A Proud Heritage
The origins of Rolls-Royce Rugby Football Club go back to 1943, when a Rolls-Royce XV played a few games.
The first was played at Belper against Westcliffe (Evacuees) and Rolls-Royce won 3-0, with Denys Hope scoring a try under the posts but Ken Davies failed to convert. Denys and Ken were to become stalwarts of the club through its early years, with Denys being the secretary from 1943 to 1955 and Ken Davies, a brilliant centre, who regularly played for the Three Counties and remained loyal to the club throughout his career.
Another early game was played between Rolls-Royce (Belper) and Rolls-Royce (Derby) with David Huddie appearing for Belper and Dennis McCarthy leading the Derby team.
In those dark days of the war, long hours were worked and it was not until the 16th November 1943 that the Rugby Club was formally accepted as a section of the Rolls-Royce Welfare Society.
Back from the Brink
In 2012 Rolls-Royce RFC was on the brink of the abyss. Languishing at the bottom of the Midlands league structure and unable to find a regular 1st XV, the club was facing the very real risk of winding up the club’s 70 year history.
Under the leadership of Chairman Chai Uawithya and Club Captain James Hinchcliffe, the club made a decision to significantly streamline and restructure the committee, empowering the resultant core leadership team to deliver on key objectives:
- 1XV to win the league
- 2XV to play regular fixtures
- Deliver monthly Social Fixtures, Christmas and End of Season Dinner to unite the club
- Broaden the appeal of the club
Anything the committee sanctioned had to support one of the objectives. Under the ‘one squad, one club’ approach, this lead to three main themes of development: Recruitment; Retention; and Collaboration.
For a team that has traditionally found its players through word of mouth at the water cooler, recruitment was to be the club’s first challenge. A committee member responsible for recruitment was appointed (Robin Kennea) and very soon numerous avenues for player recruitment were pursued. These included local advertising, getting match reports published in the local press, improved web presence (Stu Reardon) and stronger recruitment events. The effect was immediate: over 100 players represented the club at 1st, 2nd and Vets XV levels, as well as 7s; with greater numbers of players coming from outside of the company than ever before.
Having attracted a number of players to the club; the committee were intent on keeping them. The first major change in the club was to implement a structured coaching team (Marcus Hawes). A volunteer team consisting of a head coach and three coaches has been formed, providing the base to develop experienced and new players alike; with new players being able to take advantage of small sessions aimed at developing basic skills. The club took advantage of its rugby links as well, with guest coaches, including Rotherham and ex Rolls-Royce forward Dan Sanderson, giving up their free time to support the club.
Off the field, retention was supported through the implementation of a structured social calendar (Will Schofield). The club hosted initiatives such as family days and other sporting and social activities; and took a party to Madrid on the first tour for over 5 years.
Collaboration in the community also saw the club pulling together to raise significant amounts of money for charities, including a very memorable 1st XV v Vets XV exhibition match and community day in aid of cancer charities.
The 1XV achieved promotion to Midlands 4 (East) North at the end of the 2013-2014 season, having lost only one game during the campaign. After a good showing in a number of friendlies, the 2XV decided to return to league rugby and enter the Pennant leagues.
The club received an award from NLD for this: link
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