Mark Carrick

Ayr RFC Phase 3 Development – £5,000 Donation from The Mickel Fund

We are delighted to announce that Ayr Rugby Football Club has received a generous donation of £5,000 from The Mickel Fund, a Scottish charitable trust that supports community organisations and worthy causes across Scotland.

The funding will contribute directly to the club’s ongoing youth and community rugby programmes, helping to provide opportunities for young players of all abilities to get involved in the sport. The donation will support improvements to training facilities and resources at the club’s Millbrae grounds in Alloway.

Brian Williamson, Chairman of Ayr Rugby Club, said:

“We are extremely grateful to The Mickel Fund for their generous support. This funding will make a real difference to our efforts to grow the game locally and ensure rugby remains accessible to everyone in our community.”

The Mickel Fund, established in 1970, donates around £100,000 each year to charitable organisations and projects throughout Scotland.

At Millbrae we are getting used to receiving good news and yesterday was another great day for the future of our club! After months of work by the project team, our planning application for phase 3 of the Millbrae development was passed by South Ayrshire Council. This happened simultaneously with Sport Scotland’s announcement that Ayr Rugby Club has been awarded £200,000 from their Sports Facility Fund which will be used to help finance phase 3.

Having successfully completed phase 1 & 2 earlier this year, the club has seen a resurgence in activity thanks to the new access road and all-weather multi-sport pitch. Phase 3 is the next step in the redevelopment and will see the construction of a large building which will house a state-of-the-art strength & condition gym, a golf simulator and a much-needed new club shop.

This will help us develop our playing members, particularly our youth section, and provide tremendous new facilities for our growing membership and the wider community.

Club Chairman, Brian Williamson said, “This is another great moment for our club. Our success on and off the pitch and our ambitious plans for the future have been recognised by both the Scottish Rugby Union and Sport Scotland who together have awarded our club £450,000 which will be spent on our new gym and changing facilities. Now that we have planning permission in place we will be looking to start works as soon as practical and expect completion by summer 2026.”

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Hamish Frew on Wednesday 8th October. He had just turned 92 the day before.

Hamish was one of our longest-serving members (circa 70 years) and was heavily involved in the huge task of converting Millbrae from a market garden to a rugby club. He served on the committee at this time and focused mainly on sponsorship income. An active volunteer at the club over the years, he was also part of the match day squad manning the gates and car park for 1st XV games up until around 10 years ago.

It is Hamish’s original cine footage in this film about the move to Millbrae, probably the most significant step in the history of our club. Hamish still retains the old bonds from the original purchase, which will now be added to our archives.

We send our condolences to Hamish’s family at this sad time.

Hamish’s Original Cine Footage can be viewed below.

Our famous Fireworks Festival is back for another year at its new home at Dam Park Stadium. Join us on Friday 7th November for a spectacular night!

Bigger, better and more accessible than ever. Gates open from 5pm with lots for everyone – fairground, Scullery Smoc, Bullish Coffee, refreshments, entertainment inlcuding a live performance from Clanadonia and music from DJ Rossi all night.

For more information and to get your tickets, click the button below!

Walking Rugby group member Liz shines at the World Rowing Regatta in Banyoles, Spain

This year Liz Davidson took part in the World Rowing Regatta with over 5,000 other rowers at the scenic waters of Banyoles, Spain. With competitors ranging in age from 27 to 90, the event featured a wide array of categories and showcased remarkable athleticism across generations.

Liz competed in three events over the five-day regatta, delivering outstanding performances in each:

• 🥉 3rd place in Women’s Doubles
• 🥈 2nd place in Women’s Quad
• 🥇 Gold medal in Mixed Quad — the highlight of her regatta, rowing alongside a teammate from Chicago and two rowers from Paris

Despite her rigorous rowing schedule — training five days a week — Liz finds enjoyment in switching gears every Monday morning with the Walking Rugby group. Having never played rugby before, she embraces the camaraderie, the laughter, and the enjoyment of learning new skills in a completely different sport. Well done Liz!

The Nomads, Old Leamingtonians RFC’s Walking Rugby section founded in 2021, have grown from a small group into over 40 members. For them, like Ayr, Walking Rugby offers males and females an inclusive way for all abilities to enjoy the game at a slower pace, emphasising fun, friendship, and safety regardless of age, fitness or playing background.

Touring has been central to the Nomads’ spirit, earning them a reputation for camaraderie and good humour. Thanks to Nick Barrow’s Ayr RFC connections from the mid-’90s, the Nomads are now heading to Ayr for their fifth tour, eager to share the pitch and celebrate rugby’s fellowship.

Nick stayed connected as a member, and through these ties discovered Ayr’s Walking Rugby, sparking the Nomads’ tour. Nick joined in with Ayr Walking Rugby at the Hive in the Edinburgh Walking Rugby Festival a few weeks ago.

So, for those in Ayr who remember Nick, or if you are looking for some Walking Rugby entertainment, please come along to Millbrae on Saturday 11th October at 12:00, and watch the fun….and enjoy a mild libation afterwards!

Subject : Postponement of Annual General Meeting (AGM)

I wish to inform members that the upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM), originally scheduled for Monday 29^th September, has been postponed.

Due to a change of Auditors, the clubs accounts and charity audit are not yet finalised and cannot be presented.

The articles of association allow for up to 15 months between each Annual General Meeting and a new date will be confirmed and shared with you as soon as the financial report is complete.

I apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding.

Key Highlights from 2024/25

Men’s 1st XV – crowned Premiership Champions, an outstanding achievement and testament to the hard work of players and coaches.

