President's Message 15.10.26

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Men’s AIL Defeat in Naas

Commiserations to our Men’s First XV who suffered a heavy defeat in Forenaughts last week to a very strong Naas side in Round 3 of the AIL.

Whilst we currently sit in 5^th position in 1B on 9 points, it is still early days and the Team will come back stronger. I urge all Club members to support skipper, Roy Whelan, and the lads in the next round against City of Armagh on 24^th October in Stradbrook.

Women’s AIL Victory in Stradbrook

The Club got the immediate boost it needed on Saturday evening when the Women’s 1^st XV enjoyed a stunning 50-5 victory in the first round of the AIL win against Wicklow on Saturday evening.

It was great to see internationals Kate Jordan, Beibhinn Parsons and Erin King down supporting the game.

Congratulations to our Team and management and to the Player of the Game, Cara Martin, on a great win.

We wish the Team well in the next round of the AIL away in UL Bohemians this Saturday at 5pm.

Well done also to the Women’s 2^nd XV on a 24-24 draw with New Ross RFC and Player of the Game, Manuala McCarthy.

Stunning Win for U20s

The Club got another boost on Sunday when our U20s had a great 40-24 away win against St Mary's, who were littered with members of last year’s SCT Cup winning side, in the JP Fanagan Prem 1 and congratulations to the Team and Management on this remarkable away win.

Congratulations to Rudy O’Reilly for winning Man of The Match. The out-half scored a try and kicked 5/6. Special recognition also to Daragh Farrell, who scored an outstanding hat-trick.

We urge you to get down to Stradbrook this Sunday to cheer the Team on in the next round against UCD.

Men’s 3^RD XV

We look forward to seeing big numbers out supporting the ‘The Castle‘ in Stradbrook this Saturday at 3pm against our local rivals Seapoint.

Executive

The Club is seeking to build a number of new capital projects so as to provide a number of new income streams to make the annual and day to day funding more sustainable. These projects include the building of 2 padel courts and new 4G pitches to replace the grass bottom pitches. These projects will provide substantial additional yearly income to the Club. For these to be commenced, we require the support of our Members through donations and sponsorship. Pat Finn has been driving this and deserves huge credit for this and what he does for the Club generally.

A new fundraising and sponsorship working group has been set up to enable these projects commence and completed. We would strongly ask and welcome Members to support this. If you are interested in getting involved, could you please let Pat Finn or John O’Leary know.

As part of this fundraising initiative, we are erecting a new sponsorship board in the Club, whereby each position for our Men’s AIL First Team is to be sponsored (positions 1-22). We are asking companies or individuals to sponsor each position at €1,000 each. The sponsorship will be displayed in the Club and also on our social media channels and website before each game. This is done by multiple Clubs across the country and is a good source of revenue. Could I ask those who are in position to back this to please contact me, Pat, John or Aidan Finn. We would strongly ask for you to get behind this initiative to help the Club with the plans above.

Engage Financial Solutions has already sponsored the number 1 Shirt and we thank them for their support.

November Fundraiser Dinner

Book your table now for the Gala Dinner in the Shelbourne Hotel November 12^th. Following the success of last year's dinner, this event promises to be an enjoyable and informative occasion. Our Master of Ceremonies will be Shane Byrne, and the evening will feature a distinguished panel of rugby speakers discussing Ireland's prospects in the forthcoming Six Nations Championship and the Rugby World Cup 2027. Please contact Erin on admin@blackrockcollegerfc.ie for more info or to book a table.

Home and Away Support

We look forward to seeing big numbers out supporting all our teams during the season. The players deserve our support.

For upcoming AIL Home Lunches against Armagh 24^th October and Highfield 17^th November, book on the ClubZap app in advance or contact Conor, Erin, Larry Macken or Paul Brophy.

For away matches, contact Arthur Fitzpatrick or Paul Brophy.

Sponsors

We generously thank our Club and Team Sponsors, without whom none of this would be possible.

October Charity Corner: Try!

A reminder about our October Charity spotlight, TRY!, the award-winning Irish documentary that follows four players - Richie, Maeve, Tommy and Paul - as they prepare for the Mixed Ability Rugby World Cup.

TRY! is coming to IMC Dun Laoghaire this Friday 16th October for one week.

Showtimes include screenings each day at 16:15 and 18:25.

Ticket link: Book IMC Try Showtimes

Watch the trailer: Try Film