Welcome Message
The message from the President is simple. UCDRFC is one of the leading rugby clubs in the country. We have a very competitive 1st team , plenty of talent feeding through from the under 20’s and a strong focus to improve the junior teams. The success of Collidge over the years is because there is a hard core of highly committed people who have driven the club forward with vision and focus. The changes in the club scene in the last 20 years have been seriously challenging, and club has shown leadership and flexibility in meeting those challenges and that’s why we are where we are today.
I am deeply honoured to be your President this year. I played in Collidge for four seasons in the late 70’s and those years were (with all due respects to my adoring wife and wonderful children ), probably the best years of my life. We played superb rugby, we were highly committed, very successful and we had great craic. The friends I met in those years are still my friends today. In my view that’s what playing for Collidge is all about.
To run a leading 1st Division club these days takes a huge effort and a lot of money. I ask only this of you. I ask you to put a little back into the well from where you drank (and I’m not talking about Harto’s here). Support us in any way you can. That support can come in many ways, you can attend matches, pre-match lunches, the club dinner or the colours match, and just get more involved. I will ensure you get a warm welcome and the more we have, the better the craic.
Of course financial support is important also, and that can come by putting a team in the golf outing, taking tables at the pre-match lunches, the club dinner or the colours match lunch.
I would like to acknowledge the impressive work that’s being done by Billy Murphy, the Executive and all the hard core of people who are the back bone of Collidge. You know who they are.
I wish our club Captain, Michael Hastings, all the best for the 1st XV for the coming season and also to coaches Bobby Byrne and Gary Coakley. Most of last years team are with us again. We came close to the play-offs last season, which was a huge improvement on the previous year, so I’ve no doubt they’ll want to improve on that.
My focus for the year will be to play my part in enhancing the proud tradition of UCDRFC, which in my view, is to excel on the playing field, to run the club with focus and vision, and to enjoy the company of our members and guests.
I can’t do it without you. Be There.
Tom Kavanagh
UCDRFC President