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Proposed by: Abby Hutchison
Seconded by: Florence Hickey

Hello LUUWRUFC, I am putting myself forward as club captain because I care about this club and I want to contribute to its positive growth.

I have massively enjoyed my last three years here at LUUWRUFC, developing a love and commitment to the club. This year I have really enjoyed serving the club as Kit Secretary, going beyond the requirements of the role by organising the kit donation scheme for the Devs, donating kit to a local primary school to help with sustainability, and helping to organise Societies into Schools. These are projects that I am really passionate about and would like to support the continuation and growth of next year. I am also committed to supporting the next committee in any new ideas that they bring forward.

I am a very organised person, successfully balancing my uni work with other commitments including rugby these past three years. I have been an active member of the club, getting involved in a variety of different projects like the three peaks challenge, charity events, the Homed sandwich run, and much more. Because of my involvement, I’m aware of potential problems that might come up during planning of such events and feel experienced in dealing with them as and when they arise. Additionally, through my role I’ve had the privilege of working with many committee members this year so am aware of how best to support them next year, ensuring the smooth running of the club, but not at the sacrifice of committee members' mental health.

Effective communication is something this year’s committee has worked on and I’m keen to continue this next year. As such a large club with a diverse range of participants, it’s important to ensure everyone within the club understands decision making but also how to make the most of their time with LUUWRUFC. My priority would be to ensure everyone engages with as many parts of LUUWRUFC as possible and that everyone leaves having a positive experience. Additionally, being part of committee can be challenging at certain points but feeling supported by other members of the committee can greatly help in times of stress.

Unfortunately, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows at LUUWRUFC and I want to make a commitment to maintaining a lot of the good programmes we’ve got running. Finding coaches is very hard for a women’s rugby team but in the last few years we have engaged with the coaching scholar programme which provides players with coaching qualifications whilst being able to ensure we have enough coaches to run sessions. The programme is changing slightly but I would push for us to be involved again. This year we had to really fight to get strength and conditioning with only 16 slots each week, I will really fight for this to continue next year. Societies into Schools is also a programme I've massively enjoyed. We're one of the few societies who run this and have been recognised by the union. I have gained a lot from this experience and also it's a great opportunity for us to help the local community. This year, thanks to the work of Flo and Niamh, we’ve achieved SASHA accreditation as a club which is really important. The union is (fingers crossed) releasing a programme next year where a club can receive a trans inclusion accreditation badge. At LUUWURFC we pride ourselves in being a diverse and welcoming club so this is another opportunity to further that.

In summary, I want to keep clear, open communication whilst engaging in schemes that have worked successfully in previous years. Thanks for taking the time to read my manifesto and I’ll see you all at the AGM!

Charlie Hill
Proposed by: Florence Hickey
Seconded by: Abby Hutchison

Hi guys! I’m Charlie. I’ve been one of your Sponsorship Secs this year, and I’d love to put myself forward for Club Captain for the upcoming season.

I’ve experienced pretty much every side of LUUWRUFC from being on committee, playing across two teams, experiencing two major injuries, making squads and not making squads, helping out in many different roles, and just generally throwing myself into the club in every possible way. This club has shaped my uni experience, and I want to pay that forward.

Why I’m running:

One of the most beautiful things about rugby is how inclusive it is and I want that to be at the heart of everything we do next year.

This year I’ve pushed myself to talk to as many people as possible, step outside my comfort zone, be a leader in training and matches, and check in on new players and people playing for new teams. I’m approachable, I care, and I want to make sure everyone feels part of this club from old girls to freshers, in every team and from every background.

