Hello to you all
As Christmas is approaching I would like to take this opportunity to send out a message to summarise the year that has been, to share with you some of our plans for the year ahead, and to send out a number of thank yous.
2023 has certainly been our best year yet as a club, we have grown in numbers both on and off the field and we see ourselves in a great place ready to kick things off in the new year.
The first highlight for me has to be our club day held at Bartholomew School where two of our junior sides competed against neighbours Swindon St George. This was then followed by the clubs first ever Open Age 13-a-side fixture where both sides competed for the Inaugural Francis George Cup. It became a huge uphill battle especially after losing co-captain and influential loose forward Alex Knight to a serious injury early on, St George took home the spoils but it is hoped this will be the beginning of an annual fixture for both clubs. Frank George has come on board in 2023 as a sponsor and we are excited to work together and drive our plans forward alongside Club Committee member Colette Thompson and her company and club sponsor Cotswold Property Partners. Star performers on the day for the Levellers were Steffan Jones for the U13s, captain Matthew Foord for the U15s and Ryan Craze for the men’s side. Josh Algar also became the clubs first ever try scorer for the men’s side, joining Luke Thompson and Zeb Wild in the history books as the clubs first ever try scorers for their respective age groups. It was also great to have the support of Sarah’s Brunch Box and Soft Swirl Nation at the event providing refreshments for all in attendance on what was a very wet day.
As a result of this club event, we saw open age players Jack Bull and Charlie Keane receive call ups to the 20 man West of England Squad, a huge achievement for both local lads and the club. This follows on from the previous rep honours the club have had with X-League where Charlie Liversage, Callum Snook, Ben Bright, Adam Richards and Jack Judson all received call ups to the England side alongside Nicky Wishart who was previously selected to play for the Scotland squad.
X-League also features in my round up of the year as we competed for a second year in a row in the X-League Grand Prix where we finished a respectable third behind the two Oldham sides, St Anne’s and Oldham Owls.
We hosted the final Grand Prix event in September at Wood Green School, and this year we held our Family Fun Day on the same day, raising funds for our chosen charity Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA). This was organised by new Club Committee Member Ian Ferry who, alongside some of our incredible volunteers, managed to help raise over £600 on the day. Soft Swirl Nation and Sarah’s Brunch Box were in attendance again and they were also joined by Humble Bumble Cafe, it really is nice to be able to have the support of our local vendors at our events and also other local organisations such as Huffkins and Blenheim Palace who were kind enough it offer up prizes for our raffle.
Another highlight for me has been the introduction and development of the club website which has been created by Committee Member John Pouncett. John has done a great job with it and it is now up to the rest of the club to continue to grow the site and build the information on there so the local community know exactly who we are, what we offer and what we are planning for the future.
We do have a great deal going on behind the scenes, from kit design and training wear packages to working with local schools to introduce the different variations of our sport to new groups of people.
We are also currently in talks to develop an exciting programme for 2024 that will look at supporting some of our most talented athletes in the county. As like most clubs we are always on the lookout for new people to come on board and support our vision as we want to continue building the foundations of this club for the local community, so do get in touch if it is something you would like to explore with us in the new year.
I’d like to finish by thanking everyone involved at the club, from our coaches, players and parents/guardians to the vendors and volunteers that have supported our events, it really is a team effort to drive a club forward and deliver our combined vision.
Lastly, my final thanks go to the ever growing committee that constantly remind me that there is support there when I need it. Your support this year has enabled me to take a step back from a number of tasks so I can refocus efforts and give my all to those we priorities, rather than spreading myself too thin and not being satisfied with the end product.
The Levellers Committee and I would like to wish you and your families a very merry Christmas and a healthy and happy new year.
John Connaughton
Chairman
West Oxfordshire Levellers RLFC
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