New rugby club chairman privileged to take up position

In the first edition of a new column, newly-appointed Ballymena Rugby Club chairman Bill Wallace looks ahead to his new role.
New Ballymena Rugby Club chairman Bill Wallace.New Ballymena Rugby Club chairman Bill Wallace.
New Ballymena Rugby Club chairman Bill Wallace.

“It is a great privilege to be asked to be the Chairman of one of Ireland’s premier clubs, and while there is no question that the year ahead will pose its own challenges, I am looking forward to it.

“As with any large sports club, it takes a great deal of effort from a great number of people to do all the things that are needed to keep Ballymena RFC going, and we have succeeded in building a number of teams ready to take us forward, on and off the field.

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“Our main purpose is to play rugby and, while a poor run of results in the season just past has seen our 1st XV relegated to Division 2A of the All Ireland League, I look forward to a successful season in that section.

“My optimism is well founded, I feel, as we have a new coaching team in place and we have an excellent squad of young players, the majority of whom will be turning out in Ballymena colours again next season.

“The Chief Coach is Andy Graham, who played for the 1st XV for many years, and he will be assisted by Nicky Wells, the current coach of the successful Methodist College team, and by Bryan Young, a Ballymena man who has played for both Ulster and Ireland.

“The success of the 1st XV is very important, but there is a lot of other Rugby played as well, and next year, as we build our player base, we will again field five senior teams.

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“We also have an outstanding Youth Section, which gives opportunities to boys from schools where Rugby is not a regular feature to learn the game and play competitively.

“Under the guidance of Tom Wiggins, this year’s Vice Chairman, the Youth Section has grown to the point where this season we had four teams, with three of them winning trophies.

“For the incoming season we will field five teams and Don Pattison will head up that section, so if you are between 12 and 18 and would like to learn the game, contact Don. Details can be found on the Club website.

“Upwards of two hundred Minis, aged between seven and 11, and 40 ‘Rascals’, from P1 and P2, turn out every Saturday morning, and I look on that a very successful and valuable part of the Club.

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“Convenor of that section is Gary Donald, who also started up Ballymena Bears, which provides Rugby coaching and playing for young people with learning difficulties every other Sunday morning.

“Those three sections between them have about 50 volunteer coaches, ensuring that boys, and girls, are well coached in complete safety.

“Rugby is what we are about, and “Bringing Rugby to the Community” is our strap line.

“But there is a whole lot more to the Club than that and I hope to write about that as the season goes on.”

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