Mark Carrick

A Walking Rugby group turned out at Scotstoun on Saturday 7th September before the Glasgow Warriors game.

Including ARFC, Ardrossan Rugby Club and Cartha/Queens Park played a round robin of games and ARFC came out on top.

After this, the 3 groups lined up when the Glasgow and Connought players took to the pitch. At half time in front of several thousand spectators in the stadium the 3 groups combined to form 2 teams and gave a demonstration of Walking Rugby during the interval. Good fun had by players and spectators.

Subject: Notice of Ayr Rugby Football Club, AGM – 30^th September 2024

We are pleased to invite you to the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Ayr RFC Ltd, which will be held at 7pm on Monday 30^th September 2024 at Millbrae, Alloway, Ayr. The purpose of the AGM is to review the previous term to 31^st March 2024 and to appoint the board of Directors for 2024/25. There is also a special resolution to amend the charity articles increasing the number of directors from five to seven.

The articles of association allow the first AGM to be a term of up to 18 months to allow for the first financial accounts and charity audit to be completed. The successive AGMs will take place every 12 months.

This will be the first AGM since the club became a charity and we have made significant progress on and off the pitch. Ayrshire Bulls finished as the most successful Super Series side, the Mens 1^st XV won promotion to the Premiership, the Ladies 1^st XV won their league, the Mens 2^nd XV won their league and promotion playoff. Success continued across the youth section of the club with the U18s boys repeating the National Shield and West Cup victories of the previous season.

There has also been significant progress with the physical development of the club with the purchase and repurposing of Dam Park Stadium, completion of phase 1 of the Millbrae development and the commencement of phase 2. By the new year Millbrae will enjoy new vehicular and pedestrian access from Murdoch’s Lone and a new state of the art all-weather championship sized pitch. This will enable us to maximise the number of training sessions and games played at Millbrae across all sections. This has been made possible by the funding and guidance given by Alan Macdonald and The Macdonald Legacy.

The success of Ayr Rugby Football Club takes a huge effort that is only possible 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.

Agenda Overview:

1. Approval of Previous EGM Minutes
2. Chairperson’s Report
3. Financial Report
4. Proposed Amendment to Charity Articles
5. Election of Directors
6. Any Other Business

In advance of the AGM, the board would like to invite applications from our membership and from the wider community, to become a director of Ayr Rugby Football Club. The following links include an application form, role description and accompanying guidance notes. Interested parties should read the guidance notes carefully and return their application by Wednesday 11^th September 2024. The applications received will then be abbreviated and made available to the membership by the 16^th September 2024, along with instructions on how to vote at the AGM or by proxy.

The financial report is still with the accountants/auditors and will be made available to members before the AGM.

Supporting Documents:

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

Introducing our captains for season 24/25, Shelley Main and Blair Macpherson

On appointing Blair, men’s head coach Grant Anderson commented, “Blair has demonstrated over the last 5-6 years that he is the natural leader of our rugby club. His leadership skills both on and off the field speak for themselves and the level of respect that the Ayr rugby community has for him is clearly evident. He has been really receptive to my ideas and rugby philosophy, and is keen to lead us into battle once again. He also benefits from having a wealth of knowledge and experience supporting him with vice captains, Ed Bloodworth, Cam Reece and Bobby Beattie.”

Ladies head coach Andy Duncan on announcing Shelley as this years captain, “Shelley was chosen to be captain this season due to good consistent levels of performance for the last couple of years. She is really positive on and off the pitch which hopefully can continue to spread through the team further developing the culture. She has her own work ons to challenge her in a new leadership role, but I have full trust in her ability to do so while leading from the front. She will be assisted by Rachel Kilday who provides a calmness and experience to hopefully allow players to take on feedback in a way that gets the best response out of them.”

On 17^th August this Walking Rugby group took part in the 30^th anniversary celebrations of Moffat Rugby Club in the Community.

Great fun all round and now looking forward to turning out at Scotstoun on Saturday 7^th September before the Glasgow Warriors game against Connacht.

A great start has been made to pre-season training for this year’s U18 group with a full squad of 30 players in attendance. 

It is clear the lads are moving up the age grades when many of them either arrive in their own car or are putting their L plates on to leave Doonside!

Head Coach Johnny Leitch says, “The boys have worked really hard in the close season and have come back in good shape and have made a great start to pre-season. We are very much looking forward to the challenge this season and the expanded conference structure”.

Congratulations to Jake Paton who has represented Glasgow & West U18’s and both Cammy Mcgarey and Dan Simpson for representing Glasgow & West U17’s. 

A good number of boys attended Glasgow & West trials earlier in the summer and all the boys should be proud of how they represented themselves and Ayr RFC.

The first game of the season is a pre-season friendly against Marr RFC on 17th August with the first Inspiresport National 1 Club Conference away at Currie Cheftains on 24th August.

