Hello and thank you for joining us as a Season Ticket Holder for 2021/22.
I spoke in my letter about that amazing final game of the season here at the Rec against Northampton Saints. To see so many of you back in your seats enjoying the rugby and the brilliant bonus-point try from Josh Bayliss is something I'll never forget.
If I am ever asked why we are targeting a homegrown squad of at least 50%, I say to them just look at Josh’s try in that Saints game, hear what it means to these young men to wear Blue, Black and White and run out and play in front of you at the Rec.
I'm incredibly proud of the number of young homegrown players over the past 12-months who demonstrated their quality and their potential for playing in the squad in future seasons. Orlando Bailey, Tom Doughty, Max Ojomoh to name a few who we will see a lot more of in 2021/22 and beyond. In addition, there were players who really cemented their position in the senior squad such as Miles Reid, Josh Bayliss and Tom de Glanville.
Our pathway is a massive part of our identity and the success that we want to achieve. Every player in the pathway has absolutely earned their place and I offer my sincere congratulations to Jasper Spandler, Josh Dingley and Mackenzie Graham on earning their place in our Senior Academy and congratulations also to Archie Stanley and Archie Maggs for earning their place as university scholars. My sincere thanks go to these young men, their families and to everyone in our Academy and pathway teams, who all make such a significant contribution and commitment each and every day.
While on the subject of welcoming new recruits, I am delighted that David Williams has joined our coaching team over the summer from the Sharks. David has brought real energy, clarity and excitement to our attack working with Ryan Davis. With David’s appointment, Neal Hatley is able to bring a renewed focus to our defence, his oversight of our game, and his support for Mark Lilley and Luke Charteris in their work with our forwards.
Furthermore, we are delighted to welcome Johannes Jonker and D’Arcy Rae along with Jaco Coetzee and Danny Cipriani to our passionate and committed squad. A squad who are determined to bring success to the club, and who feel incredibly proud and privileged to play in front of you this season.
Talking of passion, pride, and the sense of responsibility we all feel at the club, earlier this year we set out our commitment and plan for women and girls' rugby across our region. We want Bath Rugby to be a club of equal aspiration for girls and boys; where anyone who supports us can look up, can aspire, and can see opportunity.
Over the next three seasons, we have committed to doubling women and girls’ participation across our region; to creating a regional women and girls’ pathway, putting in place the foundations for a professional women's team and to promoting the women and girls’ game across our channels. As part of our commitment, we have strengthened our relationship with our amateur club, Bath RFC, and partnered with Bath Rugby Ladies.
Soon we will be launching our community vision, with our charity Bath Rugby Foundation, as we combine over a common purpose in terms of the impact that we can have across our region and across our community.
This ties in with work that we are doing in the club with players and staff connecting everyone to a deeper sense of what it means to work and play for Bath Rugby, and in terms of how success on the pitch can be at the centre of a much greater impact and benefit that we can have across our region.
From a club business perspective, our long-term ambition remains financial sustainability. This was a significant challenge, pre Covid, not least because of the unique challenges and constraints of operating a temporary stadium here at the Rec, which costs us around £1,000,000 a year, a cost which no other club has to bear.
The impact of Covid is, of course, significant incremental trading losses in the region of £8 million from restrictions to crowds being able to attend matches like other clubs. We were able to draw down on government support in the form of loan to temporarily fund some of those losses. We will be repaying that loan over future seasons.
Importantly, we are incredibly lucky to have passionate and loyal support from Bruce, our owner. He believes in the club over the long term, and we would not have the opportunities before us without his ardent support for what we do, his insight and, his belief in our future.
We are also incredibly lucky to have you, our supporters. Thank you from everyone at the club for your passionate, loyal support over what must have been an incredibly challenging and difficult 18-months for every one of you.
Green shoots are appearing in terms of the success of the vaccination rollout, the easing of restrictions, and hopefully, for you, whether it is at work or outside of work, you are seeing the benefit of those changes. For us, we continue with our plans to diversify commercially in support of long-term sustainability.
Farleigh Performance, our organisational development, and leadership development consultancy is eight months into its journey. It is winning clients and building into a thriving business. One of the growing staff at Farleigh Performance is club President John Hall, who has taken on a role helping to develop the business. Meanwhile John continues to invest huge time and energy into his club president role, helping the club and our charitable arm, Bath Rugby Foundation, as we look to explore ways in which we can increase the positive impact that we have across the city and the wider community.
In terms of stadium development, in October this year our appeal will be heard in terms of the 1922 covenants and their impact on the Rec. We are joined in the appeal with our landlord, Bath Recreation Limited. We hope that we can invest significant time and effort once more in the New Year on bringing forward stadium development proposals. The Rec is such a special place to come together, which brings me back to where I started and that amazing day here at the Rec against Saints at the end of last season.
Of course, the Saints game was important; it was hugely important for our season. More than that, it summed up for me everything that it means to be part of our club and what a privilege it is to work for Bath Rugby.
Before the game, I met up with a passionate supporter who I got to know during the lockdowns, and his father. It felt incredibly special to come together and catch up on the past 15 months and to hear how much it meant to them to be back together at the Rec. For so many supporters it was the first time you had been back with friends at the Rec for over a year.
At the game, the noise and the energy from the crowd as our team ran out for the start of the game felt incredibly special after so much time apart. The sense of anticipation, the feeling of connection as we all stood behind the team and then, of course, that final sprint; that break, that unbelievable finish and everyone, players, coaches and crowd leaping and cheering with joy… amazing!
After the game, once the stadium was empty, all staff, players, and players’ families came together on the pitch. Wetook a moment, we talked, and we spent time together. This was something that we had been unable to do together for over 15 months.
For me, this is what our club is about, and this is what we've all missed. This is what we are looking forward to with you this season - coming together again, that sense of belonging, being together again, and creating amazing memories.
Thank you so much for your support and we look forward to seeing you at the Rec soon.
Tarquin
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