Dedication the key factor for Athboy and Ratoath club officials

RUGBY

These are challenging times in all sorts of way and rugby clubs have had to find their own way through the pandemic.

In this, the final part of our series, we look at how two more Meath clubs - Athboy and Ratoath - have adapted to the changing times.

ATHBOY

Fergus O'Boyle has been one of the driving forces behind Athboy RFC for some time now.

He says the support received from the government and the governing powers of the game in this country has been crucial in helping to keep the club afloat.

Without that support he dreads to think what might have happened.

"From our point of view you couldn't fault the IRFU or the Leinster Branch, they did a top job trying to secure funding for a club like ours," he said.

"Without the level of funding we received we wouldn't be here, that's the bottom line."

When the pandemic first hit, all rugby clubs were invited to fill out a form outlining what they were likely to lose out on as a consequence of not being able to hold fundraising events.

"We had to do a spreadsheet of what we were going to lose, our loss of earnings, and it all adds up," remarked O'Boyle.

"At the end of the season we would hold a barbecue and we might have had a cup final, and we could get some money at the gate.

"We also used to do an annual golf classic at the Knightsbrook which generated a considerable sum of money for us and that was gone as well.

"Some of our friends and colleagues would have provided sponsorship over the years, but it's very hard to go back to them when you have no rugby.

"It's very hard to look for membership as well with no games," he suggested.

One big saving came from the fact that the club didn't have to pay player insurance this year which is nearly €2,000 per team.

Also clubs with loans from the IRFU were given an exemption from paying them back for a year.

"We received a small loan for pitch development, but our repayment has been deferred which is a big help."

Yet there are bills that do still have to be paid.

"We own our own pitch and containers (dressingrooms) but we have ESB standard charges, water rates, one of our biggest bills is public liability insurance, that's about €1,800 a year," adds O'Boyle.

Another significant outlay for the club is their contribution towards the employment of a Community Rugby Officer (CRO) with the IRFU contributing most of that cost.

The club feel having a CRO available to them is crucial.

In the coming months O'Boyle points out that Athboy RFC will have to ensure pitches are maintained. The grass will have to be cut regularly and that's a cost.

"We'll be cutting grass until the end of October and the cost of having to do that could be considerable too."

The biggest loss, O'Boyle suggests, is the fact that in the coming months there will be no rugby played.

"The fact that we won't be playing until next September at least is also very difficult to get used to," he added.

However, the important thing, he suggests, is that the club is still going. Still flying the flag.

RATOATH

When it comes to fulfilling long-held ambitions there is no holding Ratoath back - pandemic or no pandemic.

Formed in 2005 the club has purchased a sizeable chunk of land out the Curraha road where they were originally based.

"We initially rented about four acres, but we subsequently bought a 15-acre site. However, we've lost part of our original pitch that we used to rent but we still have a sizeable area to work with," explained club chairman Conor Kiely.

"We built a new pitch two years ago and it's an excellent pitch, fully drained.

"It's built to a very high spec, playable all the year around," he added.

Now Ratoath RFC has started working on constructing another pitch of the same standard which will come in at a cost of around €190,000.

That's not all. Even higher up their ambitious agenda is the construction of a clubhouse which the club chairman is still optimistic can be built by next autumn.

"As soon as the Covid restrictions are eased we hope to start the building work.

"We did get a grant to help us build our first pitch and we are hoping to get grants to support our second pitch, but we are building the clubhouse under our own steam."

As part of a fundraising drive the club officials were aiming to hold a car draw, but that has had to be put on hold.

"It's very hard to run a car draw in the middle of a pandemic," Kiely adds with ticket selling opportunities limited.

Ratoath's first team play in the Leinster League Div 3A and the club has a strong under-age set-up.

There was real hope that some silverware could be secured this year, with their u-13s showing particular promise.

This was also the last year the u-18 side would be together after 10 years and Kiely feels it's a shame they didn't get to play out the season.

He's hoping they will stay involved in the game.

The addition of new facilities are, Kiely feels, essential if the club is to push on.

However right now, he also adds, it's vital to support club members and keep them together as much as possible.

"Right now we are just trying to keep our members engaged on social media - especially around big Leinster or Ireland matches where we run a few competitions," he said.

"People appreciate a bit of interaction all the more these days.

"While we feel it is possible that there will be no competitive games this season, we are still really keen to resume training as soon as it's safe to do so - and get out onto the green grass and fresh air again.

"We live in hope and can't wait until we scrum down again. Hopefully that will be soon," he concluded.