Luctonians Appoint Sarah Lamonby as New Community Coaching Lead
Luctonians are delighted to officially welcome Sarah Lamonby as our new Community Coaching Lead. Sarah has been in the role for the past half term and has already made a big impact, jumping straight into our summer camps programme and setting plans in motion for the new school year in September.
Sarah brings not only coaching experience but a deep, personal connection to rugby and community sport.
Sarah Lamonby’s earliest rugby memory is a significant one: in 2003, with her dad, watching England win their first Rugby World Cup. Usually a calm man, Sarah’s dad could be heard seven houses down. That passion for the game is something Sarah’s definitely inherited.
A stalwart of the Luctonians womens’ team and a qualified coach, Sarah’s relationship with rugby is a true family affair. “My partner has been playing since he was seven, and our girls are well and truly part of the rugby community too.” Sarah was part of the first ever Vixens team, which played its first game of contact rugby at Luctonians in 2022. “We had 14 players, only three of us had played before and we had this horrible orange kit. But we were on the first team pitch with a massive crowd including people that I’d watched for years, now watching me. It’s still my favourite game of rugby and if I could, I would relive it over and over again. The following week, we had 20 girls at training, hoping to follow in our footsteps.”
In a curious twist of fate, the Luctonians Community Coaching programme, which Sarah now leads, also started in 2003. The programme, which is funded by local business Avara Foods, provides a host of sporting opportunities to the schools of North Herefordshire and beyond.
“Personally, sport is a massive part of my life, I’d be lost without it,” explains Sarah. “Sport is ‘my time’ and a chance to escape the stresses of life and recharge my battery. Without rugby, I’d be a lot unhappier.” It’s this outlook that makes Sarah’s role at Luctonians a perfect fit. “Giving kids an outlet to be active, to give them opportunities to try different activities, and to interact with adults that aren’t either their teacher or a parent is really important. Not every school has access to either the experience or the equipment to provide the kind of opportunities that we can – it’s an incredibly valuable service and one that’s really appreciated.”
Previously an English teacher herself, Sarah knows all about the pressures of school life from a teacher’s point of view and the importance of the Luctonians’ community programme. “We’re not just there to keep kids busy,” says Sarah, “We give the kids a chance to be active and try different sports, as well as freeing up time for teachers to tackle other tasks and give them ideas and activities that they can replicate when we’re not there. Ultimately, we go into schools, maybe for the whole day, to create opportunities and to make sure that everyone, but especially those that maybe struggle with traditional school subjects, have the opportunity to try sport and, hopefully, find something that they enjoy and want to continue.”
Although new to the role leading the community programme, Sarah is in the thick of planning fo the new school and year and already has big ambitions. “I want to keep playing, both for my own enjoyment and because I want my girls to see their mum out on the pitch. I also want to expand the community programme, to create more opportunities for local kids, hopefully inspire more to take up sport, especially the girls, and I have my eye on a world record attempt next Spring.” The most important job is to keep making a difference, as Sarah says, “It’s amazing what a difference you can make, when you’re outside playing rounders.”
We’re thrilled to have Sarah on board and look forward to seeing our Avara Foods Community Coaching programme grow even further under her leadership.