Dear Members,

On behalf of the Executive Committee of LIARFC may we wish you a very Happy and Peaceful Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. This letter is intended to update you on progress in the season to date and a reminder of some of our core values and our need to adhere to these above all else.

Firstly, the season to date.  Overall, we would say it has been a very positive start to the season all round.

We have had one serious disciplinary issue which has now been concluded and which is mentioned again below; however our performances on the pitch have in the main been very encouraging.

You are all familiar with the performance of the Pros and, like you, we are looking forward immensely to the Leinster game in January which should be some showdown. You may, however, be less familiar with the performance of the Wild Geese, the first XV of LIARFC. Following a somewhat shaky start due to player unavailability and some dubious performances, the Geese have rocketed to second in the table with four wins in a row including a defeat of the league leaders. They are on track for promotion which would be a great achievement in year one of our three year plan which is geared at getting the Geese to London Division One. Many thanks go to Jamie Balls, Simon Martinson, Chris Magowan and the team.

Those of you who were at the Christmas Ball recently will have heard comments on the Under 15 and Under 18 Girls. Few of our teams can lay claim to being the best in the land (the Under 10s and 15s may wish to argue), however the Girls under John Flynn’s tutelage certainly can. Keep it going to the end of the year girls.

The development squads in the Wolfhounds, Bohemians and Wanderers have all performed extremely well to date with many of them staking claims for a place in the Geese. Wins over very strong opposition in recent weeks augers well for the rest of the season.

At youth level, the weather has played havoc with league fixtures so there will be a big backlog in the second half of the season. Nonetheless, every one of the age groups from Under 13-17 has started well. We continue to contribute many, many players to county and other representative sides as well as the professional academy structure.

At mini level we continue to thrive. We have the highest number of players in our history and have increased the coaching numbers at every level. Support for the minis from the Professionals has been excellent with Jack Heald in particular being a wonderful help in coaching players in key positions like prop and half back.

Lastly, the Bs continue to perform week in week out with their Friday night games a huge success to date.

The aforementioned Christmas Ball was a great success again. The demand for tickets means we may need to move to a bigger venue next year. Many thanks are due to Jack Costelloe, Jacinta Scannell and Cathal Leonard for their sterling work on the event.

The rest of the season promises to be equally exciting.  Please note the following dates for your diaries:

London Irish v Leinster, Heineken Cup – January 23rd

Past Players Lunch – January 30th

Ladies Lunch – March 20th

Leprechaun Lunch – April 16th

29th Annual Mini Festival – April 25th

Honours Tie Dinner – May 7th

Annual Golf Day – June 2nd

Club Core Values

Due to an extremely regrettable incident in a First XV league game against Effingham and Leatherhead in October where some of our players were involved in a pitch-side altercation with players and a coach from the opposition, the Club has been subject to very serious disciplinary proceeding by the RFU. Irrespective of the rights and wrongs of the incident, this is the first time in our 111 year history that an incident as serious as this has happened. The sanctions we received through the RFU disciplinary process have been suspended for two seasons but will involve a deduction of league points in the event of any serious disciplinary offence (regardless of the team involved). More importantly, the image of the club would be severely damaged if anything like this happens again.

Sadly, we must also inform you that some people have seen fit to be somewhat abusive to club volunteers this season.  This club is wholly reliant on its large number of volunteers who spend many, many hours of their time, without reward, organizing and doing things in the club.  We all know things go wrong but the complainers need to start asking what they can do to help rather than moaning.

We refer everyone to the Core Values Statement, and the Club’s Fairplay Code, which can be accessed via the Home Page of this website. 

The Executive Committee has decided that, as a club, we will adopt a zero tolerance policy towards any breaches of our disciplinary code both on and off the field. Red cards will be dealt with severely by the disciplinary committee with suspensions of up to 6 months considered.  Off the field breaches of our disciplinary code by coaches, parents, supporters or other members are likely to result in the offenders being asked to leave the club with their membership rescinded. We apologise if this seems draconian but London Irish has a long and proud history as a friendly and fair club that plays hard but within the rules of the game and the image of the club is the most important thing we have as we hand it to the next generation.

However, to incentivize the strengthening of our core values, we are initiating a competition between all teams and other groups within the club starting on January 1st 2010. A prize of £3,000 will be provided towards the tour fund of the team (i) with the best disciplinary record of the year and (ii) who make the best overall contribution to the club, not just in playing results but to the overall wellbeing of the club. Examples could include tables taken at club events, number of volunteers provided, assistance with the Mini Festival etc.  It will be presented at the Christmas Ball and be at the sole discretion of the Club’s executive. In the event of more than one winner, results will be the tie breaker. More details will be provided to each team manager shortly.

Once again, best regards for the festive season.

David FitzGerald                                                                             John Gilligan

Chairman                                                                                            Deputy Chairman