I joined Ruislip Rugby Club back in 1995, fresh out of a local school. Despite some initial nerves, I was warmly welcomed into the club and have loved the camaraderie and spirit ever since. Having played through the senior ranks, I currently help coach our U13s and U15s boys teams (and put on my boots whenever we have a Vets fixture).
I chaired our Minis section (2015-2019), was Treasurer (2019-2021) and was elected Chairman in 2021.
An East African Indian (by birth and heritage), I was drawn to Ruislip Rugby Club because of its diversity, values and community spirit, which have remained constant.
We want the club to be a safe space, where we play hard and watch our children create enduring friendships.
I’m Bob and I’ve been at RRFC since I was 7 years old. I played for every single age group and debuted for the senior teams in 1986, ran the bar from 1989 to 1991 and now have the enormous pleasure of being ‘Rugby Manager’. Little did I know that the role involved quite so much but we are blessed with so many incredible volunteers and leaders in the sections across the club, it is fabulous to get to meet and interact with so many people. I genuinely love this place and it is a second home for me, much to the chagrin of my better half who is my dedicated ‘sporting widow’.
The club’s greatest strength and future is completely tied up in our incredible membership. My ambition is to continue to push ourselves hard to improve our facilities, the experience of all players and our supporters and the wider Ruislip community. This will include gaining sponsorship and working with everyone to agree how we deliver improvements for everyone involved. I look forward to meeting many of you in the future and please come to our Saturday lunch and end of season celebration. If you need more information, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
I first started playing rugby in secondary school in year 7 and finished playing for the 1st XV in Upper 6th. During that time we won 2 Middlesex County Cup titles and went on a tour of California, which was a lot of fun as a 17-year-old. Unfortunately, my rugby career was finished early while at university as I was involved in a road traffic accident, I’ll spare you the details.
My two sons joined Ruislip Rugby Club in late 2011, with Rory aged 10, and Alex aged 11. Rory played until 6 form only stopping to concentrate on his A levels. Alex continued to play through 6 form and play for his University in Nottingham returning to play for Ruislip Seniors in the holidays. Alex has now finished University and I am looking forward to watching him play for Ruislip once he recovers from a knee injury. It gives me great pleasure in life watching my sons play rugby and I was a very proud dad watching Alex in the Ruislip team who won the Floodlit Cup in 2019.
During this time at Ruislip Rugby Club I have coached for 4 years, was Operations Manager for 3 years, and for the last 5 years I have been the club secretary.
Rugby for me is teaching young children that no matter what your size or ability there is a place for you on the rugby field. It’s about teaching them technical skills, teamwork, discipline, and getting them away from their screens. It is also about teaching them social skills which they learn in training and also in the clubhouse đ
I feel like Iâve been a member of Ruislip RFC for years – when in fact I only joined in 2019, as a parent member with my little boy Rory, later playing for Ruislip Ladies and coaching the miniâs. I am so lucky to have shared in the success of the women’s team both as a player and as team manager. Helping to sustain this new team throughout the pandemic, and being a part of their successful first season in 20/21 is testament to the amazing dynamic of the players on the team. Youâll be hard pushed to find another womens and girls section as ambitious, energetic and competitive this side of London.
Our club’s greatest strength is the people – the members, volunteers, players – everyone! It is a club that helps to build long lasting friendships and create forever memories.
I am proud to be part of such a community focused and welcoming club as Ruislip, and I am excited to see it continue to grow over the next few years.
I arrived at Ruislip RFC 6 years or so ago, when I brought my son, Finley, along to play the beautiful game, and have to say I’ve loved being a part of the club since day one! I became a helper and coach almost instantly and never looked back. I took over the Minis Chair role from Jatin, our now Chairman, back in April 2021 and have really enjoyed helping guide the Minis forward, as well as playing my small part in our wonderful club.
Joining the committee recently was the next step in my RRFC journey. I’m already enjoying being part of a fantastic team making some of the key decisions that help drive our club forward. I’m relishing the opportunity to help make our club a beacon for other clubs in Middlesex and beyond!
From the smallest of Minis through to the largest of Seniors, our ambition is that we provide the best possible experience in the safest of environments, all aligned with Ruislip’s and rugby’s core values. Hopefully, that will lead to every one of our brilliant and loyal members creating and having treasured memories of being part of our RRFC community!
My name is Ivan Moore and I am the Treasurer for Ruislip RFC. I’ve been coming to the club for around 8 years, since my twins began coming down here for a runaround on a Sunday morning, and all 3 of my children still play at the club. I’ve been coaching the current u15s since they were under 10s, and I’ve been treasurer for the last 15 months.
