In November 2007, the committee established a high-level task force, comprising present and past club captains, former players with national league rugby experience, our Academy coach and various others with first hand experience of successful club rugby. Its brief was to develop a blueprint defining exactly what would be required to build and maintain a team capable of mounting a sustained challenge to play and thrive at London 1 level, while retaining our amateur status. It was given a remit to look at all aspects of senior rugby, including coaching structure, player recruitment, back up and support, equipment and so on, looking both at what we ourselves had done in the past and what other, successful clubs around us were doing in this respect.
I think it is fair to say that the continued and welcomed successes of the Sunday section of our club is the fruit of a sustained investment of resources, both human and financial, in that part of the club. Without diluting that investment in any way, the committee felt that the time has now come for the club to place similar investment and similar emphasis on success in the senior section.
This is probably the first time that the club has taken such a detached and holistic view of senior rugby. The immediate result was a “Vision” for senior playing, which new Senior Rugby Chairman Jim Monks has gone about putting in place with diligence and alacrity. This means that we will go into the 2008/09 season better prepared and with better support and back-up than any other 1st XV squad since Sevenoaks became involved in league rugby. For the first time, we will have a head coach supported by two specialist assistants, one of whom is also a fitness coach and a sports psychologist, by a nutritionist, and will have physios and managers in place for both our 1st and Extra 1st XVs. And we have appointed the club’s first official recruitment manager, with a budget and a brief for targeted recruitment in key positions.
As far as the personnel are concerned, this new senior playing management team contains an exciting mixture of new names and familiar club servants. Under Jim Monks’s overall management, Ron Standen returns as head coach, with Ex England-A and Harlequins’ Dave Thresher and former Barking and Blackheath star James Leverington (also a fitness and sports psychology professional) as assistants. We have a new 1st XV captain, too, in the shape of Tim Golds. Steve Collison and Lucy Thomas will offer physio services, Hils Everitt and Paul Vizard will provide management support, Dave Gilbert will help Viz lead the 2s, while Bryan Phillips is on board as recruitment manager. Dave Sellers will be providing nutritional advice.
Of course, none of the new measures we have put in place guarantees success – that’s ultimately down to the players. But the committee felt it important to give the players every chance to realise their potential and, more importantly, to put a structure in place that will provide solid foundations on which we can build a solid future. Lets get behind them and wish them every success.
Lee Adamson
Chairman