Award for Newport HSOB (From South Wales Argus)

Award for Newport HSOB

5:50am Thursday 8th November 2007

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The Welsh Rugby Union has published the findings of a Sports Council analysis of WRU club information which shows a significant increase in the number of teams run by grassroots clubs in Wales.

The most significant increases are in the number of teams in the Under 8 and Under 9 age groups where the number of teams has risen by 13 and 12 percentage points respectively.

Newport HSOB, Waunarlwydd and Whitland were the first clubs to receive a WRU award.

The 2007 /08 Sports Council of Wales analysis of WRU clubs shows that these three clubs currently run at least one club at every level - Under 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, Youth, First XV, Second XV and Women's sides.

In recognition of this achievement, the WRU will invite volunteers from these clubs to a Millennium Stadium hospitality box at the Wales v South Africa match on November 24.

This will mark the start of a scheme which will enable volunteers throughout Wales to benefit from the privilege of hospitality at a Wales home game as a small reward for their immeasurable contribution to Welsh rugby.

The WRU will be writing to clubs in the coming weeks, asking for nominations of volunteers who they feel should be recipients of this recognition award for the forthcoming RBS 6 Nations matches.

Wales internationals Alix Popham, Mike Phillips and Andy Williams learnt their trade at these three champion' clubs and paid tribute to their influence on their rugby careers.

Wales and Scarlets backrow Alix Popham said: "I spent twelve years at Newport HSOB, learning skills, team-work and basically getting hooked on playing the game.

"Newport HSOB really was like a big family to me, the true spirit of rugby lives on in clubs like these -and we professional players have a lot to thank them for."

Caroline Studley, club secretary and a founding member of the junior section at Newport HSOB said: "There is a strong community spirit at the club. Most people are Old Boys through and through.

"We have achieved League promotion two years running without paying players and we are proud of the fact that the vast majority of first team players have come right through the club from a young age.

"We linked up with Newport and the Dragons a few years ago and that works well all round because we are a huge player resource and the link means that we can provide players with a rugby pathway within the Region depending on how far they want to go with the sport, there are no restrictions.

"We haven't got great facilities - we are working hard to find a way of building new changing rooms because we have outgrown the ones we have. We try to be inventive in finding ways of accommodating all newcomers and creating new teams and groups because we will never turn away a potential rugby player."

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