What I’ve done this year:

Alongside my partner in crime Ollie, we’ve achieved so much this season from signing two new sponsorship deals and reactivating the LinkedIn profile, to organising the Three Peaks and charity social, raising a combined £3,616 with a giant cheque to prove it! I’ve worked with charity reps, attended inclusivity panels with the union, liaised with football for the Stonewall charity tournament, arranged a free bar tab and location for our SASHA accreditation at HPBC, sorted new sponsorship t-shirts for committee, and, arguably most importantly, secured Fruity codes and over 40 pub bookings. A lot of this has been behind the scenes, but it’s shown me, and hopefully you, that I can balance uni, rugby, and committee life. As the saying goes, if you want something done, ask a busy person!!! (Ollie – I'm so so proud of us for this year and I’m going to miss you so much!)

What I want to do as Club Captain:

1. Injury Management and Player welfare
This year, we’ve really felt the lack of physio presence, especially on away days, so I want to make sure player welfare remains the highest priority across all teams. I’ve already spoken to the Gryphon physios to arrange a beginner taping workshop for the start of the season to give everyone the confidence and knowledge to effectively tape themselves for matches. I also want the full S&C programme shared with the whole club, not just the 1s, via the Team Buildr app.

Above all, I want to implement a standardised warm-up that will be used across all teams to give players consistency and confidence that they are ready for training and on game day. More specifically, I want to arrange a 5-step head/neck/shoulders warm-up, based on the RFU Activate guidelines, before any contact session. This will ensure that all players can be certain that they are fully prepared for contact, and I hope this will also give everyone the confidence to alert any coach, if a sufficient contact warm-up has not been completed before a session.
And finally, I want to make sure we continue welfare check-ins, so all injured players know that the club has their back!

2. Inclusivity and Accessibility
I am so proud to be a part of a club where our members care so deeply about inclusivity, and I want to make sure that accessibility is a visible, practical priority which we can improve all the time. Specifically, I want to improve neurodivergence accessibility by running an anonymous survey and creating a small focus group for anyone who wants to share their experiences, and making sure our socials, training, and communication are designed with our neurodivergent members, present and future, in mind.

Despite the current BUCS and RFU policies, I also want to make it explicitly clear that all genders are welcome at LUUWRUFC and we are willing to help navigate options to include players as much as possible by advertising this through our Instagram, during our GIAG, and at the Fresher’s Fair, so no one feels unsure about whether this club is for them.
Strengthening the connection between freshers, the ‘new’ old girls and returning old girls is another key focus, I'd like to encourage more mixed-team interactions, and socials that bring different teams and year groups together. Improving recruitment and retention is part of this too, with a stronger, more rugby-drill focused, GIAG and ensuring that the second GIAG with LUUWAFC (or another society) is more effective to reach new groups of players.
Finally, I want our socials and wider club culture to be genuinely inclusive by offering more quieter or non-drinking options, being clear about what to expect at events, and moving away from the negative stereotypes that often surround uni sport. Overall, I want this to be a space where everyone feels safe, supported, and genuinely excited to be here.

3. Friday Training Improvement
Friday training has so much potential, and I want to make sure it is both useful and enjoyable. I want structured, intentional sessions, with plans sent to the coaching gc beforehand for head coach input. We are so lucky to have volunteer coaches qualified to oversee contact, but I also want us to push for a paid coach to support us on Fridays if the budget allows. I’d like each team to have specific work-ons discussed in the team gc, with rotating circuits (fruity music included), and for us to play more mixed-team touch games because playing with different people makes everyone better (along with being great fitness!).

One Club Mentality:

Most importantly, I want people to feel comfortable coming to me or any committee member with questions, concerns, or ideas they think would benefit the club.
The points above are based on my experiences, conversations with members across the club, including Abby, Flo, Edie, and presidents from football, basketball, and dance. I want decisions to reflect the whole club, not just a few voices.

Why me:

I’ve wanted this role since I joined the club. I’m driven, organised, and genuinely care about every single person’s experience. I want to be a part of continuing to build a club that is inclusive, united, and supportive on and off the pitch.

None of us know what next season will bring, but I can promise you this: Whatever my role within the club is, you will never have to question the effort I am putting in to ensure this club succeeds in every aspect!

Thank you for reading, and please message me if you have any questions!!