ever in Millwall's history.

• Just £210 for the first 10 people to sign up and pay a £60 deposit (deposit refundable up until 20th Jan)
• £220 for the 11th to 20th people to sign up and pay a £60 deposit (deposit refundable up until 20th Jan)
• £230 for the 21st to 30th people to sign up and pay a £60 deposit (deposit refundable up until 20th Jan)
• After that the cost is £240 but may need to rise nearer the time.

(Excluding flights and spending money).


These prices include:

• 5 nights shared accommodation
• Personalised Tour Playing Jersey
• Another Tour Jersey (yes, a second tour jersey)
• Go-Karting and transport to/from this activity
• Match fees for the tournament arranged between Millwall, Union Cagliari Rugby and 7 Fradis Rugby Club.

If enough of you help run a few fundraising activities before tour then we'll have some extra money for the Tour Kitty and also for some extra excursions such as a boat trip, snorkelling, or a waterpark etc..


Flights

For your convenience and following last year's successful experience, we've decided to let you choose and book your own flights to and from Cagliari. However we recommend and encourage you to book the following flights:


OUTBOUND

Easyjet London Stansted STN to CAG Cagliari dep 28 April 2011 06:05 arr 28 April 2011 09:50
 (Currently £43.39)

OR

British Airways London Gatwick LGW to CAG Cagliari dep 28 April 2011 08:45 arr 28 April 12:25
 (Currently £71, including luggage)

RETURN

Easyjet Cagliari CAG to London Stansted STN dep 03 May 2011 10:20 arr 03 May 2011 12:05
(Currently £21.70)

OR 

British Airways Cagliari CAG to London Gatwick LGW to dep 03 May 2011 13:35 arr 03 May 15:10
 (Currently £71, including luggage)

That's a total flight cost from just £65.09.


Transport to and from the airports for these flights will be arranged later according to demand and will be at extra cost, but the airport in Cagliari is just 9 km away from the city centre so taxis should not cost you much.


If you book early, that means that the basic cost of Tour will be as low as £275! That’s a real bargain!


Although, the flights are both quite early, this has the benefit of giving us most of Thursday in Cagliari to enjoy tour and also cuts short last day when all we normally want to do is get home and recover. By getting home early, on the Tuesday, you'll have time to detox without needing an extra day off work on the Wednesday.


Signing Up

So, what are you waiting for? Click here to sign up now for Tour.


To secure the lowest price you must transfer £60 deposit right away to our bank account:

• Account number 71410326
• Sort Code 40-02-44
• Reference "#Your Name#Tour"

Please do not book your flight until you have confirmation from me.


Looking forward to seeing you on Tour next April!


Bob


Roberto Pescador (Bobfish)
Tour Organiser
on behalf of the Tour Organising Committee
tour@millwallrugby.com

Practice Restarts Today - 4th of January

As the New Year is under way and with fitness the subject of everyone’s guilty conscience, we would like to remind you practice starts back up today the 4^th of January. Practice today will be on Millwall Park.

Thanks,

Randall Powell

Club Captain

Personal Conduct at Millwall Rugby Club

At Millwall Rugby Club, we take pride in playing a game with powerful values at its core; the club promotes Teamwork, Respect, Enjoyment, Discipline and Sportsmanship both on and off the pitch.

Reflecting these values, the club's committee expects the highest standards of behaviour of our members and supporters at all times. By way of example of this, we would like to bring your attention to an incident that occurred before Christmas and the way the club has responded:


On the night of Saturday 20th November, there was an incident in our clubhouse involving verbal and physical confrontation between a number of people. Subsequently, a complaint was made about the alleged actions of one of the people involved (a new player) and the Club's Disciplinary Policy and Process was invoked.

Despite the player concerned not being a paid-up club member, it was decided to give him the benefit of a disciplinary hearing rather than summarily banning him from the clubhouse, as would befit any other clubhouse visitor causing a disturbance. In accordance with club policy the matter was investigated and the player was found to have been in breach of the standards of behaviour expected and outlined in the Code of Conduct/Disciplinary Policy.

The Disciplinary Panel sanctioned the player and imposed an 8-week ban from the clubhouse, playing for the club and all other club activities. In view of the player's positive contribution to the club prior to this incident and mitigating circumstances, which suggested an element of provocation, this was reduced to 4-weeks, but it was made clear that behaviour of this nature is not acceptable at Millwall Rugby Club.

The player appealed to the Full Club Committee, which decided to uphold the original decision made and sanction imposed by the Disciplinary Panel. The 4-week ban took effect as of 2nd December.

However, in view of further information that came to light, in the interest of fairness, the committee recommended that other people involved were also brought before a Disciplinary Panel.

This is not a decision that was taken lightly since convening such a panel takes an enormous investment of personal time of those involved and diverts the committee's attention from other more pressing matters.

Following three further hearings that happened in December, the following sanctions were imposed:
 

• One member was given a 4-week club-wide ban, with 2 weeks of the ban suspended for a period of 4 weeks.
• The other two members were given 1-week club-wide ban suspended for a period of 4 weeks.

Incidents such as these are fortunately a very rare occurrence at Millwall Rugby Club, and as we put this one behind us, we look forward to a successful and harmonious 2011 on and off the pitch.

Millwall Rugby Club Committee

General Meeting Cancelled & Club Captain Update

The General Meeting planned for 8th January for the purpose of electing a new Club Captain to the committee has been cancelled. The reasons for this are:

1. We have not received any other nominations for the position.
2. The club's constitution allows the committee to co-opt a committee position in certain circumstances without recourse to a General Meeting.
3. Unfortunately we realised that we called the meeting just short of the 14 days notice our constitution requires for a General Meeting, so technically the meeting's validity could have been questioned at a later date.

In view of the excellent work done so far by Randall, and in the interests of saving our members' time, it is the committee's intention to coopt him formally to the position of club captain at a committee meeting later in January, unless we receive any other nominations for the post before 23:59 on Tuesday 18th January.

If you wish to stand as Club Captain, please address your nomination to chairman@millwallrugby.com no later than Tuesday 18th January.

Larry McCabe
Chairman