Warley turn fortunes around
After a difficult season, Warley Rugby Club has undergone a complete revival, both on and off the pitch.
Warley Rugby Club in Oldbury, West Midlands, was struggling in the 2022/23 season, giving seven walkovers to opposition teams in league and cup games and finishing bottom of the table, having failed to register any points in three fixtures.
With a points difference of 578 and first XV losses of 86-0 away to Eccleshall, having played with 13 for most of the match, and 90-5 away to Willenhall, playing with a squad of only 14, training numbers had dropped to often below 10. There was no second or social team for players and 50% of 30 registered club members were non-playing members.
Change was clearly needed for the club to survive and Jon Arch was brought in as head coach, a member of the North Midlands coaching team who previously coached both Aldridge RFC and Harborne RFC to promotion. He expanded the club’s coaching team and determined to see: the 1st XV fulfil every league and cup game this season, 20+ players at training, a second team playing regular rugby, a player development programme for new and under 23 players, a full social events calendar, engagement with supporters, sponsors and the local community and especially for players to have fun.
Players brought back
The club surveyed players on what they wanted from rugby and from Warley RFC and, in the first part of the 2023/24 season, 15 lapsed players returned from retirement or from other clubs while 20 new players joined, some of whom were new to the sport. Training numbers have regularly been over 30 - with a high of around 40.
A strong social media campaign around the Rugby World Cup saw lots of interest from new players and Warley now have both a 1st and 2nd XV playing regularly, and an occasional Vets game being enjoyed, with more planned. A past players’ lunch saw more than 40 old boys who were invited onto the pitch to sing the club song after the game. As they head into the 2024/2025 season, the 2nd team will be playing competitive rugby in a merit league.
Social events have included fancy dress, pub golf, Halloween activity and a Christmas jumper day. Warley have also had joint fixtures with Sutton Coldfield, Harborne and Kidderminster RFCs and ran a joint training session with Sutton Coldfield, with more planned. A specialist camera has also been acquired for match and training analysis and portable floodlights have been brought in for training.
Increasing Membership
A young, dynamic committee has restructured the membership packages, with playing, student and social packages and playing membership coming with added benefits like kit. They have increased membership to 80+ and recruited volunteers, erected a pitch barrier, renovated the bar, are improving TV and sound systems and now have a WhatsApp group just for non-committee volunteers and the leadership team.
Without the support of a core group of a dozen players, the club would have gone under, but now, with buy in from former players, they aim to become known as the best social rugby club in the area for players and their families. They are also looking to start increasing bar revenue and use of the facilities and to ensure a sustainable future through the relaunch of a youth section.
Warley club captain, Jon Cox, says the club’s family culture is fantastic, but they really struggled after the pandemic.
“It was extremely challenging because people got used to being at home at the weekends and we had a lot of players on the not available list. We had to go back to our roots, focus on the social aspect. Now we have more regular fixtures for the social side as well as a more competitive first team and can schedule second team games every week, with 40+ players available again.
Youth Rugby Partnership
“Of course, we can’t be sustainable without youth players coming through and we got together with Phoenix College in West Bromwich to initiate a youth rugby partnership. It’s been eight to ten years since we had an age grade structure and there’s strong competition from nearby clubs. Now, however, players who’ve taken their kids to local rivals want to bring them back. We are a family club and want to keep that very much alive.
“John Arch, our new coach, was traditionally a Warley player and he brought former players back from other clubs, as well as some who’d stopped playing altogether. It starts to snowball with players saying ‘Well, if he’s coming back, I’ll come back too.
“We heavily recruited through social media and created posters which made the club look more of a professional outfit. That’s what’s needed: social media, videoing the game, building numbers. Posts in the local area brought half a dozen new players along to training, some hadn’t played in a while, one was new to the game. We are trying to have an identity so people know who we are and can identify the Oldbury area and the club. We want everyone to come, enjoy the social aspect of the club. It’s a sports club and there’s lots of activity with rugby now a big part of the social side, people in the bar, people who watch and those who play. And we’ve got Six Nations matches on our live screens and drinks offers.
“I’ve got a son, Roman, with my fiancé Kelly. He’s only a baby now but I want an age grade side for him. He’s been born into a rugby family and already has an England kit!”
