Ulster Rugby Annual Report 2016-17

The Branch Committee was also delighted to recognise the following appointments: Stephen Hilditch President of the IRFU Ian McIlrath Junior Vice President of the IRFU and Chairman of the IRFU Rugby Committee Alan McGonigle Ireland U19 Team Manager John McKinney Ireland Schools Team Manager David Dobbin Vice Chairman IRFU Oversight Board for the 2023 RWC Bid. THANKS First of all I wish to thank all of those volunteers and members of staff who have provided so much information for inclusion in this Ulster Branch Annual Report. Some of it even arrived on time. One of my main tasks has been to collate their work into a consolidated report as much, indeed most, of the material contained in this report is the work of others including Bryn Cunningham, Richard Clingan, Barney McGonigle, Greg Irwin, Stephen Crooke,Chris Webster, Barry Willis, Jamie Turkington, Chris Shields, David Johnston, Neal Johnston, Fiona Hampton, Gareth Adams, Colin Hunter and Towy Neale. With so many contributors, it was inevitable that some items and issues have been addressed more than once. However, of greater concern than duplication, is omission. Hopefully, this report is comprehensive, but if anything of importance has been left out, the responsibility is mine. We are all aware of the fantastic contribution made to rugby in Ulster by a host of volunteers, both at Club and at Branch level. On behalf of the Ulster Branch I have great pleasure in thanking all of those volunteers, including our Club and School players and administrators, for their commitment to our great sport. During this, my first season as Branch Honorary Secretary, I have, for a variety of reasons, worked with some members of staff for the first time. In thanking our CEO Shane Logan for his efforts, I can assure him that from my experience I have found his staff to be extremely knowledgeable and utterly committed to the cause of Ulster Rugby and would thank them also. This, of course, includes the members of staff I had worked with prior to taking up my new appointment. Our President John McKibbin, often with the assistance of his wife Moira, has represented the Branch with distinction this season. I doubt if even he knows how much time he has spent on rugby business, and he is deserving of our thanks. David Dobbin is stepping down after an extended spell of seven years as Chair of the Management Committee. Much has been achieved during his time in post, including most notably, the incredible redevelopment of Ravenhill into the Kingspan Stadium. While the Professional Game understandably merited a lot of

his attention, he also took a great interest in Domestic Rugby. As mentioned earlier in this report, the IRFU has funded a full time Club Services Officer, as a direct result of last season’s successful Club Development Pilot. This pilot scheme, which was David’s brainchild, is just one example of the many positives he has brought to Ulster. While we are losing David from committee, he remains very much involved in rugby by way of his position as Vice Chair of the IRFU Oversight Board for the 2023 RWC Bid. We thank David for his expertise and commitment to the Ulster Branch and hope to see him back at the Kingspan Stadium in the near future. Billy Lavery, a former President of both the Ulster Branch and the I.R.F.U., decided to resign from his positions as Trustee of both organisations. Billy has put in an inordinate amount of work over the years, for which we offer our appreciation. Of course, as a Past President of the Ulster Branch, we will hopefully still see him at future Branch Committee meetings. The other Officers of the Branch and the Chairmen of Committees also devote many hours to their various functions. We thank them all, as well as the members of their committees and working parties. Our representatives on the IRFU Committee, Gerry Drennan, John Robinson, John McKibbin and Gordon Hamilton, prior to his resignation, are to be thanked for their efforts. Their time commitment in travel time alone is very demanding, apart from the work they do in Committee. It is a simple fact that without referees, there would be no matches. The Ulster Branch is grateful to the U.S.R.F.R. whose members travel the length and breadth of Ulster to ensure that games are played. It is disappointing to note that referee abuse, not only from players, but also from spectators, is still in evidence. As identified earlier in this report, the longest suspension handed out this season by the Disciplinary Committee was twenty six weeks, and that was for referee abuse. The Branch will continue to support our referees and come down hard on future offenders. On a personal note, being new to the job, I have leaned heavily on a number of people during the season. I would therefore like to thank Robin Cole, Hugh Logan, Billy Lavery, Stephen Crooke and Stephen Elliott, all of whom have been more than helpful with their advice and guidance. President John McKibbin, having been elected as one of our Branch representatives to the I.R.F.U., was all set for a third successive season of double-jobbing. However, he ended up triple-jobbing, having, by default, taken on the unofficial position of assistant secretary, which probably took up more of his time than that his two official positions combined. My special thanks go to John for all of his assistance throughout the season. Finally, I am grateful to Lesley McGaughey for her experience, guidance, assistance and perseverance in the compilation of this report. I am pleased to present to you the Annual Report of the Ulster Branch for 2016/17 and commend it to you for

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your acceptance. Denis Gardiner Honorary Secretary