Where to Now?
Dubbo Junior Rugby enters the Club`s Centenary Year justifiably proud of its current status and achievements. Yet to rest on our laurels will be, at best, dangerous. It will fall to future committees to decide the Club`s future directions. Without being too provocative, some issues facing the club that require discussion involve:
Professionalism. Junior sport, in particular junior rugby, is not about winning. Its about giving the kids the self-esteem gained through team mates; the discipline of commitment to the team. But most of all having fun. Already we see high profile players being inaccessible because of contracts, which restrict their appearances to those who can afford to pay. Off-field behaviour of high profile players does affect kids on-field behaviour!
Club Unity. Perhaps the most pleasing aspect of the Club`s Centenary Year is the desire of both seniors and juniors to form closer alliances. Senior players are already assisting at junior training (but there`s not enough of them); Presidents Weldon and Toole are in constant consultation and juniors are anxious to be ball boys at senior games. A recent survey of junior players revealed their ambition in rugby was not to play for Australia, or NSW or the Brumbies, but to play for Dubbo 1st Grade.
Dubbo Rugby consists of three areas:
- Teds Golden Oldies (the has-beens)
- Seniors (tomorrows has-beens)
- Juniors (the future)
The current club was constituted when there was only a seniors division. Voting rights pertain only to players. There is some confusion today as to the rights and powers of various divisions within the club.
As we head into the next century there are moves afoot to change the Australian Constitution, the monarchy and to implement a pre-amble to the Constitution. Perhaps it`s time Dubbo Rugby Club did the same?
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