Tour – over 40s Footy

16 Feb 2010 | Rugby

-thought that would get your attention !!Where to next  for  Grand Bahama  Strollers ? we've done abaco so where next
  • back to brazil paul now teaching there and i'm sure spellman still knows a few nuns there
  • houston - fingers and lol both living the septic life and both rumoured to be in great shape
  • turks - sure bob would be happy to see us
  • miami - our over 45 opponents are even older than us
  • Dominican or cayman - the splinter group from the miam boys above ( ie the trini clan) looking for 5 to 7 intrepid travellers to join them on travels down south
Any other suggestions or do we need bert to make another impassioned plea at the next AGM ....

Rugby Coach Mark Rawlings: A Man on a Mission

13 Jan 2010 | Rugby

FREEPORT, Grand Bahama -- From mountain climbing to barber shop singing – Mark Rawlings is a sportsman of many parts.  And now he is adding the role of ambassador to his repertoire.The newly-appointed youth development officer at Freeport Rugby Football Club (pictured) is heading out into the schools with a mission to win young people and their physical education teachers over to a sport relatively little known on Grand Bahama but played by millions worldwide.The 22-year-old Brit may be young but he has plenty to offer youngsters interested in taking up the sport.  He is a player himself, holds several coaching certificates and is a qualified referee.  He also has experience this side of the Atlantic having spent months coaching children in Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago.He wants to get more young Bahamians involved at the Settlers Way-based rugby club.  Contrary to many people’s belief the club is not just for foreigners and already most of the first team is Grand Bahama born and bred.   Mark wants to get the next generation of players started early.He has already been to Bishop Michael Eldon High School and other schools will quickly follow.  Phase One of his “Start Rugby, Grand Bahama” campaign offers six weeks coaching for each school which takes part followed by special tag rugby tournament for senior kids in a month or two’s time in which youngsters will be able to show what they have learned in competition with other schools.Each of those taking part will be invited for extra training at the rugby club on Monday and Friday evenings.Once Phase One is complete he will turn his attention to the under-15 age group with similar coaching programmes and a competitive event at the end.“This programme looks to develop teamwork, leadership and discipline in a fun and enjoyable setting,” said rugby club president Rob Speller.  “It will also improve the kids’ motor skills, such as passing, catching, and reading the game, all of which are transferable to and from many other popular sports.“We want to involve parents and teachers in the organisation and coaching.  They will find it fun and it will help sustain the sport on the island for the foreseeable future.”The Freeport club’s successes attract much less attention than other sports on the island but are outstanding nonetheless.  It won the 2008 Bahamas Cup as well as the 2008 Bahamas Championships.  Its facilities are the best on the island with extensive match and practice pitches and a clubhouse which houses changing rooms and showers as well as a social centre.  It regularly hosts visiting teams from the US.“It’s been great to get started,” said Mark.  “I know the kids who take part will enjoy it and they will be getting coaching to the highest standards set by the International Rugby Board.  It is a contact sport and it is very competitive as anyone who comes to the club on Saturday to watch us play Kellogg’s Business School from the US will see.  But it also teaches anger management and leads to strong character growth generally.”Mark has taken time off from the UK’s world famous Loughborough University where he is taking politics with media to help out in Freeport.  But the university is chiefly known for the large number of top class sports players and coaches who have begun their first class careers there.He is used to pioneering projects.  In fact his coaching stint in Trinidad and Tobago was the first of its kind in that country and required a diplomatic approach as well as a lot of enthusiasm.He ended up coaching primary as well as high school children, some of them disabled, as well more challenging students.  “One of the more rewarding and unique experiences was coaching in a young offenders institute in Trinidad where many of the kids had not played the sport before,” Mark added.

Message from "M" on Annual James Bond evening "A View to a Thrill."

10 Nov 2009 | Rugby

Dear Members, Friends and James Bond fans,

On behalf of the Freeport Rugby and Football Club we invite you to our first Annual James Bond evening "A View to a Thrill."

This will be a major fundraising event to help in the ever present challenges of keeping our cherished non-profit organisation afloat in these financially difficult times.

Our Club has gone from strength to strength providing more and more young people with a stable and reliable place to practice their skills but providing this environment comes with an ever increasing cost.

These past couple of years we needed more space, we got it. We needed more equipment, we got it. We now need to be able to keep pace with the upward spiral in cost of everyday maintenance and unfortunately the need to rely on supportive, community minded people is necessary for us to keep striving forward as a club we can all be proud of.

With all that said we invite you to join us for what should be a spectacular evening full of fun, surprises and laughter...

Don't forget, the more Bond trivia you know the better your chance of walking away with the Grand Prize.

It is important for us to know numbers in advance for the night so please let us know how many tickets you need by November 14th, 2009.

See you then,

Tony Johns (otherwise known as “M”)

National Rugby team news

10 Nov 2009 | Rugby

The Bahamas men's national rugby team has quite a task ahead, with the North American Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) Sevens Championships rapidly approaching.
The championships, set for November 14-15 in Mexico City, Mexico, serves as a qualifier for more than three tournaments next year. A win will automatically qualify the Bahamas men's team for the Commonwealth Games, USA Sevens and the Pan American Games. A fifth place finish at this tournament or better will qualify Team Bahamas for the Central American and Caribbean Games.

Director of the Bahamas Rugby Football Union (BRFU) Elystan Miles knows that a lot is at risk for the squad, but is confident that they can win the tournament.

"This is the highest stakes we have every played for," said Miles. "This is the first time that we have ever done it like this, where there are so many different tournaments to qualify for. That is why we are pretty determined to win this. We haven't seen Guyana, Trinidad or Jamaica and these are pretty much the powerhouses in the region. If everyone fires on all cylinders, I think we have a good chance of winning the whole thing. We have some of the best players in the region. Four guys on our team have played on the West Indies team. That is four of the seven so we have an excellent team here.
"The team has been training very hard, but we also know that Guyana is a very tough team to beat. They have been training hard, so has Trinidad and Tobago, but we're in the best shape that we have ever been in, even though I am pretty sure that these other countries are going to be too."
The Bahamas will play out of Pool A with Guyana and the Cayman Islands. For the first time, The Bahamas will also enter a women's squad. The team is expected to play against host country Mexico, which will also be entering a women's team for the first time. Other teams include Trinidad and Tobago, the Cayman Islands, Jamaica and Guyana.

Miles knows that it is going to be a tough debut for the women's squad, however he believes that they can compete with the other teams in the region. He said: "It is going to be a real fight for the girls. There are five women teams competing, all the other teams they have competed in the past, but really, we are looking for them to place. We know that Guyana is really strong in both men and women and they are pretty experienced. Our men, they have a chance of winning the tournament, but this is the first time for our women's team. If they can go out there and get a couple of hits in, we would be very happy.

"We had a team come over from the states to play them in the summer and they did well. The biggest challenge for them is getting competition. Because we only have one team here, it is very hard for the girls to find competition. They've been training and have played some games with the men. The men's team have been pretty hard on them, but they've been holding up pretty well."
The executive members will announce the team members on Saturday after the final seven-a-side match, at the Winton Rugby Field. The match is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m. ( Note this is an old post form oct 29th so please don't show up saturday !!)