Scottish Rugby Player and Give Blood 4 Good Ambassador Ollie Smith is encouraging everyone to book an appointment in Ayr this August.

You can book an appointment in Ayr for either the 5^th, 6^th or 7^th August at the Citadel Leisure Centre. Sign up to give blood at www.scotblood.co.uk or by calling 0345 90 90 999 (phonelines are open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm).

Ollie recently visited his old stomping ground Ayr Rugby Club to encourage the rugby community to step up and donate.

‘I first donated blood during a blood drive organised by the great team at Give Blood 4 Good, a charity set up by my family after my brother, Patrick, passed away in 2019. He was a massive advocate and supporter for donating blood and donated many times prior to his untimely death.

I only see the positive benefits that giving blood has and how it can really help those in need. The fact that it only takes around half an hour out of my day to potentially save up to three lives is enough for me to donate.

One of the best things about giving blood is definitely the rewarding feeling after you have donated but also meeting the lovely staff at the donor centre who are so friendly and chatty whilst you’re donating… plus the treats at the end, has to be a Tunnocks tea cake for me!

My advice to first time donors is don’t be nervous about giving blood and make sure that you’ve had plenty to eat and drink prior to your appointment.’

Donations can drop by around 20% during the school holidays so there’s never been a better time to sign up and support Scotland’s patients.

Each donation can save or improve the lives of up to three people.

Sign up to give blood at www.scotblood.co.uk or by calling 0345 90 90 999 (phonelines are open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm).

1^st XV Head / Defence Coach – Grant Anderson

Grant continues as Head Coach of the 1^st XV after a successful 23/24 season. Securing the 1^st XV promotion into the premiership in his debut season as Head Coach is a great foundation for him to build upon and the club are very excited to see what he can do with the team this year. Grant will head up all aspects of the male senior section. His specific focus will be on the team’s defensive structure.

Attack Coach – Frazier Climo

Frazier returns to coach the clubs attack this year after a hugely successful period with the Ayrshire Bulls. He brings a vast amount of quality and experience to the group and will play a big part in integrating both up and coming young players developed through the Millbrae way and the Ayrshire Bulls players joining the Club.

Forwards Consultants – Pat MacArthur / Ryan Grant  

Pat MacArthur and Ryan Grant will assist with the forwards this season. Pat returning to the Club as the most successful super series coach of all time brings his vast knowledge around Scrums and Lineouts as well as general forward’s play. Ryan will also join on a consultancy basis alongside his role at Glasgow Accies. They will help mentor players at all levels of the club.

2^nd XV Head Coach- Dean Kelbrick

Dean Kelbrick formally steps into the role of 2^nd XV head coach after working across several areas for the past few seasons. Dean knows the club extremely well from being heavily involved here as not only a coach but a player. Dean will also contribute to the delivery of the Millbrae Way and forming a strong pathway with our youth players.

Assistant Coach – Craig Gossman

Craig will again continue in his role from last season. He will assist in coaching across the senior section on Tuesday and Thursday nights alongside game days supporting both Grant and Dean.

Player Coaches – Ed Bloodworth / Calvin Henderson

Ed and Calvin arrive after being main stays in the Ayrshire Bulls. They will be involved in leading on delivery of forwards sessions in partnership with Pat and Ryan. It is a great opportunity for both players to develop their coaching skills under the guidance of the senior coaches.

Strength and Conditioning – Bobby Beattie

Bobby will lead the S and C provision across the club this year. He again is a great role model to the young players at Ayr RFC having come through professional rugby himself. He will assist with the Ayr RFC Youth academy and the programming involved in this.

3rd XV Head Coach

We are currently in the process of adding another coach to our team who will step into the role of 3rd XV head coach for the 2024/25 season.

Come along to Cambusdoon Sports Club on Friday the 21st of June to see an Ayr Rugby Select Squad take on Ayr Cricket Club Legends competing to win the much-lauded “Pickles Cup”.

The bar opens at 4 pm and the match will get underway at 6.15 pm. This will be a fun-filled evening and a big turnout is expected from both clubs.

Ayr Rugby Legend, Frazier Climo said, “We are organising a really strong team this year, expect to see some big names and big hitters in our squad. We are really up for this challenge and confident that the Pickles Cup will be coming to Millbrae!”

There are rumours abound around the cricket club’s line up including former representative and international players making an appearance. It sounds like it is going to be a cracker!

Community and collaboration are alive and well in Ayr sports.

In another step forward for multisport relations, Ayr Cricket Club will adorn the mighty Pink and Black this season in an acknowledgement of the strong links between the two clubs.

Brian Williamson, Ayr Rugby Club Chairman said, “Ayr Cricket and Ayr Rugby Club share the same values and community ambitions, both clubs have achieved a lot on and off the field over the last year. It makes sense to play in the same colours.”

Ross Mitchell, Ayr Cricket Club, said “We are delighted to adorn pink and black in recognition of the close connection between the two clubs.”