Hornets Buzzing with new Board diversity
Hornets RFC in Weston-super-Mare is a club focused on growth and operating at the heart of their community.
They are also determined to be a progressive club and, having been one of the first to acquire an RFU artificial pitch, they are now modernising their set up off the pitch.
At their recent AGM, Rhiannon (Rhi) Wain and Ben Milsom were voted onto Hornets Board of Directors, the aim being to create an inclusive and evolving leadership. When the club incorporated a few years ago one of the key imperatives was to look at how volunteer resources were deployed and it became obvious that roles were getting too big and could be seen as a barrier to getting new volunteers on board.
People wanted to volunteer in line with their particular interests and then have the authority to make a difference within a larger overall framework. As a result, the directors took on certain roles and responsibilities closely matching their interests and skills and, with the help of volunteer sub committees, set about improving the club.
With a higher profile and larger participation from adult and youth female players, plus the ever growing mini and juniors section, it was felt that the Board didn’t represent the membership as well as it could. While senior male rugby on a Saturday is the engine with significant influence on the finances and the external profile of the club, the membership is much wider. The Board felt that consequently their decision making needed a wider focus and the new appointments will create an equal voice at senior management level.
Female Board representation
The women and girls section includes Senior Ladies, U18, U15, U13 and U11 girls’ teams and is growing. The minis and juniors run teams from the U6s up to U18s. Rhi and Ben’s experience and ongoing involvement in these sections will see a real focus at senior management level.
Rhi has been a player for the Hornettes Ladies since 2014, she has also coached some of the girls sections, including U13s and U15s, managed the Hornettes Ladies from 2015 - 2021 and is now looking forward to the challenge of the new role.
Rhi started playing rugby aged five, and a previous lack of opportunity led her to play for multiple clubs, to pursue the sport she loved. The support for the women’s section at Hornets is now second-to-none. The club has a well-established ladies team playing in the Women’s NC 2 South West (Central) and a full roster of girl’s teams. The women’s section is greatly valued at the club and is an indispensable part of Hornets RFC, with female participation growing rapidly
From junior player to Board
Ben joined the club as a junior, and played all his senior rugby at the club, captaining the 2XV and 3XV teams as well as serving on the committee as players chairman and social secretary. He now runs the 4XV and Vets team, is a member of the Patrons society and is Mini Chair looking after age groups from Little Stingers, an age group he created when his son couldn’t wait to be old enough to play rugby, right through to U12s.
He plays for the club’s skittles team and is also the self-proclaimed worst player in the Hornets golf society, and can be found on a Sunday morning, bacon roll in hand cheering on his daughter who plays in the U9s.
The Mini and Juniors have always been the lifeblood of the club. With recognition that sustainability in senior rugby comes from a strong mini and junior section and the management of the transition of these players to senior rugby, Ben joins the Board. Two very successful junior sides, one winning the U17 National Cup and one getting to the final of the National Colts Cup, saw a determination to transition as many to the seniors as possible and set up a plan that ensured that there was a graduated and controlled entry from junior to senior rugby.
Keeping players engaged
The club has on many occasions fielded 16 or more home-grown players in the senior match day squad. They have gained many promotions and, from the initial influx of these players, are now in SW Premier. The transition of players from the juniors is still a major component of the club’s squad, supplemented by external players attracted by the attractive style of rugby and excellent facilities. This model is now being applied to the Ladies, who will be looking to achieve similar success.
Says club chair, Stuart Simmons: “Having Rhi and Ben to the Board will add much needed diversity and benefit the entire club. There is so much enthusiasm and commitment within the girls’ and ladies’ teams and a great opportunity to continue developing and create something special. The long-term plans are that our junior girls’ teams will provide a steady stream of talented players for our ladies team. Ben will be pivotal too in ensuring that all our younger players have a great experience and that we retain as many as possible as they transition into senior rugby.”
