ABOUT US

After a couple of abortive attempts, New Ross RFC was founded in 1936 by the late Paddy Fleming who rounded up players, helped coach them, arranged fixtures and transport, obtained pitches and looked after the numerous duties involved in running a club.

As only 4 or 5 of the original players had ever seen a rugby match, it took a while before the club found its feet, but by degrees they became a force to be reckoned with. In 1939, the Club recieved a boost when a battalion of the Irish Army was stationed in New Ross and supplied many fine players to the local Club, with the end of WW2, and the withdrawal of the Army from New Ross, the Club declined.

In September 1970, rugby was re-introduced in New Ross with training taking place in the car park of the Five Counties Hotel and the first match taking place in Wally Gannon’s Hillfield. The Club acquired its current grounds before the end of that season and the Club Pavillion was erected in 1974 by voluntary effort by the members. The Grounds have been substantially modernised and properlylaid out in the years since then and currently boasts 2 of the best pitches to be found anywhere in Leinster. The Majority of Club training now takes place in the training facilities at Good Counsel College.

The Club is substantially larger than the club of the 70’s when there was just one team. In the 2014-2015 season, the Club will field 3 adult men’s teams, an adult ladies team (playing in the AIL), youths teams at U19, U17, U15 and U13, U18 and U15 ladies as well as catering for a vibrant minis section with players from U12 to U7.

All of this activity is supported by an enthusiastic group of voluntary coaches and parents and overseen by the Club Management Committee.

some cool facts

Numbers speak for themselves

0
Senior Int'l
0
Under 19's
0
Under 18's

New Ross is one of the four main towns in Co. Wexford and has an urban population circa 5,000 and a catchment area encompassing a further 25,000 people.

The community

New Ross RFC is acutely aware of the enormous potential to have a positve influence on the wider community in terms of improvements in fitness, health outcomes and levels of sporting participation along with providing increased access to social interaction.

For this reason and for several years, New Ross RFC has participated and invested in the Club Community Rugby Officer (CCRO) Scheme administered by Leinster Rugby.

The CCRO has a defined role within the Club with a salient objective of attendance and coaching at all the Primary and Secondary Schools within the catchment area. The objective is to encourage maximum sporting involvement, fitness, teamwork and camraderie among both boys and girls as well as specifically urging participation in either full contact or tag rugby among the entire school population.

The CCRO also works with Wexford Sports Partnership under auspices of Wexford County Council on specific sport and activity projects targeted at disabilty groups and women.

The Club ethos is one of urging maximum intergration with an attitude that there is a place for everyone within the sport.

The Social Side

Rugby is not just about the on-field activities. The social outlet offered by New Ross RFC is a vital component of the Club offering, both to members and non-members. Each year, the Club organises a number social engagements and invites participation by the wider community. The prime event is the Annual Dinner Dance which has grown to be one of the hottest tickets in town. Other examples include “Strictly Come Dancing” in competition with Ross Celtic Soccer Club, annual Youths Awards evening and a social tag rugby tournament during the summer.

and the future?

In the years ahead, New Ross RFC has a number of objectives which it is striving to achieve. These include, but are not limited to:

  • Attain and retain Division 1 Leinster League status for our adult male first XV.
  • Ensure that our Ladies XV continues to play at AIL level.
  • Continue to grow our adult playing base, both male and female, organically through the fostering of our youth players and the “bedding in” of female U15 and U18 sides.
  • Establish a functioning rugby/tag rugby section within the Club for people with disabilities within 3 years.
  • Continue to foster community involvement similar to our involvement with Ross Celtic Soccer Club and our association with the Country Markets.
  • Continue to partake in Leinster Rugby’s Community rugby scheme and encourage children to be happy, healthy and active through participation in rugby in their own school.
  • Build up our financial reserves through a range of fundraising activities to enable the purchase and development of training grounds over the next 3-5 years to cater for our increasing player numbers.
Scroll to Top