Bannockburn RFC builds new fully owned rugby pitch thanks to Vodafone support

Stirling-based rugby club, Bannockburn RFC, is celebrating a massive boost following the success of Vodafone's 2022 event, which raised over £6,000 for the club.

Article Source: Bannockburn RFC
Last Updated: 13 January 2023 13:28

BANNOCKBURN RFC BUILDS NEW FULLY OWNED RUGBY PITCH THANKS TO VODAFONE SUPPORT AND FUNDRAISING EFFORTS OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

• Local rugby club, Bannockburn RFC, has made considerable improvements to the club facilities, equipment, and training, thanks to Vodafone support.

• Vodafone visited Bannockburn RFC in March 2022 to host a community event alongside former British & Irish Lion, Tommy Seymour and former Scotland Women’s captain, Lisa Martin.

• The £6,000 raised from the event has allowed them to make much needed renovations and upgrades on equipment, including replacing the previously used council-owned pitch with their own ground.

• New tech has allowed the club to provide coaching and analysis on the pitch as well as improving their financial efficiency.

• Vodafone also launched the Rugby Hub to offer bespoke business resources for grassroots clubs including Bannockburn RFC, which had allowed them to upskill volunteers in areas such as digital marketing and social media.

Stirling-based rugby club, Bannockburn RFC, is celebrating a massive boost following the success of Vodafone's 2022 event, which raised over £6,000 for the club. The money has mostly been used to improve club’s facilities and training equipment.

Vodafone was joined by a host of rugby stars, including former British & Irish Lion, Tommy Seymour, former Scottish Women’s captain and current Saracen’s centre, Lisa Martin and The Good, The Bad & The Rugby’s James Haskell, Mike Tindall, and Alex Payne. Over 500 people from the local community attended the fundraising event for a day of activities and pitch-side fun, which helped fundraise and drum up support for the club.

Bannockburn RFC directed most of the funding towards creating their own pitch, from the council owned pitch they were previously using. The new pitch includes new posts and floodlights, which has helped to improve playing and increase participation numbers.

Alongside the funds raised, Vodafone donated a new projector and video analysis camera to the club, to help improve coaching analysis and on pitch performance of both the men’s and women’s side. Bannockburn RFC have also been using the projector for other important issues and non-rugby related events, such as recently hosting a mental health session.

Bannockburn RFC also benefitted from Vodafone's Rugby Hub, a bespoke business resource for all community clubs across the UK and Ireland. With the club being naturally reliant on volunteers, the Rugby Hub resources will allow the club to upskill its volunteers in vital areas, such as digital marketing, and content and social media, to help grow its profile and thus become more self-sufficient.

Bannockburn RFC was one of four clubs – alongside Westbury RFC, Dungannon RFC and Aberdare RFC – selected by Vodafone for the series of fundraising events. The club was selected due to its role in offering training to armed forces veterans by helping them to remain active and to take an increased interest in rugby through free training sessions hosted by the club.

Jimmy Samuel, Director of Rugby, Bannockburn RFC said:, “The support Vodafone has offered us has been amazing. We have been able to improve our facilities at the club, which has drastically improved participation, performance, and play. From a cultural aspect, it has changed our reputation within the community, becoming a more well-known team has had a direct impact on the growth of both the men’s and women’s teams. In fact, we predict the women’s team will soon outgrow the men’s!”

Vodafone’s Chief Commercial Officer, Max Taylor said: “At Vodafone we are committed to supporting grassroots rugby in the UK. It is fantastic to see how successful the fundraising events have been and how each of the clubs have put the funds to such effective use.”

During the event, Bannockburn RFC volunteers also attended workshops designed to improve digital skills, which will allow the club to build a stronger online presence, drive awareness and grow its supporter base to help maintain long-term sustainability.

The day’s events were concluded by a live podcast recording of The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, guest starring Tommy and Lisa. Along with current rugby affairs, injuries and the day’s antics, the panel talked to the importance of grassroots rugby and how – with a little bit of digital and business support – clubs can take themselves to the next level.

Vodafone is committed to supporting rugby in the UK through current partnerships with the WRU and DMP Sharks.

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