ABERDARE RFC SEES A HUGE SURGE IN YOUTH PLAYER NUMBERS THANKS TO VODAFONE SUPPORT AND COMMUNITY FUND RAISING EFFORTS
- Local rugby club, Aberdare RFC, has made considerable improvements to the club facilities, equipment, and training, and seen a huge surge in the number of youth players, thanks to Vodafone support.
- Vodafone visited Aberdare RFC in April 2022 to host a community event alongside British & Irish Lion, Wyn Jones; Welsh Women’s captain, Ffion Lews; Wales U20 Captain, Alex Mann; and Welsh strength and conditioning coach and former international, Huw Bennett.
- The club raised over £10,000 from the event, which has allowed them to make much needed renovations and upgrades on equipment.
- 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 Aberdare RFC, which has allowed them to upskill volunteers in areas such as digital marketing and social media.
Aberdare RFC is celebrating a massive boost following the success of Vodafone's fundraising event, which raised over £10,000 for the club. The money has been used to improve the club’s facilities and training equipment and has helped the club increase the number of players involved in its youth programme.
Vodafone was joined by a host of rugby stars, including British & Irish Lion, Wyn Jones; Welsh Women’s caption, Ffion Lews; Wales U20 Captain, Alex Mann; and Welsh strength and conditioning coach and former international, Huw Bennett alongside The Good, The Bad & The Rugby’s, Mike Tindall and Alex Payne.
Aberdare RFC directed the funding towards various projects across the club, including upgrading the health and safety equipment and making repairs to the clubhouse, helping to ensure it is in the best possible condition for the players and a welcoming place for the local community.
Alongside the funds raised, Vodafone donated a new scoreboard and video analysis camera to Aberdare RFC, helping provide a better match day experience and improving training sessions across all teams. The club have also used the video analysis footage across their social media, which has given them a new way to publicise the club.
Aberdare RFC also benefitted from Vodafone's new 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.
Aberdare RFC was one of four clubs – including Westbury RFC, Dungannon RFC and Bannockburn RFC – selected by Vodafone for the series of fundraising events. The club was selected because of its outstanding youth programme and success in developing rugby talent, with several former youth players gaining senior international honours.
Darrell Williams, Aberdare RFC Chairman, “With the support of Vodafone, we have seen a huge uplift and increase in participation, most significantly with our younger groups. Since the event, we have seen about 40 new players, which has been great for the club. The biggest benefit of the event is that we can now focus on rugby without the financial pressures that grassroots clubs face, – it has been amazing.”
Vodafone’s Chief Commercial Officer, Max Taylor, “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, Aberdare 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 Ffion and Alex. 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.
