The Aretians' Sporting Community |
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| Aretians RFC play in the Gloucester Premier League and are based at
Little Stoke playing fields, are delighted to announce they have been
award the RFU President’s XV – Community Award. The club will
receive a trophy and a cheque for £500.
Terry Tovey Chairman of Aretians said: This award is very important to ARFC as recognition of our thriving Junior section and the hard work put in by the Junior and Senior committee's. We are already country-wide front runners in gaining the 'Seal of Approval' year three. This is awarded to rugby clubs with a well developed junior coaching structure, and adheres to strict guidelines associated with young people’s safety and well-being.” Aretians are now working as a 'Community sports hub'. This means we
are much more than a single sport club. We are home to:- Further to this achievement, Aretians were recently awarded RFU funding to install full floodlighting. We gained funding based on the progressive nature of the club. In the summer RFU contractors will replace the old lamp posts with state of the art lighting. Yet another development to encourage new players - young and old. Award Ceremony: The award ceremony on Tuesday 3 July 2007 at Aretians Clubhouse, Station Rd Little Stoke, Bristol, BS34 6HW. It will take place after the Community Tag Rugby Final to be held that evening involving Community & business teams. Tag rugby 7.00 p.m. Award presentation 9.00 – 9.30 pm. With an eye on the club’s sustainability while honouring its social responsibility and putting something back into the local community Aretians RFC embarked on a community hub plan. While ensuring rugby football is at the heart of the club the plan seeks to provide a range of opportunities for sport, physical activity and socialising. The club has sought to develop links with other clubs and sports to extend sporting opportunities in the area. Stoke Lane junior football club now use the rugby club’s floodlit training area and also use the Aretians clubhouse for socials and as a club base. During the summer of 2006 Bristol Sonics Rugby League side used the club pitches for training and matches and have made the Aretians its home, similar can be said for Bristol Dockers Australian Rules team who have also use of the club. Aretians are also aware of the importance being involved with local young people and have developed links with local schools, providing coaching at schools and opportunities for playing at the club site. The club has also hosted schools tag rugby tournaments with Primary schools playing on a Sunday morning and then through links with Bristol Rugby having professional players meeting the young people. Schools have then taken their pupils to watch the Bristol game in the afternoon, for many, this has been their first experience of the premiership rugby. The mini and junior section has benefited from these links, which have seen their squads grow. Over the last few years the club has developed Summer community tag rugby sessions. These run from May until July, with a tournament held on the final evening. The idea behind these was to provide a slightly different form of rugby that can be played with mixed age and mixed gender during the lighter and warmer evenings. The Summer of 2006 proved as successful as the others with teams, groups and individuals turn up for a game and everyone is drafted into various squads and there were often well over 60 people taking part on any one evening. These have been well supported by the RFU through the local Rugby Development Officer, with equipment and resources, which have then been used in the autumn for work in local schools. The Aretians clubhouse provides a venue for many local social events and the club is developing the strategy of older junior age groups training on a Thursday evening on the same night as the 1st XV in order to start to integrate the young people with senior rugby. This also means the clubhouse is well used by local young people to provide a structured but safe environment, something the club wished to develop with the local youth service. A highlight of the local calendar is the annual fireworks night organised by the club, over 500 local people attended this. Aretians RFC recognises the need to be involved with its local community and seeks to use its facilities and personnel to make a difference for local people. |