South Shields survive thanks to change of direction
Things are on the up at South Shields as the club aims to continue to grow and welcome more into the rugby community.
South Shields RFC came out of covid struggling to consistently find the numbers to field a team. Social events, work and family commitments meant numbers fluctuated, with a full team on some weekends and on others only eight players turning up. Inevitably, they lost their coach and then, on the brink of folding, decided to change direction and pull out of league rugby.
“We sat in the pub and discussed if we were going to let the club fold or not,” said Club Chair, Gary Mckay. “That was the last thing we wanted so we determined to turn the situation around.”
Now, in August 2022, the club regularly has 20 at training, and 40 players committed to playing across the season. A one team adult male set up, playing out of the Cleadon Social club and on Brinkburn CIO pitches, at points in their history South Shields have fielded three teams and played at level 8.
Everyone pitching in
Coming out of the pandemic, they started in Durham Northumberland 3 with a core group of players, but as the season went on were struggling. Determined not to let the club die, they worked hard to increase numbers, asking players to help recruit and spread the word, and ensuring it was a whole club effort. Even players who had left to play for local rivals helped out with social media, recruitment campaigns and club sponsorship. Diehards, Steven Kenny, Lewis Wilson and James Robinson, stepped in to help with coaching and team management, and were soon joined by other players pitching in and helping across the board.
Focusing on friendlies instead of league rugby saw the team playing when the players wanted instead of hoping players would be free when the league dictated. The work of Gary and Steven with local clubs to find the appropriate level of fixtures meant they could provide a game that the players would enjoy and so free up time to play. The club also joined Durham County RFU’s Back in the Game project, linking with three other local clubs for cluster events, ensuring player numbers for 15-a-side fixtures on the weekends when they didn’t have the numbers to field a team by themselves.
As a result of all the hard work from every member, a positive vibe has returned to the club, together with some old faces, as well as new players for pre-season training, as well as signing up to play across the season. For the 2022/23 season, the club has joined the River Blyth social league, which has a flexible offer, with the focus being getting games played, and clubs picking fixture dates and times to suit player availability.