I measure what Ruislip Rugby means to me by the opportunities and experiences being part of this club provides to all of my family. The environment provided by the coaches for my children to develop their rugby skills is positive, the experiences provided by being part of a touring group has helped them develop how they interact with adults, and their self confidence is boosted by being part of their teams. The positivity around the club is everywhere, and it shows the best of what is possible when a group of like minded people come together with a shared interest.
About 15 years ago my oldest son decided he would like to try a team sport â as I come from a Rugby background, this was never going to be something that involved a round ball. A few weeks later I found myself at Ruislip with a lad in the U8s and another in the U6s.
I still remember offering to help to âput a few cones outâ and now here I am years later more involved than I ever imagined (I suspect this story is not unique). In between, I was lucky enough to help take an age group all the way from Minis into Seniors and it is with real satisfaction that I now watch quite a few of those youngsters turning out for Ruislip at the ripe old age of 21!
What I never anticipated was just how rewarding I would find this – to help youngsters along their path to adulthood, watching them grow and turn into good people. It is a great thing to be a part of. I am also lucky that I happened to turn up at Ruislip where this approach is central to what the club is about. I sort of landed in the right place.
So now, I also work a bit with the senior menâs section to help the youngsters coming through. And Ruislip is doing really well, we have one of the youngest squads on the circuit, which brings with it some challenges (we play lots of older more experienced teams) but also bodes well for the future.
I’m Alex Cunliffe, autistic U11s coach and the Club’s Membership Secretary and Data Officer. I’m on the Committee because someone has to be able to explain GMS. I am really proud of the Club’s championing of the women’s and girls’ games, and I am passionate about ensuring the Club feels welcoming and accepting to everyone. Ruislip RFC puts the community at the heart of the Club, and I’m looking forward immensely to watching the Ruislip family grow.
Hi I’m Jenney, my son Reece has played for the club for 8 years now and we are loving every second of it. I joined the committee this season as I could see how much work there was to be done by a handful of volunteers. If I could take on one thing to lessen the load of others then I was happy to do so. My daily tasks help ensure that we can get rugby played and supported on a weekend. I’m at my happiest when others are happy and so am completely open to ideas on what the club can provide it’s members to ensure that. I love the family feeling that some give, it’s great to hear stories of old from ex players while also enjoying the antics from current players. I look forward to the club growing over the next few years and helping be a small part of that
Delighted that at the start of the season we retained Matt Fieldhouse as First Team coach and that he secured the services of Craig Williams, Conor Carey (both Pro Players, one back one forward). These three amigos have been augmented by cameos from Nick Huggett and Mike Head. I can’t think of another junior club in Middlesex with such a strong coaching team.
My thanks also for the initial support offered by Phil Boden and the ongoing support of Reece and Mark who are doing invaluable work in managing our two senior teams.
It’s been a really good start to the season even though the results haven’t always reflected the rugby that we’re playing in both teams. It’s been fabulous to have selection challenges due to the volumes of players available this year. The spirit around the teams has been great and my one ask is that as many people as possible continue to train and push each other hard for improving our performances.
We’ve often suffered from other clubs crying off, sometimes very late in the day, which has meant we have not played anywhere near as much rugby as we would have liked. Injuries have also played a part and we continue to owe a huge debt of gratitude to Gemma and her team for the amazing work they do week in week out to support the wellbeing of players across the club.
An interesting reflection on the league so far is that all of the teams we have beaten so far this year currently sit above us in the league. We have also beaten the teams in fourth and fifth plus narrow losses to the top three sides. It could be so very different.
The ‘Raiders’ have had some great performances with a brilliant blend of returning players as well as new guys joining the established squad members. Spirit has been tremendous and whilst it’s too early to know exactly how we’re doing until the merit table fixtures that have been postponed/cancelled are rearranged, things are bright and competition for places is increasing weekly.
My thanks to all our sponsors and supporters for their continued commitment to us as a club and things are looking great for 2023. Please remember, everyone is welcome to our pre match lunches on each home league Saturday. Our new caterers are doing great things and so get in touch if you’d like to experience the rather splendid cooking.
Finally, my enormous thanks to all coaches and leaders within the club who are continuing to deliver a tremendous experience for all members across all age groups and sections. Your commitment is phenomenal and does not go unnoticed.
Bob Harrison – Rugby Manager
What a phenomenal start of the season for Ruislip RFC Ladies – after 6 games, we remain undefeated in the NC3 South East (West) league. Not only have we retained most of our players from last season, but we continue to recruit week on week to see our team grow from strength to strength. A massive thank you to our coaches, Joe, Andy, Kier, Dre and Reece who continue to drive the team forward with their coaching and thank you to Lisa Pape for her team management.