Youth Rugby – our U18s and U16s are now competing in the new Youth Open Competition, which brings together three leading club sides and five private schools, raising standards and visibility for our young players.

Millbrae Redevelopment

• There has also been significant progress with the physical development of the club with the completion of phase 1 and phase 2 of the Millbrae development, with new vehicular and pedestrian access from Murdoch’s Lone and a new state-of-the-art all-weather championship-sized rugby/football pitch. This has allowed us to maximise the number of training sessions and games played at Millbrae across all sections and Millbrae is now a hive of activity during the week. This has been made possible by the funding and guidance given by Alan Macdonald and The Macdonald Legacy.
• A planning application has been submitted for Phase 3, which will see the construction of a new building housing a high performance gym facility, golf simulator and club shop. This phase also sees the upgrade of first aid & physio facilities, development of new accessible & inclusive changing facilities and the upgrade of the clubhouse, kitchen, function room and toilets. Details of our planning application can be found here – https://shorturl.at/GjHEY

Board of Directors

Board Appointments – after the resignation of Neil Reid (Finance) and David Beattie (Commercial), we were pleased to welcome Andrew McMorland (Finance) and Brian Calder (Commercial) to the board of the Board of Directors, strengthening governance and leadership as the club continues to grow. The success of Ayr Rugby Football Club takes a huge effort that is only possible under the supervision of our board with the help and support of our members, volunteers, sponsors and partners. Your participation is vital to the continued growth and success of our club.

AGM Business:

The AGM will review the financial year to 31st March 2025 and appoint directors for 2025/26.

1. Approval of Previous AGM Minutes
2. Chairperson’s Report
3. Annual Report
4. Financial Report
5. Election of Directors
6. Any Other Business

Applications are now open for members of the club and the wider community who may wish to stand for election to the Board of Directors. Application forms, role descriptions, and guidance notes are available below.

Completed applications should be submitted by Date TBC, after which candidate details will be shared with members ahead of the AGM.

The financial report is currently being finalised with our accountants and will be made available to members before the meeting.

Supporting Documents can be found at the bottom of this page.

We look forward to your active participation and attendance. If you have any questions relating to the content of this notice, please contact us at trustees@ayrrugbyclub.co.uk

Warm regards,

Brian Williamson
Chairman, Ayr Rugby Football Club Ltd

On Monday we were joined by our 1st XV sponsored club player, Jamie McAughtrie. Fresh from coming on as a replacement hooker in Saturday’s game against Glasgow Hawks, where he scored his first try of the season (and nearly a second!). Jamie joined our morning session alongside another rising Ayr star, Dan Simpson. 

Some of the group were also proudly showing off the brand-new Walking Rugby jerseys, looking sharp as ever.

The chat afterwards over a coffee and filled roll was full of a great deal of laughter. The Walking Rugby group concluded if these two young men worked hard enough at their game, they could almost reach the standard of the group!!

Last Friday, 15 of the Walking Rugby group turned out in the Edinburgh Walking Rugby Festival at Murrayfield.

The Millbrae Shufflers and Ayr Strollers played in the Hive Stadium against teams from Annan, Kelso, Edinburgh Wanderers and Mid Lothian Rugby.

The organisers had said the Festival would be a non-competitive event, everyone was just to enjoy the event and have fun, and that we did! Not only did we have a very enjoyable time, the two Ayr teams won all their games, played 8 won 8, to come out on top!

Come along on a Monday morning at 10.00am to Millbrae, join in the fun and laughter, and don’t make age or ability an excuse!

Important Update Regarding Membership Fees 2025/26

Our ambitious plans to redevelop Millbrae are ongoing, and we have completed phases 1 and 2 of the plan. The impact of the new road and car park has been huge, making Millbrae more accessible for all. It has been great to see all our teams return to Millbrae to train and play, made possible by the new multi-sport, all-weather pitch.

This week, we applied for planning permission for the first part of phase 3, which will see a new 300-square-metre construction housing a large strength and conditioning gym, a golf simulator, and a shop. It also includes a rethink of our changing facilities in the main clubhouse and in the old squash courts.

The redevelopment has been funded by outside sources of income, including the Macdonald Legacy, the SRU, and other grant funding. However, the cost of running the club and facilities comes from income generated by membership fees, sponsorship, events, and the bar/function suite. Over the last number of years, we have seen ever-increasing overheads, including utilities, wages, and maintenance. Insurance premiums, for example, have increased by over 300%.

For the upcoming season, we are investing heavily in our youth section, which we see as the future of our club. Ayr have been accepted into an elite tier at the top of the domestic U18 and U16 structure, consisting of five private schools and three clubs. To meet the challenge, we have created a new post of Youth Rugby Performance Director, and Frazier Climo and his team will oversee the performance of our youth section from U13 to U18. All of this will be under the direction of our new Director of Rugby, Pat MacArthur.

Our physical facilities have been transformed with the development of Millbrae and the purchase of Dam Park. This has been matched by an increase in investment into coaching at all levels. When we compare the cost of membership at Ayr RFC with other clubs, sports, and classes, it is clear that current levels of subscription are unsustainable.

As such, the decision has been made by the Board of Directors to increase the members’ subscriptions for 2025/26 at the following rates at the bottom of this page.

We appreciate your understanding and continued support as we grow our club and capabilities to meet our ambition to excel in modern-day rugby. If you have any concerns or require further clarification, please do not hesitate to reach out: trustees@ayrrugbyclub.co.uk

Brian Williamson
Chairman
Ayr Rugby Football Club Ltd