On the back of a fantastic season right across the club it would be easy to reflect on our successes on the pitch without taking a moment to consider our health off it.

Our club’s philosophy is of inclusivity and engaging with our community; and our specific goals of encouraging more family participation, and have more ladies active at the club. This means having a club and behaviour within it which encourages this. Our club’s website says we are committed to rugby, fun and friendship.

Those of us who attended our 1st XV fixture away to the league runners-up back in February got quite a shock at how we were received and what it said about that club. And it sparked us to be introspective. What are we like to others, and to ourselves ?

The Executive Committee believes we have a lot of room for improvement. This address should serve as an expression designed to make us all look in the mirror and around us – how we behave and what consequences arise from our ability to deliver on our off-field promises. I’ve been asked to raise this because the Management team is fed up with being distracted by consequences of things which are so avoidable.

There’s no point in pulling punches. We’ve had a regrettable number of unpleasant incidents off the pitch this last season. We must stop these re-occurring and that needs effort from all of us.

Sadly, I have to give examples to add reality. None of this is personal, nor emotional nor aimed at any specific members. It is all true. It might raise eyebrows and make some of us squirm. Some is playing related, some not.

These are some of the things which happened. Please consider not just about how they reflect on us - and we fully appreciate the great majority of members make a huge contribution to allow us to prosper decently - but also think of the time needed by the Management team to deal with them; and the effect on the enthusiasm of those stretched Committee members.

We are an amateur club, steered by volunteers who are all very busy in other spheres of their lives. So we have a finite resource - time. The more time we spend on stuff which is avoidable, unnecessary and unpleasant the more we can commit to delivering the club’s decent objectives.

Towards the very end of last season we had to remove a senior player from selection, effectively denying him access to the club - right at the business end of the season when all games were sweaty in the push for promotion and the championship - because of some unpleasant things said by that player to another player and his partner. And the player excluded was on a last-chance warning.

We’ve had several instances of gym equipment being broken and abused so we’ve had to install new security access and CCTV to combat it; that money should have been available doing good somewhere else in the club.

We had a complaint from a club in Berkshire; their Chairman phoned me and said in his 20 years of administration this was the only time he’d contacted another Chairman to complain. Because the changing rooms our team had used were in such a foul state.

A member of the Exec had to deal with a neighbour of the club’s in Ash Grove complaining that one of our players has alighted from a coach, urinated in his garden in front of his 10 year old daughter who was inside, and watching. It took an hour of apology on a Sunday morning in person to placate him.

The Saturday before our inaugural Ladies Day, a lady who performs a really vital management role was approached by a member and she told of being spoken to in a crude, improper manner. So much so, in front of some of her friends, they cancelled their table at the Ladies Day lunch the following weekend. It was the talk of the pitchside gatherings the next day, Sunday morning, when I was doing my rounds. No need for Twitter or Facebook. We don’t get that ground back.

We had a long-standing and significant sponsor of the club who’d taken a full match-day package and brought along 30 employees, friends and clients. He was approached by a member and spoken to so unpleasantly he pulled all of his guests out the moment that match was over. We were writing hand-written letters of apology and I’m not sure the damage is repaired. That sponsor has a commercial arrangement with us and it’s probably that which is currently under-pinning his continuing goodwill and support.

The swearing in and around the club is awful. We have children and families all around us, in increasing numbers. At a floodlit game early in the season we had multiple complaints from the visiting team’s management and supporters about foul and abusive language so Richie felt he had to write to remind us all how to behave at pitchside. How pathetic is that?

One of our casual staff, a 16 year old who also plays for the club was verbally abused by a member whilst serving tables at a function. We are lucky the young man had the good grace to not take it into a formal (complaint) arena.

We have to make sure our moral and behavioural compass is adjusted to the present social climate.

We have cholices. We either:-

Ignore this stuff
Sweep it under the carpet as just some of those “things which happen in rugby clubs“

Or
We address it and stop it

The Exec believes if we don’t eradicate it our membership and our reputation will decline very quickly. And this isn’t something the volunteers on the Management Team should have to deal with. We have limited time, limited resource, limited patience. We’re not policemen nor judges. The turnaround has to be sparked from within the club.
If someone witnesses something unpleasant think what you would do if you were the victim.

Referee abuse from beside the pitches. Are we happy going in the direction we are ? What about a 10 metre rule, just like the system on the pitch - you make an unpleasant comment, your mate standing next to you asks you to take 10 paces away from the pitchside for 2 minutes. Cool off. It’s a game. These are amateurs playing, officiating.
Ask someone not to swear in mixed or junior company. Or at all.

Why not grab a full bin from beside the pitch after a match and wheel it back to the clubhouse. Even empty it. Why should another volunteer have to do it all the time ?
Changing rooms – what about our home team sweeping their own changing rooms out; and their opponents ?

Table clearing - ditto - clear your own after you’ve eaten, and your visiting teams.
Put the flags out; bring them back in.

We’re an AMATEUR club.

We’d like to have help for Kara at busy pinch points - just after the final whistle, at half time; at midday on Sundays for 30 minutes. Don’t moan about how long it takes to get served. Help out. Go and see her about getting a simple bit of training so you can do it.
If we do the little things it will really help. PLEASE focus on the good we can bring.

On a positive note, what a season !

There’s a print off on all your seats of the junior members achievements and representative honours, So much is down to the wonderful contributions of our coaches, AGO’s team managers, fixtures Secs and to Matt Allen, Dave Choules, Hugh Griffiths and Sam Portland.

For the second year running we had a Chiltern boy representing England - Will Porter was capped at U17 level against France and Italy; and has also trained with England U19 group.

We say thank you to Matthew Webb who retires after 2 years as Mini Chair and under who’s leadership numbers have continued to increase - we now have 2 Development tournaments each season allowing every boy and girl the chance to represent the club in competitive matches. We welcome Scott Jarrold as the new Mini Chair - the latest in a long line of players, Chairmen, supporters, coaches and all from the Jarrold family.

We also say thank you to one of our great members, former Chairman of the club and of Bucks County, player and captain at various levels for multiple seasons, Chris McCombie who embodies all which is good and important in rugby.

A big thank you from me to the whole Executive Committee for their support and help and especially our President Peter Osborne, who’s wise and enthusiastic counsel is so vital.

Our 3rd XV managed by Stan Griffiths and captained enthusiastically by Doug Smith were inspired to a Merit Table final after a brilliant season.

Our 2nd XV wobbled in the first half of the season and in the second had some brilliant results running the league winners a very close second with a team spirit that’s exactly what Chiltern rugby is all about.

Availability and getting more players on the pitch gathered pace through the season thanks to the tireless efforts from Dave and Elliott; and next season we have 8 fixtures for the re-born 4th XV which is an extraordinary achievement for us.

Finally our 1st XV were crowned champions of London 1 North and return next season to the National Leagues, Nat 3 London & South East. I’d like the room to rise and acknowledge the superb work of coaches Richie Williams, Jason Bowers and Pete Gibson, and to the whole 1st XV squad led for the fourth season by Tom Grammenos.