Written : Thursday 2nd Oct 25On Sunday 28th September, Stoke Park played host to 1250 children between the ages of 6 and 11 and their families, as the Autumn season of rugby festivals kicked off in spectacular style at Guildfordians RFC.
I must start by thanking everyone who volunteered to support this event, from the parking marshals, to the parents who helped setup and tidy up. From those who cooked over five hundred burgers and ran the tuck shop at the Oasis, to the coaches who give up their time to get the pitches ready. Particular thanks must go to Lotte, Nicci, Andrew, Phil, Beth, Julia, Natalie and Liz, who stepped forward to organise the festival this year and created an event that presented the Guildfordians RFC in the best possible light.
Attending a festival is a great experience for the children and it was wonderful to see so much enthusiasm, engagement and team spirit from all 143 teams from 12 different clubs, who took to the pitch. As well as their medals, hopefully the children will have taken away some great memories, grown in confidence and enjoyed being part of a wider rugby community.
Aside from the sport, I’m sure our young players get something from the event socially and it was great to see many of players, parents and coaches in the clubhouse afterwards. I also spotted some teams from the visiting clubs which is a great endorsement of the friendly atmosphere all of us at Guildfordians help create.
The event was well supported by external companies with an ice cream van, coffee van and pizza oven, all of which were popular and provided visitors with a variety of choices. We were also delighted to have one of our sponsors, Level Up Fitness, at the event providing some fun activities, from their summer sports camps, for children and adults to try – I’m sure most of the children weren't troubled by my rather ‘modest’ score of 13 in the reaction and agility activity.
Wishing everyone a fantastic season and I look forward to seeing you around on Sunday mornings and at the spring festival in March.
Simon Shackerley
Minis Chair
