A big welcome to BT! News of the exciting new partnership has been well received and thank you for all the generous messages of support I have had since the announcement. Most of the national papers picked up on the partnership and there was some excellent media coverage. Although the formal partnership will not start until April, in reality we are already working closely with our friends in BT to shape the year ahead. This week as a senior management team we have been focused on developing an action plan for the BT National Youth Programme so we can get that under way and build on some of the pilot youth initiatives we have been running. We are also well ahead with plans for the BT National Championships and will continue these with a planning session at the Copperbox next week.
You won’t be surprised to hear that loads of preparation work is ongoing for the BT WWRC15 event. Our event director Martyn Salt is making good progress and this week was able to send out the registration packages to all the competing teams having now agreed contracts with the tournament hotel and transport company. You will also have seen the news today that Simon Starr has been appointed as Head Table Official which I am very pleased about as he has been a loyal and committed official for a number of years now at all levels of the game. Ticketing arrangements is the next big area that Martyn is focusing on whilst I am still out there looking for more sponsors to help us fund what is going to be an amazing event! If you have not already registered on the BT WWRC15 website for updates and ticket information then now is the time to do so as registrations have spiked since the media attention over the last week – don’t be caught without a ticket!
This weekend we welcome John Bishop, IWRF President and his fellow board members who will spend a week in London on planning for the future of our sport. As an IWRF board member Richard Allcroft will be part of that process and I have been invited to lead one of the sessions which I am looking forward to. The visit is also being supported by UK Sport and World Rugby so thank you to them and we hope that the board gain lots from the experience and also enjoy their time in London.
As teams get ready for the next Super Series event which start Valentines weekend it was great to see Faye West, who plays for the Westcountry Hawks, honoured by Plymouth University. Plymouth’s Sporting Excellence Showcase evening recognised the efforts of sporting scholars and Faye joined athletes such as Olympic divers Tonia Couch and Sarah Barrow at the event – congrats to you Faye!
Have a great weekend and I hope training for the Super Series goes well.
David Pond
