Ambition on and off the pitch at Haywards Heath RFC
As soon as government restrictions for organised sport were lifted, rugby was back on the pitches for Haywards Heath RFC at Whitemans Green in Cuckfield. The club has a long history of developing young talent, delivering sport for all and promoting the core values of rugby.
The senior squad is back at Tuesday and Thursday evening training sessions under the lights, the players looking to regain any fitness lost during lockdown. The senior coaching team of Martin MacTaggart and Jim Taylor, both level 3 coaches, has been joined by Jack Emmerson, currently Head of Rugby at Hurst College, to support an ambitious squad competing in London 1 South next season. New players age 18+ of all abilities are very welcome.
Vibrant grassroots rugby community
The youth squads, including a very popular Colts section, are playing every weekend until the end of May, with many junior age groups training midweek as well to make up for the rugby lost during lockdown. All squads are eager to resume friendly fixtures and recently the Under 16s hosted Hove RFC for their first competitive fixture of the season. Strength and depth across their Under 16s squad has made them reigning Sussex County champions, and they were glad of a win, with both sides eager to test their rugby skills again in a match-day situation.
The club’s popularity sees volunteer car park marshals on duty from before 9am each Sunday to ensure the space is maximised as over 450 children across all the age groups gather. There are now over 60 Under 6s playing every Sunday and other age groups have also attracted many new players. The Under 15s and 16s have planned a tour for the end of May, travelling to Devon and Cornwall to play Ivybridge among other South West teams, and more than 90 children and parents are currently in the touring party.
Saturday touch for all: men, women and children age 11+ has proved popular and the club has launched a girls only touch rugby session for age 11+ on Saturday mornings to provide for the growing interest in girls’ rugby. With help and support of the RFU and its Regional Club Developer, the club is launching girls’ rugby for 12-14s next season, with a special girls-only training camp over the summer.
With rugby back on the pitches and constant ongoing communication during lockdown, Heath’s burgeoning numbers highlight the necessity of a new clubhouse at Whitemans Green to fulfil the needs of such a large and vibrant grassroots rugby community. The current clubhouse, built in the 1970s, has been patched up so many times that it’s no longer fit for purpose, even less so in a post-Covid world. The inadequate and outdated changing facilities and social spaces lack disabled access, are a barrier to entry for girls’ and women’s rugby, and inhibit expansion across all ages.
Multi-sports pavilion planned
Planning permission, initial funds from Mid Sussex District Council and renewed lease terms are secured and Fairfax - a property development company, as club sponsor, has agreed to build the new facility at cost and contribute 20% of costs if the club can demonstrate that the remaining funds are in place. Its education foundation Fairfax Building Young Futures, dedicated to promoting blended learning steered by Peter Chisholm MBE, former Deputy Head at Warden Park Academy and father of ex-Heath and current Harlequins players Ross and James Chisholm, will use the facility to provide mentoring and improve the life chances of disadvantaged teenagers.
Determined to take this amazing opportunity, the club is working hard to fundraise, having already raised over £700,000 themselves, with generous assistance from local businesses Adelphi, Pets Corner and Kalimex. They now need urgent help to fill the gap and activate this state-of-the-art multi-sports pavilion and enable more children and adults to stay fit and healthy.
The club hopes that this summer’s screenings of the Lions Test matches live will close the curtains on the now dilapidated facilities before they embark on the production of a new clubhouse. They were applying for the Rugby Union Winter Survival Fund Asset Improvement Loan and appealing for any organisations looking to activate their corporate social responsibility commitments in the south east or providing relevant grants for such an important project to get in touch. Creating the new multi-sports pavilion will, they say, meet the needs of current and future generations of rugby players right across the Sussex area and provide a facility of excellence for rugby and other sports.
To make contact email rugby@hhrfc.co.uk for more information.
