What’s so special about Green Dogs?
Birstall Rugby Club is proud to have a heraldic beast found on local ruins as their emblem.
It looks like a dog and, playing in green, it was inevitable that their team would become known as the Green Dogs.
But there was a problem, somehow the dogs were ailing and a trip to the vet was looming. Nobody wanted the Green Dogs put down and Director of Rugby, Stephen Duffus, with helpful advice from the RFU, realised that Birstall had lost their way.
“We lacked a vision, mission and a delivery plan,” he said. “The biggest question we needed to answer was why people would want to be a Green Dog. When I arrived, I was struck by how much of a family the club was, the way it picked people up when they were down, helped them grow and thrive.
Values determined
“We came up with three overriding values: positivity, commitment and togetherness. And now we have a five-year plan with both long-term and immediate goals.”
As no clubs offer mini rugby nearby and there are four primary schools in the area, never having run age grade rugby, they are piloting an U7s section which will start in October. They’ve gone into the schools to recruit children and hope to continue with the U7s, growing them through the ages.
They have also recruited some excellent volunteers to help with this and their social media team are doing great work. They’ve created an inspiring video, with some 3000 views, and new sponsors are supporting the club, among them Blacksmiths pub, Loughborough, Queniborough County Garage, and A&S Tooling.
Part of village community
“We want to be very much part of our village community,” says Stephen. “Other clubs know their identity; we had lost sight of ours. As a coaching team, it’s about getting the environment right and giving players the best match day and training experience so that they enjoy their rugby and want to stay.”
Having been promoted a few years ago from Level 8 to Level 7, players dropped out, and there was a return to the level below. Now they are chasing enjoyment and togetherness over promotion. A social team will be introduced this season to offer rugby to those who want to play on a more casual basis.
“We’re in the process of turning the club around now that we’ve determined what’s special about Birstall,” says Stephen.
“It’s going to be another year of hard work before we see a return on that investment but there’s real positivity now, with some great volunteers involved.”
