Club Notes | Community At The Core Of Bruff RFC

Situated just ten short minutes from the Limerick/Tipperary border sits Bruff RFC.

The club was formed in 1970 and now just 55 years later the club boasts three senior men’s and a senior women’s side as well as a plethora of age-grade teams.

Community has always been a core value of the club and it has been even more prevalent this year as they entered year two of their 10-Year Development Plan.

The most recent development has seen the club open it’s very own inclusive dressing rooms. This refurbishment will allow any female team within the club to have their own dressing room where they can feel welcome and safe in facilities that are catered towards them.

As well as this there has also been the addition of a second referees room to accommodate any female referees that may be officiating any games within the clubs grounds.

Last weekend saw the official opening of the club’s new dressing room complex. Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan, was on hand on the day to cut the ribbon.

The facilities were made possible by the fundraising efforts of the club as well as the Sports Capital and the IRFU Inclusivity Grant.

Speaking about the redevelopment U18s coach and club committee member Seamus Sheahan said:

“Most people in the local area know we are a community based club. We look after players from minis through to adults, both men’s and women’s.

“We currently have about 500/600 kids training with us at the moment, from communities all about the local area, who we support and coach on a regular basis. We give them access to gyms, training programmes, that kind of stuff and top class coaching as well through our rugby programmes here in Bruff.

“Our most recent development is our upgraded dressing room complex.

“We have done this to make it more inclusive, particularly for the ladies and girls teams in the club as we have upgraded toilets and showers and provided a female only dressing room, just to make them feel a bit safer and more welcome in the club.”

Club president Barbara O’Brien also spoke about the upcoming fundraising draw and how the money raised will benefit the club in the years going forward.

“We have five senior adult teams here in Bruff RFC and we, as a club, are striving towards providing better facilities for our players and with that our current fundraising efforts is a draw that is taking place on the 28th of December to win €30,000.

“Everyone is really pulling together for this fundraiser as we aim to raise over €100,000 which we will be putting right back into our club and into our facilities.

“Our aim is to provide players with opportunity to perform and compete at the highest level and developments like this will allow us to do work towards that.”

To learn more about the clubs fundraising efforts click here.