Wayne Hayward joins the Club Committee as Mini & Junior representative
Pontypridd RFC are very pleased to announce that Wayne Hayward has joined the Senior Club committee as the official representative for our Mini and Junior section.
At the Club’s recent AGM on 18th January 2024, a motion was unanimously passed by Ponty RFC shareholders to create a representative place on the Senior Club Committee for the Pontypridd RFC Mini and Junior section, with the main aim of strengthening the link between both sections in the Club. As a result Wayne has become that M&J representative and the Club are delighted to have him onboard.
On Wayne’s position within the Club’s off-field structure being confirmed, Head of Media for Ponty RFC and committee colleague Geraint Thomas said: “Giving our Mini and Junior Section an official place on the senior Club Committee is genuinely an historical and welcome advance for Pontypridd RFC. Since starting in my current role over two and a half years ago I have got to know Wayne and I know first-hand the amount of hard work he puts into the Mini and Juniors and how passionate he is about the section. Ponty have a large and very successful Mini and Junior section and continuing to embrace that and working together under the ‘one-club’ ethos is vital moving forward.
Wayne has been one of my close contacts within the section over the last few years and his new position at the Club is only going to strengthen the links that have already been built up post Covid-pandemic. I am very keen to give Ponty’s Mini and Junior section a greater presence on the Club’s media platforms and having spoken with Wayne he also has a very similar vision – I’m looking forward to continuing working with both Wayne and the Mini and Juniors.
On behalf of Ponty RFC I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome Wayne onto the senior Club Committee. Myself personally, I’ve had a warm welcome and great support over the last few years and I know the same will be extended to him as well.”
On his new appointment at Ponty RFC, Wayne has said the following: “We would like to thank the senior club and the shareholders for making this change possible, it is a significant development that will ultimately bring us closer together as one club.
The Mini & Junior Section has grown from strength to strength in recent years, we currently have over 250 registered players (aged from 4 to 16) across 10 age groups. Our volunteers provide over 5,000 hours of their time per season, all working towards the same end, to create a safe and secure environment for the children to learn the core skills and values of the game we all love.
The foundations we’ve built in recent years have been facilitated by our closer working relationship with the senior club. Every M&J player now trains and plays their home matches at Sardis Road, while wearing a playing kit with the same design as the senior team. This season, we’ve signed a long-term agreement with the club to secure our future at Sardis Road, a significant commitment by both parties to the ‘one-club’ concept.
With these solid foundations in place, the appointment of a Mini & Junior representative within the club structure will help us further develop this relationship. In any rugby club, it’s important to feel you belong. We want our players and their families to know that Pontypridd RFC is their club, from top to bottom. We want them to feel that Sardis is their rugby home and that they’re always welcome.
In any partnership it’s essential that shared objectives are identified, thankfully there are some obvious ones that may have been overlooked in the past. The survival of Pontypridd RFC is a goal we all share, it’s in all our interests to ensure the long-term sustainability of the club. Without the club there would be no M&J section. A successful senior team is also a common goal, essential in delivering the heroes and role models our young players need. Finally, increasing the senior club fanbase is an objective we have in common, if we can build strong connections between senior and M&J players, it will further advance a sense of belonging and set standards for our aspirational players on and off the pitch.
We want our players to believe they are part of something bigger, that they have a badge to play for and a club they can be proud of. With an aging fanbase there’s a need to inspire the next generation of fans and within the M&J section there is an untapped source of future supporters. We want every single playing member and their families to end their time with the M&Js as lifelong Ponty fans, it’s in all our interests to give them the best possible start to their rugby journey and acknowledge the part they have to play in the long-term sustainability of the club.”
Croeso, Wayne
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