Last season once again was successful in terms of player numbers and the running of five senior teams, if a little mixed in terms of results, but it was also successful in terms of socialising, establishing and maintaining friendships, and overall having fun.

The club is entirely owned and run by its members and over the past years, tremendous hard work by many, many individuals have led to its facilities and pitches becoming the envy of many visiting clubs. Volunteering has become the buzz word of the moment following the fantastic success of the Olympics and Paralympics and this, your club, is always looking for help and volunteers. So don’t be frightened in coming forward if you are interested and please get in touch with a committee member or your skipper.

Since the end of last season the club has undergone a major restructure with the key changes being;

New Management Structure in place
Reduced Management Committee size to allow the club to move and change more quickly
Commitment to improve coaching and player development across the whole club and in particular in the youth section
Creation of a 5 year business plan and a target of opening a refurbished/extended clubhouse as soon as is financially viable.

This increases rather than decreases the number of volunteers required in all areas of the club from social through to match management, so all offers of help would be gratefully received.

Following an encouraging season of consolidation last year and an excellent Yorkshire Shield run leading to the final at Hull the 1st team squad have real ambitions to push for promotion from Yorkshire 2.

The club have also been invited into the RFU Senior Vase competition. This is a national cup with the final being held at Twickenham stadium next May and is also seen as a major target for this season.

Duncan Hardy is our first ever overseas club captain who sets a great example to our young squad in both training and on match days. Head Coach Richard Nicholson has been pleased with the efforts the players have put in during pre-season and is delighted to welcome back from injury one or two senior players as well as a couple of new signings, all adding to the quality and depth of the senior squad.

I am pleased to report that the annual subscriptions in the 2012/13 season will remain as last season. The cost of playing rugby at Selby represents great value for money compared to the costs of the other sports. Please ensure you hand the completed forms with payment to your respective manager as soon as the season starts. From the start of this season this season you will be able to pay subscriptions by Direct Debit, which is the club’s preferred method. Go to the home page of the club web site for further details.

The club shop has moved to the ground floor and is located past the clubhouse and stand. The Club shop opening times for the new season will be as follows;

Tuesday and Thursday 18:15 - 20:00

Saturday 14:00 - 15:00

Sunday 09:30 - 11:00

Starting from this season you will also be able to pay by debit/credit card.

We are also looking at new and improved ways of communicating with players, with more consistent information being displayed on the website. I would encourage all members to register on the web site and to visit it on a regular basis.

I would also like to thank all our sponsors, who play a big part in providing essential funds to the club, and if you would like to advertise with the club, please speak with me or any other committee member.

I hope that you will enjoy your rugby at Selby and I look forward to seeing you at the Club for another successful season.

Reg Phillips

President
Selby RUFC