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Edie Wright for Club Captain 2024/25

Proposed by Sally Cannon Seconded by Polly Bowen

Hello everyone, just in case you don’t know me, my name is Edie and I have been one of your Welfare Secretaires for this year. I am putting myself forward as Club Captain for this next season.
I believe I am well suited to this role because not only am I passionate about rugby having played at different levels for the past seven years, but I am passionate (enough to make me cry on occasion…) about this club and want to make it better. I am an active and approachable member of the club and my role as welfare sec has helped me do this even better. During my time as welfare secretary, I have been able to develop my skills of empathy, organisation and presence, this has also given me insight in how the committee runs.

As a club I think we have done an amazing job of growing and developing as individuals and as a team. The incredible development of our new members due to the dedication of our volunteer coaches is something I would like to highlight and work on retaining these new players as this is where the future of the club and rugby in itself lies.
There are so many things I love about this club but I am also aware that there are areas which need to be changed and improved, being on the committee this year as well as speaking to the wider club has made me aware of these areas and given me insight on how we can improve moving forward.

The areas I would like to focus on improving are as follows. I want to work on communication and transparency within the committee and throughout the wider club. I think it is important that people understand why decisions are being made as these decisions affect everyone. I believe that if we improve communication there will be a better understanding and appreciation of why things are happening within our club.

Secondly, I think it is essential to find a coach who aligns with our values as a club and how we play to help us develop and to promote a positive and uplifting environment. I would also encourage the new coach to engage in all three of our teams to help with development and growth of our individual players and as whole teams.
I would also like to explore finding a more permanent coach for the 2s or alternatively work with our new coach to find a training system where everyone is being supported and coached.

I would also like to talk about holding ourselves accountable for creating a non-inclusive environment for our members of colour. I would like to work with the welfare and diversity and inclusion officers to put effective measures in place to make sure that this doesn’t continue; such as promoting a safe place for anyone to report or talk about any issues surrounding any negative, exclusionary or racist behaviour. Georgia and I have spoken together about introducing inclusion seminars and being able to identify where these problems lie and working as a whole club to fix them.

I want to ensure that my fellow committee members are supported within their roles and encourage them to ask for help if they need it but also to make sure that they are able fulfil their roles. I will do this by increasing the amount of committee meetings to fortnightly check-ins as well as having more in-depth meetings each semester.

I feel it is important that each year the committee bring a new perspective to the club as I have outlined, and I am in a position where I will be able to deliver this for the next season along with my fellow committee members. However, there are also some areas where I would like to build on and continue to have in place. I want to continue promoting the plus programme as I know this has been amazing in making LUUWRUFC more accessible through contributing towards memberships, kit and tour. I would also like to build on the great work Gabby has done in her relationship with the Union activities office to bring attention to and celebrate the work we do as a club.

Thank you all for listening to mine and the other candidates’ speeches I hope that we can deliver an incredible 2024/25 season for everyone.