Not only have we been smashing it league wise, but we also had our first friendly against Aylesbury in November. What a superb chance to allow not only some of our development players much needed game time, but it was a chance for some of our rubies who have stepped up onto the ladies team a chance to play. This has cemented not only a relationship with another team, but also that of our newest players.
Our continued thanks go to not only the coaches and team management, but also a shout out to our sponsors – The Russell Partnership and OâNeill Building Services for their support. And not forgetting our supporters who flock to the sidelines week on week.
Itâs safe to say, that Ruislip is a true reflection of the growth of womenâs and girls rugby around the country – and we canât wait for the second half of the season to commence at home against Tabard Ladies on Sunday 15th January.
Aoife Coyle (Chair – Women and Girls Rugby)
The Rubies continue to work really hard in training and are brilliant ambassadors for Ruislip Girls Rugby. 5 U16 Rubies are in the Middlesex ERDPP, which is a huge achievement and one that is in reach of all of our girls. Numbers continue to grow across the four different age groups, with all new players integrating well into the section. We are so proud of the team’s progression, each individual is building on their skills whether new to the sport, or beginning in the Minis. We look forward to being able to show this development with this year’s fixtures. We are so proud of the Rubies who have transitioned into the Women’s team, they are clearly excelling with one even getting forward of the match. Huge thanks to the Coaches & Aoife who this wouldn’t be possible without, all of the Women who have helped coach, and obviously the support of families!
Beth Butcher (Managerâ Ruislip Rubies)
During 2022 the Ruislip Youth section went from strength to the strength, something that is largely down to the considerable effort and dedication of our volunteer coaches and admins. We currently have more players playing Junior rugby at Ruislip than I have seen during the eight years that I have helped to run this section of the club so a big thank you to all of our volunteers.
Our U13, U14 and U15 age groups are now regularly running out two teams and are playing some really good rugby which has been great to see and we are also beginning to integrate our very well run U16 squad into the Ruislip Colts set-up. And, at the top end of Youth, some of our older Colts are about to turn out for the Ruislip senior set-up, continuing the successful transition from Youth to Senior rugby that we have seen at Ruislip over the last four or five seasons.
Mark Hensman (Chair â Youth Rugby)
Well, it feels like the first half of this season has flown by for the Minis. From our U6’s through to U12’s they have represented Ruislip proudly in all of their fixtures so far. I’ve continually received extremely positive feedback from every club that we’ve hosted or travelled to about our brilliant boys, girls, coaches and parents. We really are making a name for ourselves in the rugby community! We’ve continued to grow the membership this year with lots of new faces and have welcomed a few more new coaches on board. We couldn’t do what we do without our great volunteer coaches…. thank you!
We’re entering a busy period and there is lots to look forward to in the coming months. We will be going to a few festivals between now and May, as well as hosting our very own U10 Middlesex Festival in March. Please come down to show your support on 12th March, we need all hands on deck and as many helpers as possible to make it another very successful day showing the best of Ruislip.
Our annual Minis Tour (U8 to U12) to Burnham on Sea is on 28th April. This year it is being run and organised by our brilliant U9’s coaching team. I know they’ve been working hard at making this year the best one yet… we can’t wait!
Lastly, I’d just like to thank all of our wonderful parents for turning up week in and week out through rain, shine, wind and snow to make sure that whatever happens Rugby wins!
Aaron Chichon (Chair â Minis Rugby)
The club has recently appointed Gjon Barmeta as new club CSO. Gjon says, âSafeguarding our children has always been our clubâs key priority. As our clubâs new CSO I will make sure, that in cooperation with our coaches and parents, this will remain to be our top priority. Please feel free to contact /approach me for any concerns regarding the safeguarding of our children no matter how trivial they might seem.â We would also like to extend our thanks to outgoing CSO, Neil Horcover for all of the work he has done over the years. Thank you Neil.
We are delighted to welcome on board the Cow and Chicken catering team to the club. Darren and Danny have a wealth of catering experience and are keen to bring their professional culinary creativity to the club. From presidents lunches, players dinners and food to purchase on a Sunday – we are really excited about this new community relationship with Cow and Chicken. So grab a bacon roll, one of their epic burgers or some sweet treats and enjoy!
Get ready for our annual Summer Ball, back again on 1st July 2023. The ball will take the usual format – tables of 10 booked in advance with raffle prizes, auction, live band, fab venue and gourmet food. All sections and age groups welcome. Start putting those pennies away – tickets on sale in the Spring. Prices to be released at a later date. Any questions: email Bob Harrison – RugbyManager@ruisliprfc.co.uk